The ABCs of Addictive Behavior

Addiction is characterized by a number of very specific behaviors. While there are symptoms of addiction specific to a particular drug, like the “doctor shopping” those addicted to prescription medications get involved in, there are a number of symptoms and behaviors common to most addicted individuals.

Here is a simple breakdown of these phenomena to assist you in identifying and helping an addict or alcoholic – whether that person is yourself or a friend or family member:

A. Actively seeks out drugs as priority 

Many individuals suffering from addiction will treat obtaining their drug of choice as a priority above all other activities. A normally reliable individual might start dodging obligations or a dedicated hobbyist could suddenly stop practicing his/her hobby. They might miss school or family time while searching out the drug. Skipping work or failing to do homework is nothing compared to locating and using the drug. Drug use takes more and more priority in the person’s life.

Additionally, more time is spent recovering from drug use. An addict might repeatedly call in sick to work after binging the night before. They may completely change their schedule in order to support their chronic use/recovery habit.

B. Blackout

Blackout

An addict or alcoholic may compulsively use to a point where they no longer recall how much they consumed or what they did while high or drunk. This is called a “blackout.” During the blackout, the individual may seem lucid or as if they understand what is going on in the world around them – but the next day will not remember what they did or what happened throughout the period of the blackout.

One of the unfortunate aspects of a blackout is that the addict may have been trying very hard to control their behavior. Another part of the addiction is the compulsiveness the individual demonstrates when using. For example, an alcoholic may have meant to limit himself to just one beer, but will likely end up drinking so much he gets drunk or blacks out.

C. Cravings

An addict may understand they are addicted, and even dislike their addiction – but still feel an intense need for the drug. This goes beyond wanting to take the drug or even enjoying the highs and lows which come from drug use.

Drug or alcohol craving is largely the brain and body’s reaction to addiction. Chronic use of addictive substances triggers over-production of dopamine and other neurotransmitters to such an extent that when use is abruptly ceased, the brain and central nervous system will react as though it cannot perceive pleasure. This means the addict feels unhappy emotionally and uncomfortable physically (at the very least) when they stop using. The brain causes the addict to crave the drug and the only way to “cope” with this is to get another hit.

A person who has not been addicted can get an idea of drug craving when they consider coffee. If you have been drinking coffee at 9AM every morning for years, then one day you suddenly stop, you crave coffee to feel “normal” or to face the day. You might suffer relatively minor withdrawal symptoms like a headache or feeling foggy or grumpy without your caffeine fix. A caffeine-related headache can get pretty bad, but the level of pain, discomfort and danger is minor compared to opiates, cocaine, meth, countless prescription meds and many other types of drugs.

D. Dependence

Drug dependence means the individual must take the drug in order to feel at all “normal.” Stopping use at this point would lead to withdrawal symptoms which can include irritability, cravings, restlessness, nausea and depression. Unsupervised withdrawal from long-term use of certain substances can be dangerous and even fatal, such as with alcoholism, benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety drugs), methadone and others. Instead of going cold turkey in an unsupervised setting, one should consult with an addiction specialist regarding medical or holistic detoxification options.

E. Experimentation

An addict may experiment with multiple substances, with different strengths of the same substance, or even with mixing the substance of their choice with other drugs. This is one of the most dangerous activities any drug user can become involved in.

Often the reason an addict will experiment like this is to “chase a high” – they are attempting to experience the same high they felt when they earlier took the drug. Their body has built up a tolerance to the drug or drugs, so they must take progressively greater quantities in their effort to get the desired result.

Such experimentation is a common factor in drug overdose. The user either takes too much at once or mixes drugs which react together. John Belushi and River Phoenix died from a “speedball” – a mixture of cocaine and heroin. Another common mixture is alcohol and any other drug. Alcohol will intensify the effects of depressants like prescription painkillers or heroin, and it will complicate the effects of stimulants like cocaine or meth. Heroin with alcohol killed actor Cory Monteith. Philip Seymour Hoffman died of an overdose involving heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines and amphetamines. No matter how you cut it, mixing a drug with alcohol or with any other drug can have unpredictable and deadly consequences.

F. Finds hiding places for drugs or alcohol

An addict may feel panicky without drugs or alcohol nearby, which can lead them to hide stashes in unlikely places. They may bring alcohol in a coffee container to work or keep prescription opiates in an aspirin bottle. They will find unique ways to hide drugs and drug paraphernalia. Parents with teenagers who are using are often dismayed upon finding drugs and drug-related items such as cigarette paper, glass pipes, bongs, baggies, syringes, needles, etc. hidden in their child’s room.

G. Goes on using although drugs have proven harmful

Drug and alcohol abuse bring on many harmful physical and mental effects; they wreak havoc in someone’s life, yet the person goes on using no matter what. These effects include:

• A broken home 
• Loss of friends 
• Loss of employment 
• Estrangement from family, parents, spouse, or children 
• Incarceration 
• Depression, paranoia, intense mood swings 
• Hallucinations
• Psychosis 
• Abscesses 
• Organ (liver, kidney, stomach, etc.) damage 
• Brain damage 
• Diseases like HIV/AIDS, lung disease, or severe gum disease 
• Seizures 
• Coma 
• Death

With certain drugs – heroin, meth, desomorphine (aka “Krokodil”) – an addict may begin to look like a real-life zombie. Drug addiction can trigger psychosis and dangerous behavior such as that associated with alcohol, speed, cathinones (aka “Bath Salts”) and many other substances, both illicit and available with prescription. Even with such horrific consequences, the addict continues to use their drug of choice, often mixed with other mind-altering substances and in too many cases to the point of death.

H. Hope!

There is ALWAYS Hope

Addiction can cause complex emotional changes, erratic ups and downs, theft and criminal activity, changes in morals, social alienation and many other unpleasant and unbearable phenomena. These issues boil down to the intense feeling of need – physical, mental, spiritual – the addict feels and the desire to escape or erase their increasingly difficult existence.

The best way to help an addict is to get him or her into an effective detox and rehab program which will not only get them safely off drugs, but will address why they began using in the first place, as well as the many factors that contributed to protracted substance abuse.

With the proper tools, changing addictive behavior becomes a responsibility – a task borne by those willing and able to do something about it. There is hope and there are solutions!

I am living proof there is always hope. Read more about my journey from addict to entrepreneur. 

 

Sources:

Nlm.nih.gov 
Indiana.edu 
ASAM.org