Coping with addiction
One of the youngest members of our unit left yesterday, after having stayed just a week. A quiet, somewhat withdrawn boy who was trying a controlled withdrawal from cocaine for the third time in two years.
He is 19 years old and was a total wreck at the moment he was admitted. He was barely able to talk and even less than willing to do so, his body language indicating a total lack of confidence and self-respect. He'd sunk so far that much of what was happening around him escaped his attention, he'd been admitted more or less voluntarily with his parents aid.
He came through the detoxification course with extreme difficulty, his body violently protesting the forced changes taking place. Walking through the halls in the middle of the night, sweating profusely and suffering pain all over his body this excruciatingly shy boy managed to run the physical detox and regain control of his body.
He made it. And then gave up. Almost immediately, unable to handle the cravings he was feeling and unable to shake off a lifestyle which had become part of his daily doings. Despite all the support given he "chose" to resume his old life after all the pain he'd suffered.
Being addicted to a substance isn't something you just give up. An addiction stays with you for life because the sad truth is, once an addict, always an addict... no matter what. One can shed the physical dependence in quite a short time but one will never be able to shed the psychological dependence completely. For the rest of one's life a residue of longing for the rush of intoxication will remain, the bliss of a good trip will remain imprinted on one's mind forever.
A trivial example... I stopped smoking 25 years ago after some 8 or 10 years of usage and still, at unsuspecting moments, I feel the sense of enjoyment coming back when I inadvertantly sniff some tobacco smoke. Most smokers retain the feeling of enjoyment of a good cigarette, the habit forming and the people, places and doings associated with usage.
Once an addict, always an addict but one who had had the courage to face their difficulties front-on, firstly by admitting they have a serious problem, then by addressing the physical problems directly and then realising that no matter what they do, they will be craving the substance they've been using for the rest of their lives. The cravings diminish in time but still remain in the background, a latent threat lurking in the shadows and all too often striking again when the individual is in a vulnerable frame of mind.
It's a sad fact of life for an addict. Some people return to the clinic many times for the same problems, having given in or given up at a moment of stress or inability to cope.
Try to understand the predicament of the substance abuser, there is no solution in the end, only a constant searching to control the craving and finding diversions to prevent a relapse.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but in the end its the person involved who's important and not just his/her problem. Even after twenty relapses there's still the same person in need of help and understanding. Just help in whatever ways you can and as often as necessary because the problem will never go away completely.
Just be there and be yourself... that's all.
Keep well...
---------------
He is 19 years old and was a total wreck at the moment he was admitted. He was barely able to talk and even less than willing to do so, his body language indicating a total lack of confidence and self-respect. He'd sunk so far that much of what was happening around him escaped his attention, he'd been admitted more or less voluntarily with his parents aid.
He came through the detoxification course with extreme difficulty, his body violently protesting the forced changes taking place. Walking through the halls in the middle of the night, sweating profusely and suffering pain all over his body this excruciatingly shy boy managed to run the physical detox and regain control of his body.
He made it. And then gave up. Almost immediately, unable to handle the cravings he was feeling and unable to shake off a lifestyle which had become part of his daily doings. Despite all the support given he "chose" to resume his old life after all the pain he'd suffered.
Being addicted to a substance isn't something you just give up. An addiction stays with you for life because the sad truth is, once an addict, always an addict... no matter what. One can shed the physical dependence in quite a short time but one will never be able to shed the psychological dependence completely. For the rest of one's life a residue of longing for the rush of intoxication will remain, the bliss of a good trip will remain imprinted on one's mind forever.
A trivial example... I stopped smoking 25 years ago after some 8 or 10 years of usage and still, at unsuspecting moments, I feel the sense of enjoyment coming back when I inadvertantly sniff some tobacco smoke. Most smokers retain the feeling of enjoyment of a good cigarette, the habit forming and the people, places and doings associated with usage.
Once an addict, always an addict but one who had had the courage to face their difficulties front-on, firstly by admitting they have a serious problem, then by addressing the physical problems directly and then realising that no matter what they do, they will be craving the substance they've been using for the rest of their lives. The cravings diminish in time but still remain in the background, a latent threat lurking in the shadows and all too often striking again when the individual is in a vulnerable frame of mind.
It's a sad fact of life for an addict. Some people return to the clinic many times for the same problems, having given in or given up at a moment of stress or inability to cope.
Try to understand the predicament of the substance abuser, there is no solution in the end, only a constant searching to control the craving and finding diversions to prevent a relapse.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but in the end its the person involved who's important and not just his/her problem. Even after twenty relapses there's still the same person in need of help and understanding. Just help in whatever ways you can and as often as necessary because the problem will never go away completely.
Just be there and be yourself... that's all.
Keep well...
---------------
posted by bart | 06:15
2 Comments:
I recall reading somewhere that addiction is an illness just like any other. I have a friend who is addictive - her addictions have ranged from alcohol to internet sex to work - as far as I know, she's never gone down the "substance abuse" route but the damage she does to herself, and the pain she feels in her psyche are, I'm sure, the same that every addict feels.
I suppose what most of the "rest" of us forget is that it's not as easy as just "making choices" - it's far more complex - as are most illnesses.
My oldest brother had been in and out of rehab more times than I can count, then he went to prison, for twelve years. He's forty eight and living with my mother now, still using when he can find the money to use. It breaks my heart, but I gotta tell ya, he has ripped off the kids christmas money to buy dope, he's stolen and hocked everything he could lift out of my mother's house, he's been in gun fights over dope, and if I go to my mother's house I have to carry my purse with me at all times or he'll take my money, even after I've already given him what I can. It's heart wrenching for sure, and like you illustrated here, if they don't have it in them to go the course they wont make it. We can't wish sobriety on anyone, but as you say, we can listen and care, but it really gets tough at times. xx
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