The Sorrow Regarding Compulsive Drug Use

How far would you go to help someone you know or love with substance addiction issues?

Compulsive drug use is a sad state of being for many people in this world.

At times, it does appear that people get Drug Addiction and Drug Dependence mixed up. If anyone uses a Substance over a long period of time then when they stop using the Substance, they will experience Physical and/or Psychological Withdrawal Symptoms; however, this has nothing to do with Drug Addiction. This is Drug Dependence and it is universal, meaning there is no unique characteristic that differentiates one Individual from another. If you use a Substance on a daily basis, once you stop, you will withdrawal that's it.

Drug Addiction is different, as

Drugs give users a repetitive relief where the user feels as though they have "gained something". This is "Compulsive", however it is not the same Compulsitivity seen in OCD (It's extremely similar though). Drug Addiction is characterized by this "Compulsive Anticipation of Reward", which means that there are and have been major changes in Neurophysiological functioning when a drug addict elevates Dopaminergic Transmission in the brain in such a short period of time. Colloquially this is called the "Rush" and Compulsively trying to re-establish this rush builds the framework for why addiction is seen as a disease.

At the end of the day you can take the horse to the lake but you cannot force it to drink the water. Sure you can be the smartest person it the room, but when an addict is so set in their ways because they have been doing this for years, what can you really do? It is sad, like truly sad. The saddest part is for people who grow up in it's crossfire. Watching someone die from an opioid overdose is extremely devastating, especially for children. A child should not be concerned about people dying if that child is under the age of 10. It's Traumatic, especially if you've seen more than one person die throughout your life.

People who are addicted to drugs need to decide what they want to truly live for. If not then people around you are going to die. That's just the way it is.

One day I will finish my book, "Caught in the Crossfires of Addiction"