Addiction Stories, anyone?

[roygrip]

Hey Lone, Check out my Drug and Alcohol recovery thread under mental health. A lot of answers for you.

About myself My sober date is Jan. 27th 2001. This means I haven't used any drug or alcohol for any reason since (excepting aspirin and Ibuprofen) I am a member of both AA and NA. I also have a degree in drug education and am a licensed drug counselor (CADAAC), I volunteer at the rehab I got sober at.

I grew up on the "right side of the street" My parents were college professors. I was loved, they didn't drink. Both kids of teatotalers and alcoholics stand the biggest chance of doing drugs/alcohol. In my case after much work, I realize, yes I suffered low self esteem issues very early on, I felt different. Drugs and alcohol empowered me, made it easier for me to fit in.
I had good friends, I did well in school, I was liked, but didn't see it that way. I'm 54, I grew up in Hollywood CA, in the '60s and '70s. It was WILD. Alcohol and pot came at 10 yrs old for me (1967) on the dare of my best friends older brother. I had arrived. From that point on it was it. I am an addict and I believe I was predisposed to it. Both my best friend and brother only smoke pot to this day.
In a nutshell, will education work? On some, some will just have to go through it as I did. I don't mind sharing of myself, so ask me questions if you wish, I'll tell you of myself.

[weltschmerz]

I hung with the "wrong crowd" beginning 8th grade.

I'm curious to know why in the beginning you chose to hang with the wrong crowd.
I know a lot has to do with self-confidence and personality.
I do see that many young people hanging with the wrong crowd have a low opinion of themselves. I wonder if this is generally true.
---------------------
A couple of points. I don't think there is that clear a line of demarcation between regular kids and the kids from the 'wrong' crowd. I'm sure that most parents think their angels are innocent, but it's those 'wrong crowd' kids who are at fault.

I'd be hard-pressed to find many teenagers with high self-esteem and self-confidence. It comes with the territory of teenage angst. Kids that age desperately want to fit in and be part of the crowd. That's why they're so susceptible to peer pressure.

[roygrip]

Nov 5, 2011 15:55:36 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

Nov 5, 2011 14:22:42 GMT -5 roygrip said:

Hey Lone, Check out my Drug and Alcohol recovery thread under mental health. A lot of answers for you.

About myself My sober date is Jan. 27th 2001. This means I haven't used any drug or alcohol for any reason since (excepting aspirin and Ibuprofen) I am a member of both AA and NA. I also have a degree in drug education and am a licensed drug counselor (CADAAC), I volunteer at the rehab I got sober at.

I grew up on the "right side of the street" My parents were college professors. I was loved, they didn't drink. Both kids of teatotalers and alcoholics stand the biggest chance of doing drugs/alcohol. In my case after much work, I realize, yes I suffered low self esteem issues very early on, I felt different. Drugs and alcohol empowered me, made it easier for me to fit in.
I had good friends, I did well in school, I was liked, but didn't see it that way. I'm 54, I grew up in Hollywood CA, in the '60s and '70s. It was WILD. Alcohol and pot came at 10 yrs old for me (1967) on the dare of my best friends older brother. I had arrived. From that point on it was it. I am an addict and I believe I was predisposed to it. Both my best friend and brother only smoke pot to this day.
In a nutshell, will education work? On some, some will just have to go through it as I did. I don't mind sharing of myself, so ask me questions if you wish, I'll tell you of myself.

Thanks for sharing.

You stated that you were loved by your parents and that you had friends, but yet you had low self-esteem? Do you know why that happened?
I am trying to think if I know of anyone who has high self-esteem and has become addicted. I can think of no one.

Most of us across the board in recovery will list low self esteem (among others) in our list of reasons for addiction. Pre disposition another strong contender.
In my case one week before mom died, three months after dad died, mom laid a bombshell...... I was adopted. Did I know in my subconcious? Was this the "different" I felt? I don't know. I know some are predisposed, so the question arises, who were my birth parents? Alcoholics?/Addicts? I haven't searched them out, don't want to. I've worked thru issues and like who I am.

Yes I personally know several over achievers (high self esteem kids) who became addicts because of a different set of rules. Using drugs to "mellow out"

By the way, addiction evolves, at first I used because it felt good, it took 20 yrs for it to get to the point for me to use to feel normal.

