"Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation - some fact of my life - unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake". - The Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous
No one starts using a mood altering drug intending to have a problem with it. There is still a stigma attached to having a problem with alcohol or other drugs, as much as the recovery community tries to normalize healing from addictions. When people begin to experiment, usually as a teenager and first with nicotine, alcohol and marijuana, problems are something that can just happen. Some people stop right away when they begin to have problems, some stop later in life, and some die from their addictions.
Addiction can be defined as "a habitual psychological and physiological dependence on a substance or practice beyond one's voluntary control." (The American Heritage Dictionary) Years ago, before the beginning of Alcoholics Anonymous and substance abuse treatment as we know it today, society looked at people with addictions as being moral failures. That meant that they were bad people; they were moral-less. Fortunately, as we learned more about addiction and recovery, we realized that addiction is a disease. A disease is "a pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms." This took away some of the stigma from addiction and recovery. We learned that people with addictions looked like you and me. They got better. They could go on to live good lives.
The disease of addiction is characterized by four main components. They include: 1. Craving: A strong need, or compulsion, to use 2. Loss of control: The inability to limit one's using on any given occasion. 3. Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms occur when alcohol or other drug use is stopped after a period of heavy using and 4. Tolerance: The need to use greater amounts in order to get high.
My working definition of alcohol or other drug abuse needing professional attention is when your use has affected one or more areas of your life negatively. Notice that it isn't how much or how often one uses alcohol or other drugs. Someone may drink every day, and have no negative effects on their lives.
There is a quick test I like to give when people think that their alcohol or other drug abuse may be a problem. It uses the acronym CAGE:
C: Have you ever felt that you needed to cut down on your alcohol and/or drug use? A: Have people in your life ever annoyed you and/or criticized you for your alcohol/drug use? G: Have you felt bad or guilty about your drinking? E: Have you ever had a drink/drug first thing in the morning (eye opener) to steady your nerves or get rid of your hangover?
It is short, simple, and if you answered affirmatively to any of the questions, you may have a problem with alcohol or other drugs. Going to see a Licensed Alcohol/Drug Counselor (LADC) or Going to a Recovery Center can help you explore this more. They will help you understand what addiction is, how it has impacted your life, and assist you with doing something about it. The mind, body, and spirit have an enormous ability to heal. Recovery does happen.
