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Chemical Dependency Defined
"Alcoholism (and addiction) is a primary, chronic, progressive, incurable disease,
characterized by compulsive drinking/using and loss of control over alcohol and
other drugs."
Let's look at the key words in this definition:
PRIMARY:
Alcoholism/Addiction is a Primary illness means that it is a disease in
and of itself, that it
produces it's own symptoms, and it is not a part of, or symptom of, some other disease
such as manic depression, etc. Some of the more common symptoms of nonsocial or pathological
use of alcohol/drugs and their devastating results upon the life of the alcoholic/addict
are as follows:
SYMPTOMOLOGY
Preoccupation
The alcoholic/addict is preoccupied with alcohol/drugs or the next opportunity to drink
or use. He looks forward to the end of the day's work so that he can have a couple of
drinks to relax or to the week-end so that he can have some real fun drinking or using.
Quite often these thoughts may enter his mind throughout the working day and as time
passes (and the disease of addiction progresses) he often needs a drink or fix at a
particular time of day. Of course in the later stages of his alcoholism/addiction,
he doesn't wait, he just drinks or uses.
Gulping Drinks/Rapid Use
The alcoholic/addict finds himself drinking doubles or using a lot when he first starts
drinking/using to "get there" more quickly. When attending some social event he gets a
head start by downing a couple or using before he leaves for the party or out to dinner.
Increased Tolerance
The alcoholic/addict can often drink or use much more than others and still function
relatively well or not show it too much. Others may comment on his ability to "hold his
liquor" and he may even be proud of this fact. He may soon find, however, that all
this means is that it is taking more and more to get the same results.
Self Medicating
The alcoholic/addict may find himself drinking or using to relax or calm down. He
drinks or uses to soothe his nerves and often finds it difficult if not impossible
to enjoy a party or dance if there is nothing to drink or use. He may find it
impossible to sleep without a nightcap or fix.
Drinking/Using Alone
The alcoholic/addict may choose to drink or use alone. This can include drinking at a
bar -- but alone. He may drink or use at home alone or when no one else is drinking or using.
Blackouts
Chemical amnesia. The alcoholic/addict may drink or use throughout an entire evening and
remember none of it or only parts of it. He may often wonder how he got home (Peek out
the window to see if the car is there). He may be confronted about undesirable or
inappropriate behavior and vehemently deny it because the fact is -- he doesn't remember
it. And, since he wouldn't do such a thing sober, he can't imagine doing it drunk or high.
Security Stash
The alcoholic/addict will hide bottles and or his stash everywhere-- often in the most
unlikely places (toilet tank or the inside pocket of a suit rarely used hanging in the
back of the closet, in flower beds, etc.) to insure that he doesn't run out.
Non-premeditated Drinking/Using
The alcoholic/addict may drink or use when he had no intention to do so or drink or use a
great deal more than he intended. He/she may very well stop for "a couple
with the boys/girls"
and the next thing he knows someone is saying "last call for alcohol" or he may not have
intended to stop at all but did anyway. His drinking or using may be different than he
intended. He said he wasn't going to, didn't want to, didn't intend to, and did anyway.
Morning Shakes
In the later stages of her alcoholism/addiction the alcoholic/addict will experience
morning shakes or tremors.
Morning Drink
At some point the alcoholic/addict learns that "the hair of the dog" or to drink or
use is the only way he knows to stop the shakes. Some reach the point where the first
thing they reach for in the morning is a drink/drug.
Specialty Issues:
Thus far in addressing the symptomology of alcoholism/addiction we have referred only to drinking/using patterns and behavior. The devastating effects of use/abuse of chemicals may be seen in virtually every aspect of a persons life. Some of the more readily identifiable are as follows:
Marital and Family Problems
The spouse becomes aware of a "problem" with his drinking/using and objects. They may try to force the alcoholic/addict to quit or cut down. The children may become involved. Arguments and fights may occur. Threats of and/or separation or divorce may happen. Chaos reigns.
Financial
The alcoholic/addict drinks or uses more than they can afford. They spend enormous amounts of money on chemicals, get drunk/high and loose their money, gamble it away or just plain squander it and are unable to account for where it went later on. This results in financial devastation for the family. Utilities may be turned off, repossessions of home, car, furniture, etc. may occur.
Occupational
It may become impossible to go to work with the shakes or hangover. Tardiness and absenteeism becomes a problem. Production goes down. Irritability and inability to get along with peers becomes apparent to supervision. Loss of jobs or threats of job loss become commonplace.
Social
Drinking or using becomes so important and time consuming that previous hobbies and interests go by the wayside. A definite preference for drinking or using friends and only social occasions where there is using or drinking becomes quite evident. And, quite often the alcoholic/addict does things while under the influence that he is ashamed of when he sobers up. This quite often results in social isolation.
Physical
Alcohol and drug related physical symptoms occur. The doctor may tell the alcoholic/addict to cut down or quit. Accidents while under the influence may occur. Withdrawal symptoms or overdose may land the alcoholic/addict in the hospital. Detoxification may be required. The body and eventually the brain is impaired by chemicals.
CHRONIC:
Chronic means that it keeps on happening, over and over and over again. We can't seem to not drink/drug. We continue to relapse. How often have we seen the alcoholic/addict seemingly in good spirits, healthy, once again financially stable, active and seemingly enjoying life, only to find him drunk/high a day or two later? And, as always, when she sobers up, guilty, remorseful, ashamed, and full of promises never to do it again -- and she means it. She just can't not drink/use and doesn't understand why.
PROGRESSIVE:
Progressive means that it always continues to get worse. One of the absolute constants with regard to alcoholism/addiction is that it will get worse if left untreated. Progressively worse, and we don't even have to be drinking/using for the progression to occur. How many times have we seen the alcoholic/addict maintain a period of abstinence only to return to drinking/using and to his utter amazement, it hits him harder, hurts him worse than before he quit?
