BIGGEST MYTHS/LIES about ADDICTION?

[Tongue]

just curious as to what some of the larger myths and whatnot are about addiction...ill start this off with one of my own...

ONCE AN ADDICT, ALWAYS AN ADDICT..i hate this saying, and have heard it one too many times..

i wanna hear more..

 

[negrogesic]

I hate it too. I HATE being called a junkie, i have accosted nurses for saying it. I also do not like people talking about addiction who havent experienced it (and saying they understand), or people who take mdma once a week and say they are addicts (though that isnt healthy).

I have this serious benzo addiction going on now, and it makes my methadone/heroin/oxycontin withdrawals seem easy in comparison (not that either are at all). But ive never had grand mal seziures with opioid withdrawal like i have been experiencing from benzos as of late. I dont even want to get into all the myths about addiction because there are just so many. AA/NA and similar 12 step programs propogate many myths, like addiction is forever.

 

[Psychonaut777]

I've been to a lot of AA meetings with my parents and I've learned a lot about this from various sources. It might not be true for everybody but most people, once they reach the depths of addictions, are never ever safe to use again without falling back in. This makes sense psychologically/physiologically speaking and should not be dismissed. It may seem nonsensical when you are having fun and all is well but the insanity of addiction makes that statement all too true. Sadly, I'm starting to realize this may be true for me personally and I'm having to be very cautious with myself due to it.

 

[BilZ0r]

I don't think we know enough about the physiology of addiction to know what makes sence man.

 

[Psychonaut777]

There are actually a bunch of studies that demonstrate how long term use of alcohol and cocaine stimulate the dopamine receptors in the brain. Overtime the brain grows to desire the effects. I'm not sure how far they've gotten with this research but there was an interesting development I read somewhere that cocaine addicts experienced an especially strong urge to use when under the influence of alcohol - something to do with the dopamine receptors triggering a response for cocaine. Thus, they have found that the same drugs that inhibit alcohol cravings work for cocain addicts as well.

I think it makes pretty good sense to me that once you flood your brain with something that feels extremely good and you condition yourself to its effects, your body and mind will change to want that drug. The nature of this change isn't well known but the consequences are. I know that I can go a long time without desiring coke but if you put it in front of me, especially while drunk, there is almost no way to stop me from doing it. I'd say that's a pretty strong psychological or physiological response mechanism and it is indicative of the long term effects of addiction on the human mind/body.

 

[Pander Bear]

I believe that it is in my nature, as a permanent feature, to be an addict. Not a drug addict, just a regular old, addicted to anything that makes me feel good but probably costs me in the long run kind of addict.

I don't see how anybody could take issue with that statement, unless, of course, you were planning on telling me that I simply lacked the will or strength to quit. That's the myth. Addiction is not a question of will. It is a psychological and biological disease.

 

[ebeneezer_geeza]

i go with most the things that negrogesic says. It really annoys me hearing ppl who work in addictions who have never taken drugs spout stuff they have read or been told on a course which is mostly wrong. In the UK i cant even get work in addictions bc of a 2 year rule which states you cant work in that field unless you have been drug free for 2 yrs WTF????? i rarely take an illicit drug, maybe once a month, but i have been on MMT for nearly 15 yrs, why should that disqualify me from helping others???????????

 

[Psychonaut777]

There's an article related to addiction on the front page which brings up the idea that you could be an addict before ever even using a drug in the first place.. pretty interesting.

 

[Deformed_Neuron]

Righteo... I hate that myth that we have all heard... "One who uses mind-altering substances, usually loses the ability to comprehend reality in a typical sense." Or... "Drugs rob the soul of ethical and Moral values."

 

[negrogesic]

Exactly ebeenezer, you have a lot more to offer in terms of counseling other addicts about addiction than some guy who just took some classes on addiction. In the US, you cant work at any type of detox/methadone clinic if you have been an addict before. I almost feel that the therapists or counselors who talk to addicts should have experienced opiate withdrawal, where they get intentionally addicted and have to experience cold turkey withdrawal. Of course this idea is pretty out there, and I know it would never happened, but I just cant stand when these therapists say they "understand" when they in fact have no clue. I think people like ebeenezer would make an EXCELLENT therapist/counsellor, because he has FIRST HAND gone through addiction and his insight could be exponentially greater than someone who just took a course on addiction studies. But stupid laws prevent this sort of thing, which I understand their reasoning in making them, but they dont make practical sense. Nobody knows addiction better than an addict or a former addict.

