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23 May 2022
Individual Transformation Due To Addiction
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) defines addiction as a chronic and re-occurring disorder that leads to compulsive habits despite the foreseeable effects. Addiction is listed as a brain disorder due to its capability to alter brain functioning through reward, stress, and self-control. Addiction could be substance abuse-related or non-substance abuse-related, but the two types have a similar effect on the person. Addiction is a disease like others because it could be prevented and treated and may cause health-threatening issues that could cause death if not addressed. Comprehending the motivation for drug abuse may inform the possible transformation that results from addiction. People turn to drug use and other addictive habits in search of pleasure and the thrill offered by the euphoria. Individuals with social anxiety issues, depression, or stress may use drugs to mask their problems. Besides, other people start using drugs to improve their performance in school or other areas of interest. Other times, people, especially youth, may begin using drugs for experimentation, curiosity, or social pressure. The motivation for abusing addictive substances and habits may be innocent. Still, addiction may transform the users mentally, physically, and socially and possibly distort the course of life if not timely treated.
Addiction transforms the psychological mindset of an individual as they create defense mechanisms to justify their habits. Garrett (1) educates that humans have natural defense mechanisms that protect a person from challenging and unbearable feelings. The mechanisms operate psychologically at a subconscious or conscious level in the person’s life. However, individuals may misuse the well-intended defense mechanism, which leads to addiction. People abusing substances usually use denial, paranoia, and avoidance habits. The patients may also utilize isolation and rationalize the problem to justify their habits. Garrett (1) states denial and paranoia are used for psychotic defenses as the individual distracts and disrupts reality and causes the person to exist in a self-created cocoon.
The substance abuse people in denial and paranoia are challenging to assist medically or through other means because they do not comprehend reasoning with facts. The weakened mindset reduced the ability of individuals to live everyday life. Addiction transforms individuals because it formulates a personality and existence that aligns with its preservation and continuation. The created structure rebels against any form of experience or influence disharmonious with addiction. Garrett (1) concludes that the addicts live their lives intending to satisfy the addiction. Denial of addiction is an obstacle to treatment. Hanes (33) states denial is the leading cause of drug abuse relapse as the majority of the substance abusers fail to acknowledge their problem. Denial must be effectively addressed to increase treatment effectiveness. Hanes (33) presents art therapy as a possible technique that would hold individuals to counter their denial and face their addiction challenges. Hanes (33) noted that the addicted persons drew issues that affected their lives and hindered their recovery in the given case studies. In the case of Bob, Hanes (34) revealed his drawing was of his face that the person termed his drunk self, while Kevin drew a brick war with strategically placed syringes and marijuana leaves that he termed as his addiction. Art therapy’s success in countering denial initiates a fruitful drug addiction recovery.
The brain is the highest casualty of the body organs affected by drug addiction because excessive use impairs its functioning. NIDA (19) states that addiction causes the brain to adjust to the dominant dopamine and produces minimum receptors for signals. An addictive individual usually has abnormal dopamine levels that reduce the ability for any form of pleasure. As a result, an addicted person becomes non-receptive to any form of pleasure and often experiences depression and lifelessness. The substance abuser must maintain the drug consumption habit to normalize the dopamine levels that maintain an acceptable lifestyle. As the consumption habit progresses, the individual gradually increases the level of drugs consumed to increase the dopamine levels, which develops tolerance to the drug. Long-term drug abuse alters the brain circuit and compromises the organ’s health. When the glutamate tasked with rewarding and learning is changed by excessive drug use, the person’s cognitive functioning is affected. In other instances, the substance abuser may develop reflex through conditioning which affects the brain functioning whenever the person experiences the drug cues. The reflexes are detrimental because they are in-erasable from the brain (NIDA, 19). Addiction affects the brain and develops compulsive behaviors due to the erosion of self-control and efficient decision-making abilities.
In addition, drug addiction leads to several physical health problems. According to Fox et al., addiction to drugs may be caused by the drug’s effects or its administration technique. Drugs such as marijuana ingested through smoking threaten the body as the person may develop chronic coughs, lung cancer, and other airwave cancers. Besides, the person may develop bronchitis while extreme cigarette smoking has been recorded to reduce life expectancy by ten years. The drugs injected or sniffed into the body may cause complications such as liver disease, thrombosis veins, and bacterial infection. The addictive people who share needs may contract life-altering conditions like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. Drugs consumed through the nose may degrade the nasal septum, affecting the sense of smell. Schulte and Yih-Ing note that addiction to several drugs causes heart and cardiovascular complications. For example, cocaine addicts will often experience high blood pressure, which increases the risk of cardiac and alcoholics will also experience hypertension.
