So we (my job) had a guest speaker come from L.A.CADA, which is a place that is drug users can go get help and treatment for an extended amount of time. So here are some of the things I learned:
Addictions is a disease in the brain and is far more than just choosing to use drugs. It does not remove the accountability for the behavior but it does impair people from being able to make good rational choices.
So we tend to get pleasure from things like shopping, drinking, dancing,working etc those called "daily activities" and that is around a 2-3 magnitude of a sense of pleasure but a drug like crystal meth provides around a 50 percent magnitude of pleasure chemicals that are released from when you do it. So with someone that is addicted to drugs that give them such an increase in pleasure nothing in every day life provides a sense of pleasure because their homeostasis starts shifting. Homeostasis is what our normal body chemicals and function is used to functioning at. So if a crystal meth user starts using not only to they enjoy so much the big high they get from all these pleasure chemicals that are being released at such high volume but they also now make their body expect that on a regular day to day basis to seem "normal and function". They want to keep on getting that high and that level of pleasure their body is now used to getting. A fun fact is that a takes at minimum a whole year for our homeostasis to change back to normal so really drug users body's aren't really balanced out chemically until after a year of recovery. Another thing that happens which is the most interesting thing that I learned was the idea of the old brain.
So basically we have evolved past our primitive tendencies and one of our primitive tendencies is that our pleasure center in our brain was the primary thing that thought for us. So a very long time ago (very long time ago) if something simply felt good we then did it and NOW we have evolved to have more of a rational/thought out way of thinking. So we have more of the ability to say, "Hey, yeah that feels good to do but it does not mean I have to do it." So thats we have the ability to do now BUT when a person is using such pleasure endorsing drugs their primitive pleasure centered brain COMES BACK! Can you imagine that? That is why there is such bad judgement, imagine if we all our our pleasure centers back and our primary way of thinking-that to me spoke on SO many levels as to how destructive the world could be if thats what our primary way of thinking was how we were now. I would like to go more deep into that some other time but let me continue with the drug user topic but just know that knowing that knowledge has really helped me understand and conceptualize why some choices are made. It really also served as an empowerment that things didn't also have to be that way though.
There are alot of factors that go into why a person goes into addiction and one is for sure environmental stress. So could you imagine if you are homeless without no security how day to day stress could be a big reason why someone would have the environmental stress of falling into addiction.
So lastly, if a doctor tells you that you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and you come back a year later and have done little to help your health situation out do they say,"Sorry, I can't see you anymore you are no longer my patient?" No they work with you and they continue to educate you, bring awareness, find alternatives, and practice harm reduction. So if a doctor doesn't kick you out then why should your housing or your rehab center when you relapse? Studies show that when a person is in for 150 days of drug abuse treatment they have at least a 50% of staying sober but sadly that amount of days is hardly what is ever covered by programs or court orders or even insurances.
Days-Percent of success:
30-5%
60-9%
90-18%
120-35%
150-50%
So remember even if you are sober for some of these people the only place they can go back to is the place in which they were formerly before which could serve as a trigger to restart the cycle all over again. I realized that is not the case for everyone but that this issue is far more complex because it has many factors. If you have anymore questions let me know or need clarification let me know, also I'm not an expert.
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