[roygrip]

ADDICTION
Addiction can also be viewed as a continued involvement with a substance or activity despite the negative consequences associated with it. Pleasure and enjoyment would have originally been sought; however, over a period of time involvement with the substance or activity is needed to feel normal

[roygrip]

Thanks Iggy, I work hard at knowing why I am the way I am, because I don't ever want to go back to the way I was.

[roygrip]

Nov 5, 2011 18:45:22 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

Okay, I can see why over achievers would need to mellow out and it would then evolve into a full blown addiction. Maybe that's why so many doctors get addicted?

Doctors, lawyers, judges, cops, etc. etc etc. I know them all in recovery. So many needed to take the "edge" off, mellow out, calm down, etc. Never thinking they would become addicted. Drs write their own prescriptions, cops, take from evidence, etc. It happens, their still good people, just their coping skills first then addiction takes over.

[roygrip]

Nov 5, 2011 19:31:01 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

Roy...Okay, say someone uses pot to mellow out. What would cause them to progress to a really bad drug, one that would cause the opposite effect of what they originally wanted?
I guess I am trying to understand an addict's transition from pot to harder drugs.

Most addicts (me) find one drug "better" than another. Usually the progression (but not always) is that say pot no longer does it, or the would be addict is introduced to another drug they like better.
I'll speak for myself here and say for years it was alcohol, pot, and LSD/halucinagens. (maybe it was the times.) My rules /barriers about stronger drugs were worn down as the time went on.
My main job has been in the studio system here in LA/Hollywood, cocaine came into vogue and got cheaper. With Cocaine I felt empowered all over again, the euphoria was great, more and more was needed to "chase" the elusive high. And wow, your addictive. The drugs work, phyisically (in some cases) Physiologically in others or both. Your body craves it. Most addicts have a specific drug that "does it" for them, some are garbage pail addicts, whatever is around.

[roygrip]

Nov 5, 2011 20:18:58 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

I get the more and more is needed. How then is it that so many claim that pot doesn't lead to harder drugs?

For some it doesn't. They're not addicted. I have friends, with whom I first smoked pot when I was 10. To this day they have a couple beers now and then, and smoke a joint, nothing more. Some of us like myself, became addicted and moved to harder drugs. Guess it depends on the individual.

Not all pot smokers move to harder drugs
Not all pot smokers are addicts
Not all addicts were potsmokers ;D

[weltschmerz]

Nov 5, 2011 20:18:58 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

I get the more and more is needed. How then is it that so many claim that pot doesn't lead to harder drugs?

Almost everyome I know smokes pot. Very few have felt the need to even try harder drugs.
Even my 90 yr old neighbours Up North grow their own, for "medicinal purposes". You could hear them laughing clear across the lake.

[roygrip]

Nov 6, 2011 4:10:04 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Nov 5, 2011 20:18:58 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

I get the more and more is needed. How then is it that so many claim that pot doesn't lead to harder drugs?

Almost everyome I know smokes pot. Very few have felt the need to even try harder drugs.
Even my 90 yr old neighbours Up North grow their own, for "medicinal purposes". You could hear them laughing clear across the lake.

Exactly, so does this mean that some (like me) were pre disposed to becoming addicts? Only time will tell. I certainly didn't wake-up and say, I'll be an addict today, or "hey doing harder and harder drugs sounds cool" It was an evolution. And was that evolution pre-determined? Was it a series of events?

[roygrip]

Lots of articles but here's a quicky with a quick summation:

Why Do Some People Become Addicted?
For two decades, researchers have been struggling to identify the biological and environmental risk factors that can lead to addiction to alcohol and other drugs. These factors form a complex mélange in which the influences combine to bring about addiction and to make its treatment challenging. But scientists know more about addiction now than they did even 10 years ago, and have learned much about how the risk factors work together.

The widely recognized risk factors include:
:)Genes: Genetics play a significant role: having parents with alcoholism, for instance, makes you four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics. More than 60 percent of alcoholics have family histories of alcoholism.
:)Mental illness: Many addicted people also suffer from mental health disorders, especially anxiety, depression or mood illnesses.
:)Early use of drugs: The earlier a person begins to use drugs the more likely they are to progress to more serious abuse.
:)Social environment: People who live, work or go to school in an environment in which the use of alcohol and other drugs is common - such as a workplace in which people see heavy drinking as an important way to bond with coworkers - are more likely to abuse drugs.
:)Childhood trauma: Scientists know that abuse or neglect of children, persistent conflict in the family, sexual abuse and other traumatic childhood experiences can shape a child's brain chemistry and subsequent vulnerability to addiction.
"The kids most likely to get addicted are the ones who also have other problems," says Dr. Mark Willenbring, who directs the Division of Treatment and Recovery Research of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Forty percent of people who start drinking before they are 15 years old develop alcoholism. Addiction is at the end of a spectrum of substance use problems; for most people, though not all, addiction arrives after other phases of drinking or drugging go uninterrupted. That's why it is so important to treat substance use problems in their earliest stages. Although genetic researchers are trying to identify the genes that confer vulnerability to alcoholism, this task is difficult because the illness is thought to be related to many different genes, each of which contributes only a portion of the vulnerability.



