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Drug Rehab & Addiction
Addiction: What is it?
There are many
different definitions of addiction. At its broadest, addiction could describe
any pattern of behavior in which immediate gain is preferred over longer-term
harms or even rewards. Alternatively, addiction could be described as an
attachment to an appetitive activity, so strong that a person finds it
difficult to moderate the activity, even if they wish to do so, despite the
fact that is it causing harm. Possible addictive substances/activities include:
alcohol; tobacco; hard drugs; and also gambling and eating. Some would claim
that this list could be further expanded to include exercise, caffeine,
prescribed medication, shoplifting, and sex. Addiction is probably not a
universal human experience or a cultural constant: A number of languages do not
have a word for it (e.g. Swedish). There can be a danger with expanding the
term addiction too much: it is important for it to preserve a focussed meaning.
In most cases addiction refers to a strong and harmful substance dependency
(such as to alcohol or heroin); this was the main focus of the seminar.
What factors are believed to lead to
addiction?
Taking the definition suggested above a strong
and harmful substance dependency, the effect of any such substance on an
individual, and its addictiveness will depend on a number of factors, which can
be categorized around an examination of: the drug: Different drugs have widely
varying properties. The time needed for addiction to develop, the type of
addiction and the difficulty to overcome it will generally differ across
substances. This refers to personal characteristics, ranging from genetic
predisposition and physiological state to values and attitudes towards risk.
Significant general factors include gender, age and ethnic group; the person's
environment is also believed to play a crucial role. This includes parental
influence, peer pressure, government policies, community attitudes, the extent
of income and social inequality, availability and price of the substances,
level of policing etc. |
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