INCURABLE:
Incurable means that we can't get rid of it. Like diabetes and numerous other diseases/illnesses as we understand them today, it is always there, lying dormant, waiting for that drink or drug to activate it. We can arrest it, insure a state of remission, but at this time we can't cure it. The only known solution to the problem at this time is abstinence.
COMPULSION AND LOSS OF CONTROL:
Compulsion is an overwhelming urge. It's when we have no intention of drinking or drugging, don't want to, say we are not going to, and we do anyway. We can't not drink/use and, quite often, we don't even know why. Loss of control means that we cannot guarantee our behavior once we have taken a drink/drug. We lose control of not only how much we drink/use but of our behavior while under the influence.
Compulsion to drink/use and loss of control are closely akin to one another and are often used synonymously. However, for our purposes here, let's say that compulsion is why we drink/use and loss of control is what happens after we have had a drink/drug. Over the years, I've heard the phrase, "compulsion" used in numerous ways implying many different meanings. For many people, this baffling thing called "compulsion" is what sets them apart and makes them different from any other creature on the face of the earth. Many alcoholics/addicts remain sick indeed for a very long time clinging to the mistaken belief that all that is wrong is that they have this mysterious "compulsion" and if they could just get rid of it, everything else would be just fine.
Some professionals describe "loss of control" as that state of being when an alcoholic/addict can no longer stop drinking/using once he has taken that first drink/drug. He continues to drink/use until he can no longer beg, borrow or steal alcohol or drugs; he is so ill he can no longer drink or drug; or she is hospitalized or incarcerated in some institution. All of this is true of the late stage, chronic alcoholic/addict. Unfortunately, this statement is a half truth and is probably responsible for more heartache than any other concept in the entire field of Alcoholism/Addiction. Why? Because the majority of practicing alcoholics and addicts are in an earlier stage in the progression of the disease and can honestly say, "this has never happened to me so I must not be and alcoholic/addict." Denial is thus reinforced and the unfortunate individual often continues to attempt controlled drinking/using until one day she too must say, "this happened to me!" And, at what cost? Her family -- her health -- her standing in the community -- her job?
What then is loss of control? When does it begin? The answer is that he can no longer guarantee his behavior once he takes a drink/drug and it begins early. So early, in fact, that it has happened long before the alcoholic/addict himself is aware of it. How often has an early to middle stage alcoholic/addict decided to stop for a couple of beers to relax and, for some unknown reason, finds himself still there when he hears that familiar sound, "last call for alcohol". The following morning when he gets to work feeling awful, he says, "If I'm going to feel like this, or if I'm going to act like that, I'm just not going to drink anymore. I think I'll just go home, have a good supper, take a nice hot bath and go to bed early tonight." Yet, that very night, or a night or two later, he decides to have a couple and the process is repeated.
Now here we have described an individual who still has her job, still has her family, has probably never been in jail, and suffers only from a common "hangover" physically. She is in the early stages of alcoholism/addiction and can no longer comfortably not drink/use. The key word here is comfortably. At this stage, a few alcoholics/addicts recognize that they are drinking/using too much or that their drinking/using is causing too much of a hassle at home, so they quit -- for a few days -- a few weeks -- or even, in rare cases, for years. Strangely enough, at this stage, she might even occasionally stop by and have only a couple. But she cannot definitely guarantee or predict with 100% accuracy, her behavior once she's had that first drink or drug.
At this stage, the compulsion is already a part of her and even if she can and does quit, or occasionally controls or limits herself to a couple of drinks, there is a void that only alcohol/drugs seems to fill. There is ever present this gnawing, this vacancy, this need that nothing seems to fill but alcohol or drugs. Consciously, or unconsciously, the alcoholic/addict yearns for the day when he can safely "have a couple or use just a little to relax." Sooner or later, he succumbs to the urge within him and tries "a couple or just a little". Often the alcoholic/addict is surprised to find that all the bad feelings about himself and the hassle that prompted him to quit to begin with, seem to get worse immediately upon his return to drinking or using. "I got worse, and I wasn't even drinking/using." They find themselves drinking or using greater quantities, more often, with more devastating results. At this point, they have succumbed to "compulsion" and have certainly "lost control".
Whatever the cause may be -- physical, mental/emotional, or spiritual or some combination of the three -- alcoholism/addiction runs in families. Heredity studies done in the 1970's literally all over the world show that genetics is far more significant in alcoholism than any other social or environmental factor. Some studies show, for example, that about 95% of those who are in treatment for alcoholism/addiction know of other cases of alcoholism/addiction in their family. It may be Uncle Joe, or Grandpa, or Mom, or Dad, or whoever -- but it's there. Does this mean that we are born with alcoholism? No, we have to drink to be alcoholic (although there are many cases of babies who are born addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs because their mom is addicted). What it does mean is that we are born predisposed to alcoholism/addiction. If there is alcoholism/addiction in our family and we drink/use, we run an unbelievably high risk of developing alcoholism/addiction. But there is good news!
Alcoholism and Addiction is a treatable illness -- and that's good news! There are some physical causes, and we now know more about what some of them are -- and that's good news! We are recognizing the symptoms earlier when the chances for recovery are better - and that's good news.! Companies with employee assistance programs are getting people into treatment earlier and some are experiencing recovery rates of 70% - 80% -- and that's good news! For anyone suffering from alcoholism/addiction, it doesn't have to be that way anymore - and that's good news! Proper treatment followed by AA/NA can set you free. There are several million out there leading sober, healthy, happy, productive lives today.
Contact Mark Felber to schedule your free consultation.
E-mail mark@marriagecpr.com