DRUG ADDICTIONS

Institute for Biblical & Scientific Studies

www.bibleandscience.com

By Dr. Stephen Meyers

DRUG ADDICTIONS

IntroductionCauses of addictionInformation on drugsTreatment for addictionQuizResources

INTRODUCTION

I worked with street people, drug addicts, and alcoholics for over 10 years with the Kensington Outreach Center in Philadelphia, PA. You can view the video about the Kensington Outreach Center on YouTube at http://youtu.be/Gf-lzUBzr-A

WHY DO PEOPLE DO DRUGS?6 Major Factors

Family Problems: An absent father is most likely to produce an addict.Discipline is too harsh or too lenient. Lack of bonding between parent & child.Lack of self-esteem: A child growing up in a troubled family can’t feel good about himself. They feel something is wrong with them. They feel guilty and responsible for their parents’ problems. Love based on performance. Peer pressure: We don’t want to be square. We want to fit it. Experimentation: Teenager wants to find out for himself if drugs are really bad.Cultural Influence: 25% of TV adds are about drugs. If you don’t feel good take this medication. Parental drug use: 40% of drug addicts have parents who have problems with drugs or alcohol.

STEPS TO ADDICTIONExperimentation: The most common drug used are pot and alcohol. They learn the mood swing feels good. They trust the drug will make them feel better.

Occasional Use: I just use it on the weekends. They now seek the mood swing to feel good.

Regular Use: Almost every day of the week. All activities revolve around drugs and friends who use drugs. Harmful dependence of the drug to get high. Denies he has a problem. Projects anger on others

Addiction: Daily use and usually all day long. The user has to take the drug to feel normal. The brains chemistry has changed to the drug is part of the normal function of the brain. If the drug is stopped, withdrawal sets in. Uses drugs to feel normal.

FEELING GREAT!!OR

FEELING PAIN!!How do we handle stress and pain? We do not like stress or pain, so we do different things to cope with the stress or pain. Some people will eat more when under stress or worried because it makes them feel better. Some will exercise more. Some will gamble or shop lift. Some will even kill, because it relieves the stress and makes them feel better. Some teens will choke themselves to get high. It’s all about feeling good and avoiding stress and pain. How can drugs be bad if they make me feel so good? This is the problem.

BASIC BIOLOGYAll illegal drugs affect the brain. They alter your feelings and work primarily on the limbic system of the brain. The drugs work by interfering with or substituting for the brains natural chemicals called neurotransmitters. When we feel good it is because the brain has released an extra dose of a neurotransmitter. When it reaches the receptor of another brain cell we feel better. When a drug is introduced, it alters the brain’s chemistry and a vicious cycle starts. The more the drug is used, the more the brain is affected, and the more you crave the drug.

BATTLING BIOLOGY

Our bodies were designed to avoid pain. It is a natural reaction. If I put my hand on a hot stove, I will receive extreme pain and will pull my hand quickly away. Pain can be good. If I did not receive pain messages, my hand would be completely burned and useless. Pain is our natural bodies’ warning system that something is wrong. When I get a cold, my body warns me, I need to rest more so my body can fight off the cold.

BALANCE IS BASIC

People do better when there is a little stress. The body is geared up for action. Too much stress is harmful. Balance is needed. Balance is the key. For example, too much water and you drown, too little water and you die of thirst. Learn good coping skills. Learn how to handle your stress, worries, or anger. Addiction is a way of coping with painful reality that is self-destructive.

WHEN FEELING GOOD IS BAD!For the drug addict feeling good is top priority, and to avoid pain at all costs. Usually the effects are devastating on the people around them, and on themselves, yet they can not see this. They are in denial. How can feeling so good be so bad? Consequences of drug use are not seen, but delayed. Some have to reach the very bottom to realize this. They loose everything. Feelings can lead you astray. Feelings need to be controlled. When I feel angry, I may feel like killing someone, but I control myself. I don’t want to live the rest of my life in jail for not controlling my anger. It may feel good at first to yell and scream to get it off your chest, but you will probably feel guilty later, and others around you may be hurt.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH PAIN?HOW DO YOU COPE?

