105 - How do people get addicted to drugs in the first place?

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Today I will talk about the process and path of a person moving from being a "normie" to using drugs and alcohol and becoming an addict.

In this episode, I talk about the progression of drug, alcohol, sex - any behavior which can become addictive. Many addictions have the same process from start to finish. However, I'll primarily talk about the four reasons people get addicted to drugs and alcohol.

Reason #1: People are trying to mask another problem or issue such as mental illness. Drugs and alcohol help cope with mental illness and make them feel better, or people who have mental illness believe that drugs and alcohol help them to cope with and deal with their mental illness. In my experience, I see the opposite happen. Drugs and alcohol are not a solution, especially schizophrenia.

Reason #2: Drugs and alcohol relieve stress. Addicts in this category have a hard time dealing with stress or have always used drugs and alcohol to avoid dealing with a life stressor. This is a perpetual cycle = worsening issues, more drugs and alcohol, the stress doesn't go away, the situation gets worse, so the person takes more drugs and alcohol.

Reason #3: Environment - the addict is around others who are using drugs and alcohol. Alcohol was the love of my life, introduced to me by my friends. At 12, I tried Zima with a group of older kids, who I was easily influenced by teenagers who were older than me. As long as someone else was worse than me, that would reinforce that I wasn't an alcoholic.

Reason #4: Medical intervention with addictive painkillers causes addiction. When the issue which was causing the pain was resolved, our body goes through withdrawal. Many IV heroin addicts started with opiate painkillers used after an accident and injury. These people usually don't have a family history of drugs and alcohol.

Listen in to find out more detail about the four paths to drug and alcohol addiction and how families react to their loved one's addiction.

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Show Notes:

• [05:20] Reason #1 People get addicted to drugs because they are trying to cope with a mental illness.
• [08:25] Schizophrenia is negatively affected by marijuana use.
• [10:00] Reason #2 Drugs and alcohol relieve stress
• [12:14] Parents and loved ones always ask "Why can't they just stop?"
• [15:50] Reason #3 The addict is surrounded by drugs and alcohol.
• [19:13] Reason #4 Addiction from the use of opiate drugs prescribed by a doctor.

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