People can look at addicts and not understand why they do what they do when they are aware of the harmful consequences. It is easy to judge instead of taking the time to understand what an addict must have been thinking as they using. In order to better sympathize with addicts, it is important to see where they are coming from in their addiction in order to better help them.
People can do drugs and alcohol because of peer pressure as they see friends and family drinking alcohol or doing drugs and seeing how much fun they are having. It can be to help control the feelings of loneliness or depression such as with Ray Charles who lost his mother and his brother at a young age and would take drugs to help him cope. Drugs and alcohol can also be considered an escape from the stresses that life can bring such as work, taking care of family, paying bills, etc.
Addiction stimulates pleasure in the center of the brain through neurotransmitters like dopamine. Non-addicts only feel a mild high when drinking or doing drugs. Addicts can feel so good from one hit that they will do whatever it takes to get their hands on the addictive substance even if that means using illegal methods to get it or lying to the people they love which can cause impaired relationships. Negative consequence would be worth it if they can feel high.
What is right and wrong in the mind of a non-addict will be a reverse for an addict. Addicts believe that drugs are the one thing that they can depend on. Negative consequences only come from bad luck. For those that try to stop addicts from using, addicts will just feel like they should mind their own business. If they know people who do not want to engaging in addictive substances, then they are dull, boring, and do not know how to enjoy themselves.
By giving up drugs, they would be giving up having fun and it would feel like a prison sentence to them. Any risks that come from addictive substances are an exaggeration and the addict is the exception to the rule. Those who want to help addicts need to understand where they are coming from and why they feel the way they do. An addict should not have to hit rock bottom to understand their wrongdoings.
Smarmore Castle Private Clinic in County Louth, near Dublin was founded in 1988 as a residential rehabilitation hospital treating people suffering from drug and alcohol purposes. Smarmore Castle believes in helping patients lead a life of abstinence through 12 Step programs, detox and medical treatment, psychotherapy, and complementary therapies. For more information, please call 041-214-5111. For those who live out of the country, the international number is 00353-41-214-5111.