What do you do when you feel pain? What do you do when you feel too much stress? What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? What do you do when you are so worried about something? How you handle pain and stress is key. Coping with problems: Avoid the harmful ways that are at first pleasurable, but have delayed consequences like illegal drugs. Exercise is a good way to get rid of stress.

POSITIVE THINKING

Don’t focus on the problem. If you keep saying, I am not going to think about stress, you are probably going to just think about stress. Think about something positive.

POSITIVE REWARD

Reward yourself when you overcome the stress. Do something you like to do. Go to the movies, or beach. Buy a book, or go to the thrift shop.

AVOID PEOPLE & PLACES THAT PULL YOU DOWN!

If your friends are all drug addicts, you will most likely become a drug addict. You may think they are your friends, but they are not. They may be vey nice, but they will pull you down. Avoid places that will pull you down. Avoid going to the bar if you can’t control your drinking. Most think they can control their drinking. Just don’t go to the bar. Just don’t go near the area that has drugs. Make new friends that can help you.

YOU CAN’T DO IT ALONE!

Most addicts think they have everything under control. They must realize they need help. They may need a confrontation meeting from family and friends. They may need to go to rehab center for help. A higher power, God can help them.

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

Many of the street people are on drugs. Many have psychological problems and are trying to self medicate themselves with illegal drugs to feel better. If they are given legal drugs they don’t take them because it makes them feel worse, or they take illegal drugs on top of them.

WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW CAN KILL YOU!

Four major kinds of abusive drugs

Depressants: They depress your mental functioning and awareness of your environment. These include alcohol, sedatives, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and narcotics.Stimulants: They stimulate your mental abilities and activities. The two main drugs are amphetamines and cocaine. Psychedelics: They alter your perception or reality. There are hallucinogens (LSD, PCP) and marijuana.Inhalants: They are drugs that are inhaled as fumes to get high. The two main drugs are nitrates and solvents (paints, glues, gasoline, & cleaning fluids).

WHAT TO LOOK FOR?Most drugs that affect the brain will also affect the eyes because they are connected to the central nervous system. By close observation of the eyes, and a few simple tests, a person can determine if someone is on drugs, and what type of drug it might be.Redness in the white part of the eye (the sclera) is common with marijuana and alcohol. A droopy eye lid is common with heroin and marijuana. This is when the upper eye lid touches the pupil. The bug eye is when you see the white sclera above the iris. This is common with PCP. A glazed or watery looking eyes may be the result of marijuana, alcohol, and heroin, Swollen eye lids is common with marijuana, PCP, and heroin. The next important thing to notice is the size of the pupil. Dilated pupils indicate cocaine or amphetamines. Very small constricted pupils indicates heroin, PCP, or sedatives. Normal pupil size is 3 to 6.5 mm. The pupil size is normal with marijuana and alcohol.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR?There are several simple tests that you can do to check for drug influence. Shine a small light at the side of the eye, and see how fast the eye I reacts. A slow or no reaction may indicate drugs like cocaine or amphetamines. Inability to hold pupil contraction indicates the influence of marijuana or sedatives.Another test is to hold your finger out and have the person follow your finger, up and down then left and right sideways. If the person can not hold his eyes on your finger moving vertically and horizontally suggests the use of alcohol or PCP. Failure to hold his eyes just horizontally may suggest marijuana, or benzodiazepines.For the "cross eye" test hold your finger a foot away from the person's nose, and then move it close to the nose. If the person can not hold the cross eye position for 5 seconds, then he may be using marijuana, alcohol, or sedatives. There are the old tests like walk a straight line, touch your nose, and walk up some steps. These tests are used for alcohol but may indicate other drug use as well. If you are a parent, and you suspect some drug use, then have an eye test when they come home.

