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12 June 2011 Last updated at 23:06 GMT Prescription pills blamed for ‘Pharmageddon’ in Kentucky Paul Adams By Paul Adams BBC News, Kentucky In the green, wooded hills of eastern Kentucky, two mothers pore over photographs of daughters lost to prescription pills. Sarah Shay and Savannah Kissick were school friends in Morehead, both addicted [...] Drug addiction is a clinical condition, and because it generates both physiological and mental dependencies, it’s not something that a person can recover from through willpower on its own. Having said that, it is a treatable disorder, and with assistance it is practical for users to break away from the dependency. It will take lots of work, and it’s really a hard, and occasionally painful, process, but the appropriate treatment can do plenty of good for a number of people. [...] Do you find it difficult to get nicotine out of your system? Nicotine, after all, can be very addictive. Nicotine may not be illegal but it compares with dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroin in terms of addictiveness. [...] Consuming a diet chock full o’ nutrients has always been important, but now clinical research demonstrates that there might be a connection between drug abuse and dietary insufficiencies. Carolyn Reuben, a nutrition authority (and the executive director of the Community Addiction Recovery Association in Sacramento, CA) says that our bodies can react to certain dietary deficiencies in a way that can in the end contribute to mood disorders and/or addiction. [...] An addiction to alcohol is more than simply drinking too much; it is a dependency on alcohol from the body that can lead to nausea and immense anxiety when it is withdrawn. On top of this it puts a huge strain on relationships, work commitments, and general day-to-day activities. But while the symptoms of alcoholism are clear and apparent, the causes of alcoholism are not. [...] Lately there has been a focus in the media on the large numbers of people – in particular young people – who binge drink. Much less attention is placed on the high amount of alcoholics – those who are dependent on alcohol – meaning people may not be aware of the extent of the problem. [...] Alcohol abuse or alcoholism often stems from triggers such as stress or depression, especially in those that may have a predisposition towards the illness. By tackling the addiction in its early stages the likelihood of full recovery is increased, but what are the signs to look out for? [...] One in three people in Britain will have tried illegal drugs at one point or another, it is thought. Though there is continual discussion about the dangers of drugs and what classification they should be, it is quite obvious that some people find themselves in legal or financial trouble, and doing damage to their physical or psychological health because of a drug addiction. Many people who take different types of drugs in different circumstances will each need different types of drug addiction treatment. [...] While alcoholism is a disease that can impact on anyone’s life, different concerns face men and women. Although men are much more at risk of developing alcoholism than women (some suggest they are five times more likely), the effects of alcohol can be much more serious on women. [...] In the early 1900s when drug and alcohol addictions were first studied, they were thought to be simply a result of moral failure and a lack of willpower. Today, many scientific studies have brought about a new train of thought. Most organizations that deal with addictions now acknowledge that there are many more factors that can fuel an addiction. According to NIDA, the National Institute of Drug Abuse in America, addiction is a disease that affects behavior as well as the brain. There are both environmental and biological factors that result in the progression of the disease. Addiction is also a complex disease that requires a thorough understanding in order for it to be properly treated. [...] |
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