Ms.

Cain
Hannah Hansen
Psychology
Period 2

Addiction

A feeling so great, so right you dont even question it. What

five months ago wouldnt even have crossed the mind becomes the only
reason to rise from bed in the morning.

And you dont even question

it. We all grow up aware of addiction and its consequences, we all

know to avoid it, and yet so few of us ever do-- humans, and any other
animals, are too drawn to the high.
Before we get into the grit and meat of this centuries,
millennials really, old issue, a clarification needs to be addressed
as to what makes an addict/addiction. When does habit or preference
become something terrible and frowned upon by society? In layman's
terms, it can be said that a habit is any relatively harmless
continued/prefered action that can be modified, fixed, or changed
without excessive effort or help from a third party, whereas addiction
causes big, negative impacts-- possibly life-threatening-- on the
addict and those around them that take years to a lifetime, as wells
as money and help, to shake off. A more indepth look at their
distinctions draw upon a few remarkably important concepts, this being

moderation, motivation, and subjection. The idea of moderation

contrast the habit of drinking a glass of wine at night to take the
edge off of a stressful day
with the addictiveness of downinging a
dozen shots of hard liquor or injecting yourself because it feels

Ms.Cain
Hannah Hansen
Psychology
Period 2

better that being sober. Motivation, a more obvious concept than the
others, describes your reason for employing the poison; is it the
situation, out with friends, boss yelled at you, etc., or is it
something more, like the only alleviation for boredom or the itch to
go further, without considerations. Finally, the subjectivity of the
matter plays one of the most important role. With countless different
countries and cultures in the world there are many contrasting views
on social norms and taboos; Russia, for example, recommends vodka for
children in lieu of milk, contrastingly, in the U.S. alcohol
consumption is considered illegal practice for those under 21-- and
although minors can drink with parent supervision that too remains
frowned upon by many. Reviewing these ideas,it begins to explain why
the distinctions of addiction are indeed paramount.
Unfortunately, for many without a firsthand experience with this
vice, the concept of the perpetual need continues to elude. While the
types of addiction may vary from depressants, stimulants, and
hallucinogens, the underlying issues remain shockingly similar across
the mediums. One of the biggest of these being the biological effect
the addiction has on the subject. As a matter of cause, all the
popular drug choices rely on the hijacking of the brains neural
pathways to hook its host. This is most notable through the pleasure
and reward centers of the brain; instead of being rewarded-- with

Ms.Cain
Hannah Hansen
Psychology
Period 2

endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, etc.-- naturally after the completion

of a positive task the invading substances tricks and mimics the
neurons, causing them to fire off or stop releasing neurotransmitters
all together. In this way, the user experiences a rollercoaster of
sorts from what are usually rare and small bursts of feelings or
energy from the brains neurons.
For every person out there who regrettably fall prey to the
shackles of addiction however, there are dozens more affected by that
one slip up--friends, family and all feel its clutch. For these
bystanders, blame is often placed on their own shortcomings-- what did
they fail to notice, how could they have seen the transgression to an
addict and stepped in before now, these questions race through their
mind. While the reality in the face of such problems is often a cold
one ,seeing as usually theyve done everything in their power and it
just wasnt enough, there are a multitude of signs and symptoms for
those developing substance addiction. The most common of these are,
the inability to stop, of course, a spike in the risks the user takes,
relationship problems/social withdrawal, avoidance of their problems,
and, arguably the biggest, withdrawal symptoms. Although these are the
most common of symptoms facing addicts, not all experience these exact
issues, and still, there remain others problems that could be
displayed.Its also good to remember, an addict isnt born, theyre

Ms.Cain
Hannah Hansen
Psychology
Period 2

made; whether the person starts abusing the substance for the kicks
and trippy visions, to avoid depression, for social acceptance, or for
any other of the dozens of reasons,every person starts off sober and,
with the right hands to guide them, can easily remain unhooked on
substances-- regardless of how the situation seems. However, for the
time being,--assuming none have already become addicts-- the best you
can do for your friends and family and colleagues is simply to offer
them a safe place where they can always run to for help and company,
while also keeping an eye out for strange or maladaptive behaviors,
especially if they pick up a habit, to keep it from spreading to the
more dangerous form of reliance.
Though ideally, a person, or their acquaintances, can catch the
potential vice before it becomes a full scale addiction, a number--in
recent years around 10% in the U.S.-- will always slip through the
cracks. For those looking to kick their addiction the struggle is a
dirty one, filled with anger, self-hatred, and no short amount of
pain. One factor to look at when facing this resolve is the nature and
nurture part of the issue. The purpose of this seemingly mundane task
is irrefutably vital, for one, it brings you face to face with your
biological predisposition. In this case, if it turns out your family
is susceptible to a certain type of dependence the ability to talk to
them about how to get through the shared addiction is oftentimes a