ARE THEY ON DRUG?If there are dramatic changes in your Teenager’s behavior, school grades, friends, activities, and health, your teenager maybe doing Drugs. Here are 15 helpful checkpoints. A dramatic drop in school grades. School absences and discipline problems. New friends that are known to use drugs. Unwilling to bring their friends home. Change in music to "acid rock". Lying, stealing, or secretiveness. Loss of interest and motivation. Withdrawal from family activities. Loss of money and missing things. Unexplained absences from home. Unkempt appearance. Poor coordination and thinking. Poor attention span, can't concentrate. Possession of paraphernalia. Odor of drugs, and use of incense. If several of these signs fit your teenager, there is a good chance he/she is using drugs.

DRUG SLANGIKnay -Spanish Slang for Cocaine Aqua -Spanish Slang for Cocaine Boom Ba -Spanish Slang for Police Ya- Yo -Spanish Slang for Cocaine Weekend Warrior -Gets high on weekends Straight Shooter -A long pipe used for smoking cocaine Caps -Viles of cocaine Rocks- Cooked Cocaine Len Bias -Cocaine Powder -Bags of cocaine Bake -Baking soda used to cook cocaine Fish Series -Bags of cocaine that is very pure Debs -Girls who trade sex for cocaine Man -Police Slum -Phony Cocaine Boy- Heroin Girl -Cocaine John Belushi -Cocaine & Heroin (Speed Ball) Bowl- Pipe used for cocaine Swag -Something stolen for cocaine

IS YOUR HELPING HURTING?Bailing out a drug addict by giving him money, is not going to help. It is better to buy him a cup of coffee and give it to him. Providing money, food, shelter for an addict is probably just helping him remain an addict. Sometimes they need to be thrown out of the house, and be on the street with no money, until they are willing to go to a rehab center. Tuff love is needed. Drug addicts are great con arts at getting money. They have all sorts of sad storied to tell, so you will give them money. For example, I need money to get medicine for my dying daughter. I need money to go to a rehab shelter. I need money to get on the el train to get to the hospital and see my dying mother.

TUFF LOVE

Acceptance: They need hope, acceptance, understanding & forgiveness. The last thing they need is more guilt and arguments. Don’t condone their actions.

Responsibility: They need to take responsibility and accountability.

Consequences: Let the consequences happen. Don’t bail them out.

Confrontation: Have an intervention meeting with close family and friends.

WHEN THE BOTTOM FALLS OUT!

It is usually not until everything falls apart that the addict will seek help. The first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem.

ADDICTION IS A FAMILY AFFAIRDrug abuse affects the whole family.Children are confused as to what is normal.They have difficulty completing tasks.They lie compulsively.They are over critical of themselves.They are too serious and have difficulty having fun.They have difficulty with intimate relationships as adults.Need for control, and excessive anger. Need for approval and affirmation.Feeling of being different from other people.There is impulsive behavior.Extreme loyalty to the abuser.Either overly responsible or overly irresponsible. Child thinks it is their fault.There is depression and feelings of worthlessness.

FAMILY ROLES IN ABUSEThe substance abuser: deny there is a problem. Motivated by shame and inadequacy.

The enabler: overprotective and rescues the addict.

The family Hero: feels responsible for the addicts addiction. Becomes an overachiever.

The scapegoat: feels inferior, the victim. Becomes bad to get attention.

The lost child: withdraws from the family. Feels loneliness.

The mascot: the family clown or joker. Result is emotional immaturity.

FAMILY ROLES IN ABUSEThe substance abuser: deny there is a problem. Motivated by shame and inadequacy.

The enabler: overprotective and rescues the addict. Anger develops. Peace at any cost. There are four types of enablers: 1. The sufferer tries to change the addict by showing it hurts them. They may develop ailments and feel self pity. 2. The punisher tries to change the addict by making life miserable for them. They are frustrated and humiliated by the drug use. 3. The controller tries to control every part of the addicts life. This causes frustration and resentment. 4. The waverer tries to intervene and reduce the drug use for short times, but then goes back.

