What is addiction? How do I get Help?

Addiction is a long-lasting condition where a person feels compelled to use a substance or perform an activity, even when it causes harm. It can harm your health, damage your relationships, and lower your overall happiness. Recognizing the signs early and getting help is very important. Addressing addiction quickly can prevent serious problems later on.

Is addiction a disease?

Addiction is a disease; it’s a chronic condition. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) defines addiction as a chronic brain disorder. Addiction doesn’t happen from having a lack of willpower or as a result of making bad decisions. Your brain chemistry changes with addiction.

Substance Additions

Healthcare providers and the medical community now call substance addiction substance use disorder. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has concrete diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders. Substances are drugs that have addiction potential. They can be prescription medications or non-medical drugs and include:

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Cannabis (marijuana)
• Hallucinogens
• Hypnotics, sedatives and anxiolytics (anti-anxiety drugs), such as sleeping pills, benzodiazepines and barbiturates.
• Inhalants, such as paint thinners, aerosol sprays, gases and nitrites (poppers).
• Prescription and non-prescription opioids, such as codeine, oxycodone and heroin.
• Prescription and non-prescription stimulants, such as Adderall®, cocaine and methamphetamine.
• Tobacco/nicotine, such as smoking cigarettes and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or vaping).

These substances are very different from each other, but they all activate the brain’s reward area. This activation causes feelings of pleasure. Using these drugs can lead to substance use disorders (SUDs), but not always. SUDs range from mild to moderate too severe. Addiction is the most serious form of a substance use disorder.

What is the most common addiction?

Alcohol use disorder is the most common substance addiction in the United States, followed by nicotine and marijuana. About 10% of people aged 12 or older in the U.S. have alcohol use disorder.

Symptoms and Causes

What are the signs of addiction?

Symptoms of addiction vary from person to person and based on the substance or activity. In general, signs include:

• Inability to stop: People often continue using a substance or engaging in addictive behaviors even when they want to stop. They may try many times to cut back, but they cannot. Some lie to loved ones about their use or hide their habits.
• Increased tolerance: Over time, they may need a larger amount of the substance or activity to experience the same feelings of happiness. As their tolerance grows, the initial effects become harder to achieve. This means they have to do more to get the same high or sense of pleasure. The body adjusts, and what once worked no longer has the same impact. Gradually, more of the substance is needed to reach that same feeling.
• Intense focus on the substance or activity: People with addictions become obsessed with the substance or activity. They often feel that the addiction controls their lives. They spend more time craving, searching for, and thinking about their addiction. This preoccupation grows stronger over time, taking up most of their thoughts and energy.
• Lack of control: They often feel like they have lost control over their substance use or habits. Many experience a sense of helplessness. Guilt, sadness, and feeling overwhelmed are common because of how addiction has affected their lives.
• Personal problems and health issues: Addiction touches every part of a person’s life. It affects their physical health, mental state, relationships, and career. They often struggle to meet responsibilities at work, school, or home because of their substance use or activity. Despite knowing how harmful their addiction is, they find it impossible to stop.
• Withdrawal: People who are addicted often face both physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms when they stop using. Physical signs include shaking, sweating, or vomiting. They might also feel anxious or become easily annoyed.

What causes addiction?

Addiction doesn’t have a single cause. It is a complicated condition that involves many factors. A big part of how addiction happens is due to changes in brain chemistry. Substances and certain activities impact the brain, especially the reward system. People are naturally driven to seek rewards. Usually, healthy activities provide these rewards. For example, spending time with loved ones or eating tasty food causes the brain to release dopamine. This chemical makes you feel pleasure. As a result, you start to chase these good feelings. This creates a cycle where you continue doing things that bring joy.

Substances and certain activities, like having sex or spending money, flood your brain with large amounts of dopamine. Instead of encouraging you to focus on essential tasks like eating, working, or connecting with loved ones, these high dopamine spikes can harm your thoughts, feelings, and actions. This often leads to an unhealthy desire to chase more pleasure from the substance or activity, rather than from healthier choices.

Over time, repeated use of these substances or activities change your brain chemistry. You become less sensitive to their effects and need more to get the same response. For example, with opioids, withdrawal symptoms can be intense and push people to keep using to avoid these feelings.

Seeking Treatment with Transformations by the Gulf?

Finding a Florida Substance Abuse Treatment Center in the Tampa Bay area can be difficult. When selecting a Florida Alcohol Rehab or Florida Drug Rehab you want to make sure it is a good fit for you. There are a lot of things to consider when looking. Transformations by the Gulf is a Florida Rehab located by the beach. It is hard to regain control of your life once substance abuse has taken over your ability to make sound decisions for yourself. Addiction consumes your thoughts and becomes the priority above family, friends, jobs, and other big life commitments.

The success of a person’s recovery depends on the level of personalized treatment provided with a variety of Types of Addiction Treatments. It is important to find an addiction treatment program that works.  When we say our treatment is individualized, we mean that we craft a program tailored to address the unique physical, mental and emotional needs.

In the client’s first 24 hours with us, we’ll evaluate their current state and work to understand what challenges they need to overcome. They’ll also have an initial session with our doctor and meet with one of our licensed mental health professionals.

After the initial evaluations, we’ll design a treatment plan with the sole mission of helping the client overcome and heal from addiction. Their program will focus on things such as:

• Addressing and identifying root causes of addiction.
• Creating a support system.
• Developing healthy stress management techniques.
• Eliminating substance use.
• Learning how to communicate emotions effectively.
• Maintaining a healthier lifestyle.
• Repairing damaged relationships.