By: Luke Frankel
“Some researchers speak of two types of addictions: substance addictions (e.g. alcoholism, drug abuse, and smoking) and process addictions (e.g. gambling, shopping, gaming, eating, and sex)” (Donatelle 131). This chapter is all about addiction, defining what it means, the different types of addiction, the physiological and psychological aspects, and also how we deal with it in our daily lives. The first type I want to talk about is process addictions. Process addictions are named as such because they involve people becoming dependent on the chemical rush that their behavior brings, rather than direct drug or substance use. For instance, the text talks about gambling addiction, and this is something I have dealt with in my immediate family. It can be just as harmful as chemical or substance addiction, along with the cost to others as well.
Another type of process addiction that I need to talk about because it is so prevalent is technology addiction. This encompasses everything from usage of certain websites, to specific social media outlets. I see this daily, and I am conscientious of my own usage as well. Today we all use our smart phones constantly, there are even laws to prevent them being used while driving, as ridiculous as that may sound, because it is so common. However, the addiction is far too real, and many people have lost their lives as indirect and sometimes direct results of this.
The second type of addiction is substance addiction. This is the type you hear about all the time, for good, and for bad reasons. We have an epidemic of drug abuse in our country, specifically Opioid abuse. Much like process addictions, chemical addictions affect the pleasure center in our brains. After chronic substance abuse, our cells biology and structure can permanently change. This is why so many people suffer from relapses and other compulsive behavior involving drugs. They become a need, rather than just a choice of wanting to get high. Different drugs work in different ways, some drugs have similar chemical structures to dopamine and other neurotransmitters, so they can get into our systems much easier. Others block neural messages, some increase the concentration of neurotransmitters in our synapses, and others cause neurotransmitters to be released in greater amounts.
There are tons of ways to take drugs, each having (Mostly) multiple different methods and concentrations. However, there are also combinations of drugs that can cause a myriad of different effects. For instance, you can take cocaine and heroin at the same time, but they have opposite effects on your body. As such they will interact and cause a different outcome than they perhaps would on their own. This can be EXTREMELY dangerous, and this is a common way that people overdose and die. However, it is not just illegal drugs that cause health issues. People abuse over the counter medication all the time, and sometimes it can be worse. I know some people drink Nyquil like it is a beverage and that can cause serious liver and kidney issues because of the active ingredient, dextromethorphan.
The last topic I want to talk about is arguably the most important, now that we know about all of these drugs and what they do. What do we do when we know someone is addicted or abusing them? The answer is that it is not very clear cut. There are many options, but all of them still require a lot of support and a lot of hard work from the user. First you have to make the person with the addiction understand that they have one, this is the same for both chemical addiction and process addiction. You can do this through interventions, and moral support. As for the treatment it all depends on what the issue is, for certain drugs and behaviors there are rehabilitation centers, other times they use medicinal treatments for people with issues such as alcohol abuse. Despite all of these treatments, it is still immensely hard for those who have addiction, and we have to support our friends and loved ones through it, despite how hard it is for everyone involved.
Lastly, I’d like to talk about my week and my goals. This week I went back to the gym for the first time in about 5 days. I was sick and did not feel up to doing anything for a long time. However, now I feel ready to push myself again and keep working towards my goal. Setbacks happen, however having a good mindset will always bring you closer to your goals. Despite being sick, and losing roughly 8 lbs in a few days. I am now re-filling my body with glycogen and hydrating myself back up to where I need to be. I am still trying to lose body fat, but I need to make sure my body is healthy again before I focus solely on that.
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