The Family Hero: feels responsible for the addicts addiction. This is false guilt. The child becomes a super achiever to help reverse the problem. Result is workaholism where self worth is based on performance. Need to try harder to please others.

FAMILY ROLES IN ABUSE

The scapegoat: feels inferior, the victim. Becomes bad to get attention. Delinquent and rebellious behavior is common. They look to their peers for source of approval.

The lost child: withdraws from the family. Feels loneliness. They are quiet and passive. They go with the flow. They escape into their own little world.

The mascot: the family clown or joker. Result is emotional immaturity. To relieve the tension at home joking and antics are used. Some of Hollywood’s greatest entertainers and comedians have come from substance abusing homes.

PICKING UP THE PIECES

Codependency: The relationship between the addict and the family is called codependency. The whole family is affected. Family members deny their hurt, anger, and resentment. Family members believe that once the addict enters the treatment program and becomes drug free that all their problems are over with, but they have just begun. Many times when the addict gets better, the family gets worse. The emotional damage has not been dealt with. It is imperative that the whole family go through the treatment process.

EMOTIONAL LOSSLoss of loved one: When one loses a family member to addiction, it is like the person actually died. Did I cause the addiction? What did I do wrong? There is a great sense of guilt and responsibility. This lose leads to grief. There are 5 stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.

Loss of Trust: One learns quickly not to trust an addict. There have been many lies and broken promises. This loss of trust brings forth anger. Decide to forgive them, or your anger will only eat you up and destroy yourself. See Luke 15:11-32 about the prodigal son returns home.

Loss of normality: As a child you learned to don’t talk, don’t trust, and don’t feel to survive, but in adulthood these are counterproductive. There may be a lost little child within. Acknowledge and deal with negative emotions. Learn to think and feel positively. If you don’t deal with codependency, the adult child will repeat the sins of the fathers.

DEALING WITH EMOTIONSWhat am I feeling? Anger, stress, worry, etc.

Why am I feeling this way? Someone said something at work, or home to upset me. It always seems to be the very little things that will get you upset the most.

What can I do about this? Positive thinking. Positive steps. Diversion, think about something good. Exercise.

RECOVERY IS LIFE LONG PROCESS

Relapse happens, but is best to get back up right away.Have a support system in place. Don’t hang around old friends who do drugs. They are really not your friends. Get qualified counseling.

TREATMENT PROGRAMGenerally, outpatient treatment is less expensive and less disruptive.Outpatient treatment works best for those who are in good health and have a strong desire to be drug free. Inpatient treatment is intensive and removes the addict from the environment of drug use. Residential programs are designed for long-term help in a controlled environment. This may be good for a adolescent or young adult. Aftercare is very important so relapse is less likely. Many relapse within one year of treatment.Set goals for the future. Vocational programs, school, jobs. An idol hand is an idol mind.

RESOURCESCounseling for Substance Abuse and Addiction by Cleave, Byrd, & Revell. Published by Word in 1987. Much information was used from this book.

Counseling Adult Children of Alcoholics by Sandra D. Wilson. Published by Word in 1989.

Drug Proof Your Kids by Stephen Arterburn & Jim Burns. Published by Focus on the Family in 1989.

Helping and Hope for the Alcoholic: Insights for friends and family from a pastor who conquered alcoholism by Alexander C. DeJong. Published by Tyndale House in 1982.

RESOURCES ONLINEACDE- American Counsel of Drug Educationhttp://www.acde.org/

NIDE- National Institute for Drug Educationhttp://www.nida.nih.gov/nidahome.html

NACOA-National Association for Children of Alcoholicshttp://www.nacoa.org/

Pride- Prevention Resources of Information on Drug Educationhttp://www.prideprevention.org/

CHRISTIAN TREATMENT PROGRAMS

Teen Challengehttp://teenchallengeusa.com/