Transformations Nepal -Drug Prevention & Rehabilitation Center

Definition of addiction
Addiction is any behavior that you have difficulty controlling, and that you continue to do despite negative consequences.
• Types of addiction : Addiction can be of different kind. But below we will discuss only about drug addiction.
• Drug Addiction: Addiction means the loosening control of a person over his/her drugs consuming habit. Addiction means developing dependency over the use of drugs. Early users feel amazed at how easily people can fit drugs into their lives. But it gets harder and harder. Instead of using drugs to help now and then, people begin depending on it to help themselves constantly. People can’t get along without it. People stop wanting drugs and start needing drugs.
This is a crucial change, and it indicates addiction. If seen other way round, people start using drugs to cope with problems that only drugs is causing. We need a shot to stop the shakes, or the physical withdrawal symptoms. That’s how powerful drugs can be. We use it as a medication for so many of our problems-even the problems it itself causes. No wonder we feel we need it.
Actually there are two ways about addiction. A part of you remains nonaddictive, no matter how much you drug. Even if you’re a down-and-out at drugging.
The part of you that’s not addict lies just below the surface, close at hand. But, as you might expect, the more addictive you are, the harder it is to get in touch with this part. It’s this non-addictive part of you that thinks you might be “addict”. The non-addictive part of you knows you have a problem.
The addictive part of you thinks you’re fine. This part keeps excusing your addictive behavior and hiding your problems from you. This part will do virtually anything to keep you drugging.
However, the non-addictive part that sees the problems of drugs wants to quit drugs. It is this part with-in you that decides to explore the solutions to the problems. And, the non-addictive part of you will win your battle against drugs. This whole side of you begins to grow as soon as you quit drugging. Best of all, this side will help you live a longer, healthier, and more fulfilling life than you can ever experience by living through your addictive side.
KNOWING YOUR PROBLEM
Generally, people with drugging problem tend to deny and lurk it by making different excuses. It’s only natural to protect something so dear to you. But your defenses break down once in a while.
So if you sometimes think you have a problem, you almost certainly do.
Imagine yourself at situation when you do not have the drugs of your choice. Your body feels brittle and weak, your defenses shattered. You are completely nauseated and you are in pain. Since you don't have the quota of the drugs of your choice to calm down, for the moment, you truly feel the misery drugs is causing you.
This morning you promise yourself you won’t drug again. But by the end of the day, your defenses return. You begin to excuse yourself for “one bad night”. Then you allow yourself to have another dose of drugs. You might go through this hundreds of times before you finally recognize the pattern. I know I did.
How can you recognize the pattern of addiction? Here’s an easy-to-use definition to guide you.
The most common alarming signs of drugs addiction are:
• Increased tolerance: “Tolerance” describes how much drugs your body can handle. As your body adjusts to drugs, your tolerance increases. What one or two hits did in the beginning may take five, ten, twenty, or even more hits as tolerance increases. Your body finds its limit. Then, after many years of heavy drugging, tolerance begins to reverse i.e. the cells in the body start breaking down and simply can’t handle as much drugs.
• Withdrawal syndrome: This sign appears only when you take drugs away. Your body complains out loud, your nervous system flashes urgent signals to the mind; “Give me another dose to calm down”. The agitation in the cells can be seen so great that your whole body can go into convulsions. This is serious. About 20% to 25% die during these convulsions if they don’t have medical treatment.
The longer and harder you’ve been drugging, the more problems you’ll experience during withdrawal. The shorter and less excessive your drugging career, the more likely your withdrawal syndrome will look like a hypoglycemic attack. You’ll feel fatigued, jumpy, restless, headachy, quick to anger, nauseated, depressed. These symptoms will disappear temporarily if you eat or drink something sweet, or if you use drugs. But will lay foundation for long-term withdrawal syndrome.

PROBLEMS CAUSED BY DRUGGING
If drugs brings temporary benefit and pleasure it has long-term bad implications and problems.
Originally you start drugging in order to gain something. You get certain benefits. But soon you start drugging in order to escape problems or forget about how bad you feel. Unfortunately, too much drugs makes your problems even worse and it becomes a vicious circle, a self-defeating mechanism. The very way you choose to solve your problems actually aggravates and intensifies them. What’s worse, your drugging causes its own problems- problems that become so serious they can kill you. Be assured that drugging will kill you, sooner or later. It’s slow suicide for some and fast suicide for others.
It is also said,” It’s like being married to someone you love very much, then finding out that person is a beast who’s trying to kill you.” At some point you’ll discover that drugs is a beast that’s trying to kill you. And at that moment your love affair will end.
Besides, the problems caused by drugs use can be classified as followings:
• PHYSICAL IMPLICATIONS:
# Central nervous system damage
# Impaired short-term memory
# Possible long-term brain damage
# Heart disease
# Increased chance of stroke
# Aggravated high blood pressure
# Chronic sinus problems
# Increased risk of lung problems-emphysema, cancer
# Risk of respiratory system collapse
# Weakened immune system
# Inability to sleep
# Reduced sperm count
# Irregular menstrual periods
• MENTAL IMPLICATIONS
# Memory loss
# Blackouts
# Poor judgement-tendency to take unreasonable risks
# Feelings os stress, tension, anxiety, guilt
# Confusion-inability to focus or concentrate
# Arrogance
# Paranoia (tendency to suspect others)
# Tendency to behave in ways you would never allow yourself to behave when sober or straight (i.e., picking fights, forcing your sexual attentions on someone, shouting insults)

• SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS
# Destruction of treasured relationships
# Trouble with law
# Isolation resulting from antisocial behavior
# Limited options
# Setting the worst possible example for your kids
# Undermining the family unity
# Devastating physical and legal consequences of driving under influence
# Possibility of hurting someone when stoned
# Problems with law associated with buying or selling drugs
# Loss of respect
# Financial difficulties resulting from loss of job, legal expenses, or costs of a drug habit
# Impaired ability to get or keep a job

• SPIRITUAL/EMOTIONAL IMPLICATIONS
# Feeling lonely, isolated from depression
# Feeling too dependent on drugs
# Feeling lost. Feel like not having any sense of spiritual connection with the world
# Poor self-esteem
# Feeling irresponsible or immature
# Getting angry too often
# Feeling more stressed
# Being stuck in a struggle
# Feeling of having no choice. Drugs takes freedom away
# Feeling exhausted or worn out
# Suicidal thoughts
# Sense of regret about time and opportunities wasted
# Chronic lying about drug use
# Excessive emotionality that gets in the way of daily functioning

FINDING THE RIGHT HELP
Once people know their problem of drugging and the negative effect it brings into life, it is better for them to quit drugging. But, quitting drugs is not that easy. The main challenge is to achieve life-long abstinence. So, how can we achieve the milestone? Thousands of people have achieved their recovery one way around. There are many treatment processes, but they do not fit into all. All human being are unique and have their own characters. So, people’s discretion is advised on choosing the right treatment for them. Here, we try to discuss some treatment models along with their merits and demerits. We also discuss out treatment model. The choice remains within you to find the right help. We also like to request people not to try quitting on your own as thousands have ultimately sought the right help.
Narcotics Anonymous: NA offers social support based on a model of religious fellowship. Members help each other stay sober. At meetings members talk about their problems and gain guidance from each other. Each member also works through the “12 Steps”. These steps give the recovering addicts a set of goals to be achieved.
NA has been helping addicts quit drugs since 1953. Current membership is about 150000 worldwide. It has around 40,000 autonomous groups worldwide. NA is probably the most recommended treatment for drug addicts today. In fact, the format has become so popular that many look-alike programs have sprouted in the past 20 years.
HOW CAN NA HELP?
NA can help you in many ways. Below are some ways NA can help:
• It offers total involvement in a drug-free community. This makes it easier for you to break away from your total involvement with drugs. When you join NA, you join a readymade social scene to replace the drugging social scene.
• As an NA member, you gain an important sense of belonging. When you belong to a valued organization, you feel more valued inside yourself.
• Group members lend mutual support for not using drugs. This can be very helpful. As a popular song ways “We all need somebody to lean on.”
• It’s easy to make new friends in NA. You will have something in common with everyone you meet.
• NA destigmatizes addiction. You’re not seen as a “disgusting addict,” but someone with a disease. More important it’s not your fault.
• NA helps you gain a sense of responsibility. You’re not responsible for your disease, but you are responsible for maintaining your sobriety. It’s up to you to stay away from drugs. You’ll find this new sense of responsibility will help you immensely.
• In any treatment, you first need to accept your problem with drugs before you can begin to change. NA helps you accept your problem with drugs. The method works well for many people. Your start by admitting your problem in front of the group. “Hello. My name is ……., and I’m an addict.” Then in step #1, you admit your problem to yourself.
• You can count on it. You can find meetings at many different times during the day, seven days a week. Also, once you’ve started, you’re assigned a sponsor who’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• It’s free, or available for a small donation at each meeting. This could be very important to you. Other treatments can cost huge money, and if you don’t have health insurance you may not be able to afford them.