Stress and Addiction

Science shows that stress and addiction are so closely intertwined that to recover, people with addictions must learn new ways of coping with stress.

Co-occurring Disorders

A significant portion of people with addictions also suffer from other mental health illnesses, called co-occurring disorders. Without comprehensive treatment, people with co-occurring disorders are far less likely to recover from their addictions


So speaking from my standpoint. I started early, childhood trauma, I was given up for adoption, and social enviornment (Hollywood in the '60s and 70's with peer pressure)

[Artemis Windsong]

Roygrip covered the initial causes. Following is what I have observed.

The Heavenly Father puts you into bondage to these substances and He is the only way to get released. In His timing.

Alcohol dependency runs in my family. I made a decision to stay away from alcohol and drugs. My aunt told me it all boils down to an ability to cope without the substance. That meant I spent a lot of time alone while others were out partying. The social aspect pulls a lot of peeps into bars and drugs. The less desireable social circles are easier to get into and are much more accepting of peoples shortcomings. It's an excuse to like a ars.

A lot of people's reality is not the best. It feels good to escape the grind of life. Peeps want to have a good story of what happened when I drank, used drugs to excess. Just listen to them talk about those times. We were so loud walking down the motel hall we would have awakened the dead. This plays into the social aspect of shared events.

Music promotes partying and television shows people in bars talking and drinking. Some time keep track of how many TV shows show drinking as a coping mechanism.

That person's name gets brought up at other times. An example, my bro. used to call his GF Beverly and ask her to fetch him a beer. The 18 pack was sitting right next to him. No one would remember or talk about him asking her to bring him his guitar.

I tell my children not to talk about their wild times around their children because their kids will try to do or out do them. An example. Gramma says she was so dern mad a S & D when S pushed D through the sheet rock. S's 2 boys get in a fight and there goes the wall.

I knew a ranch family that were such severe alcoholics that they put beer on their kids cereal before sending them to school. When the kids became adults, the substances were worse.

Social. Shared events.
Inability to cope.
Person accepted by the group.
Excuse to act badly. Events talked about in other groups.
Remove self from reality.
Emulate what is seen on TV and heard in music.
Try to out do story tellers.
Money always seems available for substance abuse.
OPs substance abuse puts money into someone else's pocket.
The addiction creates a problem for the entire the family.

Cigarettes, diet pop, beer, cookies. I have overcome all of those including excess cookie eating.

Some one told me the pyramids would not have been built if it weren't for free beer.

Prohibition and the WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Union) came about because men would not stay sober long enough to make a living to support their wives and families.

[roygrip]

Nov 6, 2011 13:18:09 GMT -5 @insurancegal said:

RG, thank you for the above. I read it then walked away to think about it for awhile. Perhaps it has to do with personality. For me, I've always been a bit wild, compared to some standards. I have done most drugs at one time or another, drank to excess, raced cars on the interstate, ridden motorcycles since I was a pup....

Iggy, it sounds like you started young too, like I did. Dirtbikes for me, my entire life!

[roygrip]

Artemis, I, see some good points, thank you

[Mad Dawg Wiccan]

I get the more and more is needed. How then is it that so many claim that pot doesn't lead to harder drugs?

It's because of how the anti-pot group manipulates statistics for their own purposes. They will poll hard drug users and ask if they started with pot. Since most of them DID use pot at an early age, the incorrect conclusion is that pot is a "gateway" drug. However, the better indicator (which is almost never mentioned) is looking at how many hundreds of thousands of pot users who never moved on to anything harder.

[roygrip]

Yeah......... I have three recent real sad ones..........

[naggie1972]

What I find interesting is that I recently spoke with a friend from HS that told me that the people closest to us that I hung out with ( I was the new kid so didn't know these kids all my life) were into drugs. I myself must have been oblivious or they did it when they were not our with me.

[Artemis Windsong]

You got lucky naggie.