If you’ve had it up to here with nightly bouts of drunkenness from your spouse or loved one, or you have a good friend who is trying to quit but having a difficult time, you know that the road ahead isn’t an easy one. You may want to support someone who is genuinely interested in getting clean and sober, but may not quite know how to go about it.

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Dependency is another word for addiction. If you are dependent on alcohol, for instance, you are addicted to that substance and you are an alcoholic. What most of us think of when we give any consideration to the disease that is addiction, we are thinking of chemical dependency. This is the inability to stop using a substance because of chemical interactions between the drug and the body. Substance abuse and addiction are not that simple, however. If they were, we might already have a cure. Psychological or emotional dependence adds another, in some ways more complex, aspect to addiction.

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Encephalopathy is a term that doctors and researchers use to describe various types of brain damage, malfunction, or disease that trigger some form of mental impairment. Some people develop relatively mild forms of encephalopathy, such as slight deficits in memory or thought processing, while others develop severe or catastrophic problems that can lead to such outcomes as dementia or death. A number of different legal and illegal drugs can trigger the onset of mild or severe brain impairments when abused. In some cases, the effects of drug abuse-related encephalopathy can be at least partially reversed; in other cases they produce permanent brain deficits.

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Perhaps ‘lies’ is not the right word.

‘Rationalizations’ might be a better choice. But whatever word we choose, few are better at making excuses for self-destructive behavior than addicts and alcoholics, who always have dozens of good reasons to explain why they do what they do. Firmly entrenched in their denial, practicing substance abusers are totally convinced there is nothing really wrong with them and that anyone who claims there is doesn’t know what she is talking about. Rather than seeing themselves as victims of substance abuse, as crazy as it sounds, addicts and alcoholics who are still in the denial stage actually believe they are being victimized or betrayed by the people who love and care for them. This is obviously a distortion of the truth, but the ability addiction has to warp the minds of those it has enslaved never ceases to amaze even the most experienced addiction counselors.

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The recent decriminalization of marijuana in Washington state and Colorado has drawn attention to the power of the young voter. Young voters are deeply concerned with personal freedoms. It may be important, however, to spend some time educating younger voters about the inherent dangers of some freedoms – recreational drug use being one of them. Contrary to what many young people may imagine, using some drugs even just occasionally for recreational purposes can pose an immediate threat to the health and life of a person.

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Going through withdrawal from a drug or other substance is always unpleasant. It can range from mildly uncomfortable to so painful and potentially dangerous, that it should not be attempted without the supervision of a doctor or other professional. The physical symptoms of withdrawal frequently include sweating, tremors, nausea, muscle tension, racing heart or palpitations, and chest tightness. Less common but more severe symptoms may include grand mal seizures, delirium tremens, heart attacks, hallucinations, or strokes.

Withdrawal also involves negative emotional symptoms that can lead to a relapse or to other serious consequences if patients are not under care. These symptoms can include anxiety and depression, irritability, insomnia, restlessness, an inability to concentrate, and a feeling of social isolation.

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There are many factors that can increase the risk of developing a substance abuse problem. Family history, social networks and socioeconomic factors are all important influences in whether individuals will choose to initiate and continue drug use. However, none of these factors carry any guarantee that a person will use drugs.

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Drug addiction affects the entire family, from the addict’s oldest grandma to youngest baby. In fact, it’s the child of an addict who may be most vulnerable to an adult’s addiction to prescription or illegal substances. Whether you’re an addict yourself or the family member of one, protecting the babies, children, and teens you love is a priority.

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