DRAWBACKS TO NA
Many professionals and former NA members have specific complaints about the organization’s methods and beliefs. Here’s a list of the most common criticisms.
• NA neglects the physical. You get no medical advice and no information on healing. You get no encouragement to exercise, change your diet, learn relaxation or stress reduction techniques or any helpful methods-other than NA. In fact, you might think NA was encouraging bad health habits. At many meetings, sodas, cookies, cakes, or doughnuts are served; so are coffee and tea. Of course both sugar and caffeine increase anxiety and nervous tension, especially in recovering addicts who have a heightened reaction to these substances. (However, in recent years, some NA meetings have changed where members are knowledgeable about health and serve only healthy foods and beverage. ) This is perhaps NA’s biggest weakness. Even if you use NA, you’ll do much better if you choose various other techniques to help you heal the physical problems drugs has caused.
• NA requires social involvement. You gain help by becoming part of a group. But what if you’re the type of person who gets nervous in groups? This can feel like a major punishment.
There are examples where people tried NA, and as soon as the meeting was over headed straight for the drugs. If group situations cause this kind of anxiety in you, you may find difficulty gaining any help from NA.
• NA requires a specific religious belief. You must believe in God or some greater power. Otherwise, you’ll be lost. Six of the 12 steps refer to God or a greater power. In these six steps, you must turn yourself over to God, admit thing to God, ask God for help, and seek God through prayer or medication. NA allows some flexibility in beliefs. God can be “as you understand him.” Even so, you may still have difficulty with a certain defined concept of God. For instance, you may not see God as a “Him.” Before quitting drugs, most addicts find that their strongest religious beliefs concern “God, the drugs.” Many have given up their in “God, the father” long ago. If you can renew your belief in some kind of God when you quit the drugs, NA may be of help. Otherwise, you don’t fit in NA’s religious format.
• NA insists that you call yourself an addict may be a lot of interesting things, but at every meeting- if you speak- you must start by saying, “Hello. My name is ………., and I’m an addict.” This reminds you, over and over, of a problem you have –not something good about you, but a problem. This negative reminder can help some people stay away from the problem. But it forces some to feel too guilty too often or to feel just plain stuck. At one meeting, you might like to hear everybody get up and say something positive like, “Hello. My name is ….., and I feel excited, happy, and refreshingly new today.”
• Many people have difficulty with the “public confessional” approach of NA. At meetings, members recount their problems with drugs. This might be helpful if it didn’t take so much time every meeting. Stories about past problems have been called drug a logues.” You’ll hear details such as “the worst things I did while stones,” or “how bad a druggie I was,” and so on. Too many of these stories make for a mighty dreary meeting. In addition, members complain about how difficult things are not that they’re not drugging. You’ll hear about “how much I wanted to drug today when the boss yelled at me,” or how terrible I have felt,” or “how I’ve had a tough time fighting the urge to drug all day,” and other similar complaints.
You might prefer more of an accent on the positive. Once again, if members dwelled more on the powerful, positive notes of their recovery, meetings could be much more uplifting.
• Some have accused NA of fostering too much dependency among its members. It’s like trading one addiction for another, NA for drugs. The new habit….going to meetings-beats the old habit in many ways. But some people have difficulty giving so much of their lives to the group. After going to NA for a few months, one member said she felt “completely swallowed up by the group,” as if she were losing her identity. This problem with NA will be greatest among independent-minded persons.
• For NA members, drugs remains the central focus in their lives. Before NA, members were preoccupied with drugging. In NA, they’re preoccupied with not drugging. Now instead of remembering the good old days, they remember how bad things were. Members recall problem after problem as they discuss the evils of drugs. This means they cannot break their relationship with drugs. It’s a love-hate relationship, but instead of leaving the relationship completely, they simply shift their involvement from love to hate.
• NA members believe you’re powerless over drugs. Is that true? It may be true before you quit. But don’t you show some power over drugs when you quit? Don’t you show even greater and greater power over drugs the longer you stay away from it?
• Members believe “once an addict, always an addict.” The idea is good. It tells you not to drug-or you’ll become addicted all over again. So it helps you stay away from drugs. But once you’ve decided you will not use drugs again, why not drop the idea that you’re still an addict? You don’t call yourself a smoker after you’ve quit smoking, even though you know you’ll be addicted if you start again. That’s why the statement “once an addict, always an addict” is not exactly true. A truer way to phrase it is this: “Once an addict, always an addict…..as long as you keep on drugging.” If you believe you’re an addict forever-even when you’re not drugging-you may feel stuck in a rut forever. What a grim outlook! The belief doesn’t allow you any room to grow into something different. After you’ve quit drugging, you don’t have to consider yourself an addict. Think about this for a minute. If you change your diet, start exercising, and begin using other healing techniques, you can cure most of the disease problems drugs has caused. You can keep growing, changing. You can be someone new and interesting every day, someone other than “an addict.”
• You may decide NA takes too much of your time. The hours you spend at NA every week, you could be spending at some other positive or healthful activity.