Addiction transforms an individual because it affects their life socially and economically. Socially, the transformation occurs as individuals cannot have normal interactions with others. Sahu, Kamlesh, and Soma Sahu state that addiction erodes finances and affects life’s social aspects. Addiction leads to family conflicts as the members make an effort to rehabilitate the addictive persons. The financial difficulties rake the individual as they strive to sustain their addiction lifestyle. The addictive person strains people in the family because they prioritize the addiction the basic needs. In youth, substance abuse is often linked to delinquency. Addictive young people indulge in destructive behavior while others engage in violence that could potentially maim them. Some other uses engage in profitable illegal trades to fund the drug problem. The delinquency habits introduce young people to the criminal justice system, potentially affecting their future. Addiction affects working adults who often miss work due to substance abuse and low productivity, which affects their credibility. The poor output may lead to dismissal and loss of livelihood.
The non-substance addiction may alter the individual’s life and incapacitate daily functioning. According to Derbyshire and Grant, compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) may lead To sexually transmitted infections that are costly to treat. The CSB addicts may also incur physical injuries in their private parts due to repetitive and hazardous sexual activities. Studies have also revealed increased suicide among CSB addicts compared to the general population. Besides, the addictive individuals experience marital problems, strained work relationships, and other social activities that require commitment. Derbyshire and Grant reveal that CSB addicts may experience cognitive dysfunction as the individuals struggle with differentiating the acceptable sexual behavior. Scull’s one-and-a-half-decade research highlighted the mechanical rhythm integrated into gambling and its effects on gamblers concerning addiction to electronic gambling. The rhythm reportedly immerses the addictive people in a “machine zone,” whereby the gamblers shun other aspects. The addicted people lack daily worries associated with human beings and lack social needs and body awareness (Schüll 1). While in the machine zone, the addicted gamblers seize to play for gain but participate perpetually for self-satisfaction. The casinos gain from the addicts while gamblers continue to lose their personalities in the games.
Non-substance abuse and game and social addiction may disorient the life of youth. Geisel et al. indicate that computer games, internet, and social media addiction among adolescents increase stress and emotional instability. Besides, the children may feel worthless and inefficient as they gauge their life with their peers online. Adolescents also tend to deviate from reality and dwell on the illusion created by their computer games and social media. The addiction may also cause impulsivity and diminished self-control in the addictive individuals. The addicted individuals have reduced commitment to other activities because of over-dedication to their non-substance abuse activities (Geisel et al.). The children may also get socially isolated, while others may experience bullying or indulge in online bullying. The effects may distract education and later their adulthood.
Evidently, addiction is dangerous to individuals because it affects all life elements. Drug addiction diminishes the quality of life because it lowers mental capacity and physiological functioning and compromises social and economic parts of life—an addict constraints other people in society who strive to accommodate their deviant behaviors. Non-substance addiction is equally detrimental to personal lives due to its adverse effects. The hyper-sexually active people may bring shame due to their uncontrollable habits. The shame and guilt may lead to suicide or death through other means. Adolescents addicted to computer games and social media have a poor start to life because their childhood is compromised. Therefore, addiction should be treated and managed to improve lifestyle value.
Works Cited
Derbyshire, Katherine L, and Jon E Grant. “Compulsive sexual behavior: a review of the literature.” Journal of behavioral addictions vol. 4,2 (2015): 37-43. doi:10.1556/2006.4.2015.003
Fox, Thomas Peter, Govind Oliver, and Sophie Marie Ellis. “The destructive capacity of drug abuse: An overview exploring the harmful potential of drug abuse both to the individual and to society.” International Scholarly Research Notices 2013 (2013). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392977/
Garrett, P. F. “Addiction and its mechanisms of defense.” Preuzetos https://bma-wellness. com/papers/Addiction_Defenses. html (2012). http://gator4253.temp.domains/~arlingtonctr/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Addiction-and-Its-Mechanisms-of-Defense.pdf/
Geisel, Olga, Anneke Lipinski, and Michael Kaess. “Non-Substance Addiction in Childhood and Adolescence: The Internet, Computer Games, and Social Media.” Deutsches Ärzteblatt International 118.1-2 (2021): 14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8119663/
Hanes, Michael J. “Face-to-Face” With Addiction: The Spontaneous Production of Self-Portraits in Art Therapy.” Art Therapy 24.1 (2007): 33-36. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ777018.pdf
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Drug Misuse and Addiction. 2020, July 13. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drug-misuse-addiction. Accessed on 2022, May 23
Sahu, Kamlesh Kumar, and Soma Sahu. “Substance abuse causes and consequences.” Bangabasi Academic Journal 9.12 (2012): 52-59. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/246544796_Substance_Abuse_Causes_and_Consequences
Schüll, Natasha Dow. “Addiction by design.” Addiction by Design. Princeton University Press, 2012. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781400834655/
Schulte, Marya T., and Yih-Ing Hser. “Substance use and associated health conditions throughout the lifespan.” Public health reviews 35.2 (2013): 1-27. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5373082/