Ms.Cain
Hannah Hansen
Psychology
Period 2

more reliable method of becoming clean than most rehab and group
therapies ever realize. Be that as it may, if a relative with those
shared traits is no longer around, due to addiction or otherwise, the
implementation of prescription drugs or licensed help geared toward a
biological approach will just as nearly assist in guiding many
addicts, so they may find their way and begin to change-- like
crutches supporting a broken leg until its healed. Thats not to
forget the importance of nurture in the matter of putting an end to an
addiction. With the month or more of pain ahead the environment of any
recovering user is as essential as breathing; family, friends,
ambiance, all play their part in the rehabilitation of an individual-a fact that many with ties to an addict take for granted, oftentimes
choosing to send the loved one off to a new environment, rehab. This
sentence, then, commonly produces ineffective results due to a lack of
the right type of nurture required by that individual.
If theres one thing I learned in researching this disease-- and
yes, addiction,an abnormal condition that does affect parts of the
organism, is most notably a disease--is that there are tens upon
thousands of statistics on the problem, of course this lacks surprise
as such issues have been at large since the dawn man took their first
steps onto the Earth. However statistics cant tell you the
experience, they tell you percentages, likelihoods, averages that you

Ms.Cain
Hannah Hansen
Psychology
Period 2

or someone you know fall into. Like many,because the unfortunate truth
is that there are many, I myself saw firsthand the devastation of
addiction on my own family member and everyone close to them,
including me. With only months between the peak of the nightmarish
debacle and the present its still hard at times to think back to. My
step-brother, the 29 year old son of my step-mom, became addicted to
alcohol at a time beyond my knowledge and for reasons I never built up
the courage to ask. It was a strange feeling then, when I heard hed
had to be hospitalized following the ingestion of dangerously large
amounts of alcohol,--Ive yet to be told what concoctions-- I just
remember sitting and listening at the dinner table as my father and
stepmom discussed how to handle to situation. Surreal is a good word
for the experience, though describing it in writing makes me feel that
the memorys somehow lost it meaning-- like how a picture can never
really capture the essence of the moment. In my families case Im
continuously thankful for how things played out after the peak of the
problem; his whole family, the side I knew and the side I didnt,
instinctively helped him get through his rehab session and begin to
stabilize his life again, starting with the move to a community of
houses for people kicking their own personal addictions,and a new cat.
As Ive said, only a few months, not even a year yet, has passed since
my step-brother-- Ive not been able to ask for consent to give his

Ms.Cain
Hannah Hansen
Psychology
Period 2

name-- began seeking permanent treatment and as such Im unable to say

any definites on the matter, I could always give statistics and
percentages and analyze his time in the navy, his family history, as
well as other facts, but thats not what the real world, thats not
what my world is about. I look forward to the holidays and birthdays
and random occasions when I get to see him again, I look forward to no
new news on him until those times-- because no news means theres
still good news, and I hope, like all those whove been in the same
position and known the same fear, for a happy, long life for him and
all my family members.
Every person on this earth is going to have encounters of
addiction. This is a fact, not a fear. For a majority of these
people-- with greater assurance for those in developed societies-these addictions will be centered around video games, T.V., coffee,
and other commonly harmless things. Contrary to popular belief-- and,
granted, what ive been implying-- addiction does not always end in
backlash and erroneous(maladaptive) behavior. So walk through life
without constant fear of the vices of drugs (though a little fear
doesnt hurt) and be on the lookout, ready to help others and hold
yourself in check, because playing momentary tricks on the brain isnt
worth the life youll leave behind or the people thatll get hurt in

Ms.Cain
Hannah Hansen
Psychology
Period 2

the process; if humans and animals both crave addiction then get
addicted to life.

Ms.Cain
Hannah Hansen
Psychology
Period 2

Definitions
Depressant-- Depressants are drugs that reduce neural activity and slow down
body functions. Examples include alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates.
Stimulant-- Stimulants are drugs that arouse or excite the nervous system
and speed up bodily processes. Examples include coffee and cocaine.
Hallucinogenic-- These are psychedelic drugs that distort perceptions and
produce sensory images. Examples include LSD and mushrooms
Endorphins-- Neurotransmitters that act as the body's natural morphine-like
painkillers.
Dopamine-- neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure
centers.
Serotonin-- neurotransmitter with functions in various systems of the body. In
the central nervous system serotonin works to regulate mood, appetite, sleep, memory
and learning.
Neuron-- a specialized nerve cell that receives, processes, and transmits
information to other cells in the body.
Neurotransmitter-- a chemical messenger that carries, boosts, and
modulates signals between neurons and other cells in the body.
DNA

Nature-- Predisposed traits and characteristics of an individual shaped by their

Nurture-- Traits and characteristics of an individual shaped by their

environment

Ms.Cain
Hannah Hansen
Psychology
Period 2

Work Cited

"Many People Use Drugs But Here's Why Most Don't Become Addicts." IFLScience. N.p., 11 Jan.
2015. Web. 23 May 2016.
Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, n.d. Web. 23 May 2016.
Habit or Addiction Whats the Difference?" The Addiction Advisor. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2016
.
"NIH News in Health." NIH News in Health RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2016.
"Why Addictions Are So Hard To Break." Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2016.
"Many People Use Drugs But Here's Why Most Don't Become Addicts."IFLScience. N.p., 11
Jan. 2015. Web. 23 May 2016.
"12 Ways to Beat Addiction | World of Psychology." World of Psychology. N.p., 05 June 2010. Web.
23 May 2016.

Allydog.Definition. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2016.