It was once thought that addiction was a result of being weak-willed, that addicts could stop using drugs if they wanted to. But research has shown that is not the case. In fact , after prolonged use of an addictive substance, the “circuits” in the brain virtually become “rewired.” (Diggins)
When a chemical enters the brain, it is absorbed through a receptor site. When these drugs enter the brain, it is believed that they act like natural chemicals. When the body gets chemicals from another source, such as addictive substances or behaviors, the brain produces much less of its own and becomes dependant on that source. As the brain gets used to this and adapts, the person’s body builds up tolerance with most likely will continually use and increase the doseage in order to keep the euphoria and good feeling coming. Interesting enough, most addicts report that they never achieve this again, thus the beginning of the cycle.
If the substance or acitivity is stopped abruptly, it triggers a withdrawal. Symptoms of this can vary in accordance to how long the individual has been on the substance or activity but common symptoms may include anxiety, irritability, increased heart rate, shaking, chills and hot flashes, nausea, cramps and even death.
As a person goes through withdrawal, the body “begs” for more of the addictive drug in order to escape the misery of withdrawal. Understandably giving up the drug is difficult…This inability to stop using the drug is a characteristic of addiction. Although an addicted person may intellectually understand the destructive consequences of addiction, he may not be able to stop the compulsive use of the drug even after the effects of physical withdrawal have passed (Higgins).
This makes me wonder if there was a substitute that was not harmful to the individual that possibly one could use that instead in trying to get off of the addiction, but it seems like that would create a whole different problem.
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Addiction-Affects-the-Brain&id=1395448
Addiction, violence, civil liberties,crack cocaine, poverty, 2010 Olympics, drugs, prostitution, heroin, homelessness; and their impact on Vancouver’s Black Eye, The Downtown Eastside.
More than 2 million syringes are handed out free every year. Clean mouthpieces for crack pipes are provided at taxpayers’ expense. Around 4,000 opiate addicts get prescription methadone. Thousands come to the injection site every year.
addiction is a state in which the body relies on a substance for normal functioning and develops physical dependence, as in drug addiction. When the drug or substance on which someone is dependent is suddenly removed, it will cause withdrawal, a characteristic set of signs and symptoms. Addiction is generally associated with increased drug tolerance common usage of the term addiction has spread to include psychological dependence. In this context, the term is used in drug addiction and substance abuse problems
Impelled by the horror show of the Downtown East Side, prodded by activists and convinced by reams of academic studies, the police and city government have agreed to provide hard drug users with their paraphernalia, a place to use it and even, for a few, the drugs themselves.
The Harsh Reality of Drug Addiction
Not for the faint-hearted, this video is graphic and shocking and shows the depths of depravity that the human soul can descend to.
After 11 months of sobriety from cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs this individuals mental state has sunk to an almost animal-like existence.
http://www.2010homelesschampions.ca/reality_of_drug_addiction.htm
2010 Homeless Champions supports The Servants of Hope Recovery House
a proven model of recovery recently acknowledged by Operation Phoenix and the Vancouver Province Newspaper
This website is dedicated to telling the stories of the unfortunate individuals living in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver in the hope that awareness of this problem will spur people to get involved, to let all levels of government know that something has to be done to alleviate this misery rooted in addiction, homelessness and depravity. To point the way to recovery from addiction, which we believe is the root of most of this situation. With the 2010 Olympics coming to Vancouver it is our mandate to record the transition and the extreme changes that are even now occurring and will continue to unfold in the Downtown Eastside.
http://www.2010homelesschampions.ca