Narconon Overcomes Holiday Addiction
Addiction is an often heard term and often not a fully understood term. Addiction isn't a choice. True addiction is powerful enough to take any otherwise rational being and turn that person into someone fixated on obtaining drugs or alcohol at the cost of their work, their family, their self-respect and more.
Narconon properly defines addiction as, "a condition characterized by repeated, compulsive seeking and use of drugs, alcohol or other similar substances despite adverse social, mental and physical consequences."
This definition encompasses all forms of drug or alcohol addiction. It also doesn't omit the truth that one can become addicted with some drugs with just one use. Cocaine and Crack Cocaine are drugs that both can be so addictive that a single use can result in "compulsive seeking" of the drug. The user begs for another hit.
This definition also clearly establishes the fact that addiction is not something one can easily just stop. This is often a point of frustration for parents or friends not addicted as to wonder why their son or daughter doesn't just stop using. "Can't they see it's killing them?" is often heard or its variations, "Doesn't she know what she is doing?", "She's a big girl she can stop when she decides.", "He can quit when he wants.", "I can stop whenever I want, I just don't choose to." and so on.
Factually, as explained in The Barriers to Recovery on this site, addiction has a host of factors that make it all but impossible to quit by oneself and remain clean, unless these factors of addiction are handled.
Holiday Addiction
The holidays are meant to be a time of good cheer, families reuniting, warmth and friendliness. However, for the addict it is a time of shame and guilt and even a way to hid one's addiction. Holiday depression can be very real for an addict. Not only is one struggling with trying to quit getting high all the time, one adds the added pressure and burden of visiting relatives, holiday demands and being "expected" to be in good spirits, when one is anything but, holidays can often be a miserable time for an addict.
This of course impacts heavily their family and friends. The addict is expected to be part of the festivities, and they spend the majority of time trying to avoid people and be left alone to just get high. However, getting high doesnÇ't solve the way they really feel. Now they experience guilt and the resultant depression for having gotten high and this deepens their misery.
When one is in the misery of coming down from drug use, anyone being the least bit active or cheerful can rapidly find themselves a target of all manner of unwanted behavior and negative emotions. This is the last thing a parent expects from a son or daughter during the holidays. However, it happens to be a far too common occurrence.
Addiction: The "Un-Choice"
Drug addiction is not a choice. One doesn't "opt in" to be an addict. Addiction can happen by being started on a "medication" from one's doctor. In this case, one rapidly develops tolerance to the drug and the road to addiction is paved. The doctor prescribes more of the same drug, the user consumes more than the recommended dose at one time. Finding this no longer works, the doctor prescribes a stronger or another drug and addiction has set in.
There are many that started on the road to addiction by trying drugs from a friend or because of peer pressure. "Everyone is doing it", "Don't be a coward" and so on, leads to trying the drug. The person does, and as explained above, today's drugs are capable of hooking one with just one hit. After this the person begins to physically and mentally crave the drug and obtains it again and again.
The point here is the person never chose to be addicted. They chose to avoid an uncomfortable situation by trying a drug. Once the drug has been taken, the cravings and physical and mental actions of the drug can be so powerful as to lead one into repeated use, with or without the person's consent.
True the drug doesn't hunt out the person, but if you were convinced your very life depended on getting and obtaining a substance (or getting rid of a withdrawal symptom) you would obtain that substance at any cost. So goes the addict. This is the point that people not addicted miss. To the addict, they are both physically and mentally convinced their very life depends on obtaining more of the drug. Not so of the person who occasionally drinks wine with the holiday meal.
The Solution to Addiction
The Narconon Program has been successfully breaking the bonds of addiction for over 45 years. Since 1966 the Narconon program has helped thousands and thousands worldwide become and remain drug free. With over a hundred drug rehabilitation centers worldwide, and 6 in the eastern U.S., one can be assured to find a Narconon in their area.
The Narconon program addresses the key factors of addiction in such a way as to fully resolve the issue for the person. There are eight parts to the Narconon program and each step addresses one key aspect to addiction. The program addresses the factors of addiction, eliminating the physical cravings that drive one to addiction and educating the addict on the missing parts of knowledge that resulted in their addiction. In addition, there are specific drills and remedies done that increase the person's ability to confront and handle people and life and put them back in the driver's seat.
To learn more about the Narconon program, see the article Narconon and Drug Rehabilitation or contact Narconon East U.S. at 877-237-3307.
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