Value Clarification Essay: Beliefs about Person Living with Addictions
Addiction, for one, is an intricate and complex process that leads to negative outcomes in people’s lives. It is, therefore, essential to explore the science of addiction first in order to understand addicts. Scientists have establish addictions as a chronic mental disorder where upon abusing substances or over-indulging in certain activities alters the brain-reward system. In a normal setting, the neurotransmitters produce dopamine as a means of satisfaction or to seek pleasure. Addictions have similar effects but with an increased dopamine production that makes the activities more rewarding.
Everyone’s path to addiction is certainly unique. Never does one plan to get into addictive behaviors but is, usually, due to various factors such as curiosity, peer pressure, and stress. Once after experimenting from time to time, the brain adapts and a person becomes more tolerant to the substances. Eventually, alcohol or the drugs become more important rather than the actual pleasure it initially brought. It is important to note that addicts are usually not ignorant of their dependence but, unfortunately, by the time of realization, they have already seized control. They tend to pursue their toxic activities despite having harmful effects to their lives and their loved ones.
However, as pointed earlier, addictions in individual is unique. Substance abuse lead to different processes where their thought processes are influenced by drugs. Individuals may end up being out of touch with reality. Consequently, behaviors exhibited from lying, manipulation, to even criminal activities are controlled by their addictions. These are simply survival mechanism that they may or may not be fully aware they are doing. Another characteristic with addicts is projection, in that, they tend to transfer responsibility to others. They tend to feel the problem is with the society but not with them.
Laypeople frequently invoke lack of self-control or will power as a major factor causing addiction and even relapse during treatment. This stereotypic view pronounce addicts as weak and tragically flawed. However, with the understanding that addiction is a mental disorder, people with drug or alcohol addictions are simply sick and require medical intervention. Willpower is, certainly, important in addiction but does not qualifies addicts as weak. I have witnessed people who decide take control of their sobriety by quitting friends and seeking help, only to relapse on account of the simplest triggers. Paradoxically, as a way out of addiction, successful interventions like the 12-Steps Programs encourage people to surrender their will, recognize their powerlessness, and depend on a supreme power.
Furthermore, people living with addictions are subject to environmental cues, genetics, co-existing mental illness, or traumatic history. This debunks common myths about addiction that they are often due to bad choices. Addicts may not be cognizant of the triggers and cravings that pulls them into addictive behaviors. There is indeed a mixture of behavioral biology, psychology, and physiology working against this group of patients. Another important point to note is that addiction affects people from all walks of life. A common misconception is that addicts are criminals, homeless, and unkempt. We need to understand that addiction does not discriminate. The well-educated and high-functioning members in the community are similarly vulnerable to addiction.
In conclusion, understanding people with addictions requires one to take a scientific approach. I strongly believe that behaviors exhibited by addicts, illogical and unjustifiable, are a matter of the brain working far from normal .It is, therefore, vital when working with addicts to take multi-faceted interventions in helping them. For one, I would recommended at least dual diagnosis, especially with respect to mental health that might be reinforcing addictive behaviors.