And i know AA and NA mean well, but they are too political, judgmental and have too much of a hierarchy, plus I dont think religion should be involved with getting sober, which is a medical condition, not a spiritual one. And I dont agree with their policy of never using any drug ever, and their rejection of methadone maintenance patients. I went to a few meetings because some persuaded me to, and I told them I was on maintenance, and they said that does not count as sober, and then they prayed for my "sobriety." I think that once I get off methadone, and I can use heroin once a month, that is completely fine and I consider that to be sober. But they dont. And i go to these meetings and some guy will say "I am an addict, and i have been clean for 25 years", and I think to myself "then why the fuck are you at this meeting?". Its like these people have become addicted to these meetings. Whenever i go to these meetings it just makes me feel like getting high, so i suppose its not for me, but i do inherently disagree with their ideology in terms of treating addiction.....

And about being an addict "forever", i dont necessarily agree with that. But i do know i have a personality that is prone to addiction, and i will be this way my entire life, no question about that. But just because i am addiction prone doesnt mean i will be an addict forever. There is alot to say on this topic, so i am just going to stop now........

 

[OCbinger]

I hate when people who are addicted to drugs or anything say that they aren't addicted. I mean why lie about it?

 

[rivered1]

I hate it when people think your addicted to drugs when your truly not. Like if you've taken heroin once you have to be addicted to it. It is easy to fall into addiction, but not that easy that one use of a drug will bring you to that point IMMEDIATELY... or even ten.

 

[pinkpanther23]

i was just talking about this today

a co worker and I were just talkin today about how (in my opinion) no one truly understands addition until they have been addicted themselves!
no one,
i never understood my moms addiction to meth until I became an addict myself,
you would think some of us or me would lern from someone like their mother. but not I! i guess this helped me comprehend more of what she went through and all the horrible things she did for drugs,

 

[pinkpanther23]

THERE GOES MY SPELLING AGAIN

MY SPELLING SUCKS ASS! SORRY
I JUST RE READ MY POST AND I THINK WHEN IM TYPING MY HANDS GET AHEAD OF MY BRAIN!

 

[sonic]

I hate it when people think your addicted to drugs when your truly not. Like if you've taken heroin once you have to be addicted to it. It is easy to fall into addiction, but not that easy that one use of a drug will bring you to that point IMMEDIATELY... or even ten.

I agree. Most people's definition of addiction is way too broad. I hate how people think I'm an alcoholic when I only get drunk about once a month, but since I drink to get drunk that makes me a binge drinker or an alcoholic. I don't even really like alcohol, I couldn't even imagine being a true alcoholic.
Also, opiates have such a stigma attached to them. The non-using people who care about me are "worried about me", because I enjoy pain killers once in a while. I can get high off 10mg of oxy and I've never let my tolerance build up because I don't even have a steady connection, but yet people have the nerve to tell me that I'm addicted to pain killers just because I enjoy them.
I don't even know what true addiction is all about because I've never experienced it, but yet a lot of people would classify me as a drug addict.

 

[Psychonaut777]

^ agreed, a lot of people are downright idiots when it comes to knowledge about drugs/alcohol and addiction.

 

[julinka]

The idea that what I really need is some great spiritual experience, and that I shouldn't see a psych or take medication because that isn't going to help me with an addiction, or is actually just another addiction (and I'm not "really" clean if I take them).

The reality is that I'm bipolar, and that the rehab-induced "spiritual experience" I had is more accurately known as hypomania. And poor medication of that was likely a contributing factor to speeding home ($250 ticket) and popping a xanax.

On the other hand, if I'm properly medicated I don't run into cravings and use drugs rarely. It's not the answer for everyone, but it is the answer for some people.

 

[karloff123]

"Junk is not,like alcohol or weed,a means to increased enjoyment of life. Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life"

 

[julinka]

Or, alternatively, the myth that all drugs are essentially the same, and that addiction is a single problem that can and should be treated without regard to the substance involved (except for the obvious detox concerns).

 

[lovetolovetolove]

I hate when people who are addicted to drugs or anything say that they aren't addicted. I mean why lie about it?

Yeah. I understand that it's hard to believe that you're out of control with something, but it ruins it for the people who truly AREN'T addicted. Because everytime someone says "I'm not addicted" people go "Uh huh, that's what they all say."