Alfredo Rodriguez-Addiction

Addiction and the Effect Long Term - Alfredo Rodriguez

Addiction is a complex word when it comes to a proper definition. I consider it a brain disease that manifests itself by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence. Individuals with an addiction focus more on certain substances or items such as alcohol, drugs, money, or even a casino. Individuals keep abusing this addiction knowing that the harm may be big. Thanks to science now there are treatments and programs that can help these people to recover themselves and to leave these addictions aside. 



There are two different types of addictions any individual can face. the first type of addiction is Substance Addiction and the second is behavioral Addiction. Substance Addiction is the abuse of legal or illegal drugs. Behavioral Addiction does not include any substance but it involves an addiction to destructive behavior. These addictions can be cured the same way with the same treatment. Knowing the similarities and differences can help someone understand the dangers of these types of addictions. 

Types of Addictions: 

1. Substance Addiction includes: 

• Alcohol
• Legal Drugs
• Illegal Drugs
• Prescriptions Drugs

2. Behavioral Addiction includes: 

• Gambling
• Gaming
• Shopping
• Eating disorders
• Sex and co-dependency 

(ADT Healthcare 2019)

Cost of Substance Addictions

Due to the substance addictions, it has cost the nation over $740 billion dollars over the years. The numbers every year these numbers keep on growing since the addictions get worst and worst. Millions of people in the United States have suffered from substance addiction. According to the US National Library of Medicine, 47% of the adults in the U.S. have suffered a maladaptive addition in a course of 12 months. These additions consist of behavioral addictions that affect their lifestyle and personal level factors. (Ncbi 2017)

 

(Drug Abuse.GOV)

Community Effect from Social Issue

These individuals have had an addiction or have had a close family member going through addiction. 

" I have had my own son have a behavioral addiction where he was addicted to video games. This caused big changes that were not tolerable. Yet after a couple months of my hard parental and punishments, he was able to follow the right path and do more progressive things."- Jose Gonzalez
(Man with Crown)

"My City has been a place where addiction has always been taken place, homeless people seem to not recover well from an addiction that we see. It's hard to help them out since the substance addiction does not let them. In order for us to help people out they have to help themselves out"-Guadalupe Rocha 

Experiences with these Addictions

Throughout my experience in the schools that I have attended anywhere from elementary all the way to college, I have seen people around me have some sort of addiction including myself. Most people that I have met so far have had an addiction to marijuana and the extracts. Now throughout these years, it has been a popular thing that everyone seems to use yet it is very addictive. Other individuals are more hardcore and start to do the more "hardcore" drugs such as heroin and cocaine along with with the rest of those more illegal drugs not to mention the prescription drugs. This is a very important topic because I myself and my close friends along with family suffered or are currently suffering from these terrible addictions.

 I would suffer from substance addiction, it started when my health problems developed more. I now suffer from high blood pressure, anxiety, high cholesterol, and hypertension. For the moment I still suffer from all of these medical issues along with more. I would take more than usual of these medications that were prescribed since it would make me feel great and all the stress and pain would go away, technically I would forget about everything and everyone. It came to the point where I didn't feel myself no more and decided to change back and got my self out of this addiction in approximately 6-8 months without a doctor or any type of psychologist. That was a great accomplishment since I was able to take my self out of a hole where I was burying myself deeper and deeper.

Currently, I also have my older brother and uncle who suffer from many addictions that include all types of drugs, gambling, and women. I consider them a lost cause since they had all the help from his family yet he has abused them in a way of getting money from us for all those addictions. Yet these are two examples of how addiction has affected me and just imagine how it has affected my loved ones. 

 I chose this topic because it affected me personally and my close family members. A topic very easy to talk about but now that easy to fix. Therefore we should try our best to avoid it and help those who are in it. In life, it is very important to know ourselves before well fall for our own tricks. It very common to take ourselves to ruins for pleasures that last not very long.

References:

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2017, April 24). Trends & Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2017, April 24). Trends & Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics


Sussman, S., Lisha, N., & Griffiths, M. (2011, March). Prevalence of the addictions: A problem of the majority or the minority? Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3134413/