Addiction Facts

Many times someone’s personal opinions, or pet theories gets mixed up with actual addiction facts and this is often confusing to someone trying to understand addiction. Probably a good starting point is a solid definition of what addiction is. Addiction is a condition characterized by repeated compulsive seeking and using of drugs, alcohol or other similar substances despite adverse social, mental, and physical consequences. When addiction exists, the drug use controls the individual rather than the individual controlling the usage.

Drug addiction treatment to be effective needs to help and guide the individual in confronting and gaining the skills and abilities needed to resolve all areas of their lives – not merely ceasing their drug use which is only the beginning. Personal issues of nutrition and gaining a healthy balance need to be addressed. Issues of cravings, quilt, and depression resulting from addiction need confronted and relieved, legal issues often exist. Broken or strained relationships in the family and workplace need resolved. The issue of how the addict gets on with his life in a drug free and productive manner, and be happy and fulfilled doing so, can be one of the biggest issues of all. Addicts and alcoholics are often quite concerned about being miserable and suffering without the drugs or alcohol. Narconon Arrowhead is an empowering program that assists the individual in resolving each of these situations as well as others he or she may have. We don’t enforce or insist rather we help, guide, and assist the individual in finding their own unique answers that will work and more importantly continue to work for them. This helps insure a continuing drug free life as their solutions are theirs and not something dictated or enforced on them.

We can’t help but wonder what causes one person to become in drug or substance abuse while another person can walk away from it. Drugs or alcohol are use in an effort to handle a problem or physical/emotional pain of some sort. The drug is found to offer short term relief to the problem or pain. What happens in many cases is the individual continues to use drugs and alcohol to mask the symptoms and obtain relief rather than handle the actual source of the problem or pain. Most drugs used have a tolerance factor where it takes more and more of the drug more and more often to achieve the desired results. This leads to abusive and addictive use which adds additional problems and pains and yet at this point the person thinks there is no other solution or relief available. Thus the person enters the downward spiral of abuse drug and substance abuse and addiction.

Narconon Arrowhead rehab services focus on regaining a drug free life. As soon as the person has stably withdrawn from drugs or alcohol, he is ready to start gaining the life skills he needs to deal with his problems, instead of wiping them out with drugs or alcohol. He or she must gain basic communication skills and an ability to confront his or her problems, people and life. He or she must also shed the pain and regrets of the past, and learn the practical life skills that make one able to maintain a drug-free life in the future. This is accomplished through the eight phases of the Narconon program.

The cycle of addiction begins with a problem, discomfort, or physical or emotional pain. Drugs or alcohol are used in an effort to find relief. Short term temporary relief is found which give the drug or alcohol value in the eye of the user. When confronted with the problem, pain, etc. again in the future the individual is prone to use the drug or alcohol again. The problem arises when it takes more and more of the drug or alcohol to get the same effect and instead of handling the source of the problem or pain the drugs are continually used to mask the symptoms while the problem itself continues to get worse. The drugs and alcohol themselves create new physical problems, shut of awareness and ability, all of which simply increases the symptoms to the point of the person being obsessed with finding and using the drugs or alcohol to numb himself, despite consequences to self and family.