Life is full of struggles. We all deal with it differently. I've written briefly prior in regards to my viewpoint of addiction and I think its time to be addressed again. As a reader requested, a question came up to be based on why do addicts that become clean return to using again. Its a pretty good question.
First I am going to give you all a history lesson for understanding why certain medications are classified the way they are and distributed/not distributed the way they are. One place I will LOVE to work for one day: the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), was created and placed under the supervision of the Department of Justice. Here they created the classifications or categories on how controlled substance should be placed per the way of how they can be potentially abused AND how they level out to be used for medical use in the United States. The medications are labelled as schedules.
Schedule I: Medications are not accepted/approved for any purpose of medical use AND they hold a an extremely high levels of abuse.
Schedule II: Has a medical use but has a high abuse potential with severe psychological or physical dependency.
Schedule III: Has accepted medical use with the lesser potential of abuse than those from schedule I and II.
Schedule IV: Abuse potential is less than with Schedule III drugs, but administration may lead to limited physical or psychological dependence.
Schedule V: Abuse potential is less than with Schedule IV drugs
Due to these medications with their abuse potential and illegal use, prescription monitoring programs has been nationally instated. Monitoring the patients, the pharmacies and the physicians on all Scheduled Controlled Substances had to be created to ensure some regulation to make sure a patient isn't taking advantage of the "system" of getting controlled substances from multiple physicians. Each state is different on how this monitoring program is, so take this as some guidance, assurance, or a warning.
Now I'm not going to list all the examples of what drugs go to what category today but I wanted you to see and understand where "Pharmacy Law" is the way it is to protect all of us. Just because something can be created doesn't mean is has a medical purpose. Controlled substances does harm to our body no matter what. There are just different levels of it. Addiction is pretty much guaranteed if any controlled substance is abused or taken for a long period of time. A medication that was prescribed to help and to heal may soon stop working and then you need something stronger in order to have that medical use benefit. Before you know it your out of options.....well legally anyways.
I've had friends drown in the system of these drugs. They never were able to keep their head out of the water long enough to want to live without drugs. You would think when their whole world has been taken away from them they would fight....but sometimes they just don't. I've studied pharmacology for over 10 years and have a background in psychology. With that said, all of this next part is based on my opinion, my research, and my life.
The reader that wrote the question for this blog is someone I hold dear. They themselves struggled with addiction to Scheduled III that progressed to Schedule II and eventually went to Schedule I controlled substances. My friend survived, is healing, and has been clean for over a year and half. They lost a lot but they gained so much more. Not a lot people that abuse narcotics can actually reflect and see what the cause of their drug use is. The majority of drug addicts remain addicts because they allowed the drug to take them over and to lose any sight of any other life. When you lose that sight, you begin to forget why you even chose that path for yourself in the first place. Its understanding your triggers. Its understanding the sensation you have when you take a medication.
Lets say you break your foot and then you have surgery. Your going to get some pain killers. Dependent on the severity of the break and surgery and your pain level you may get a schedule III medication like Vicodin or a schedule II medication like Percocet. The purpose of these medications is to help you heal by managing your pain. Pain on the body increase stress which then increases your blood pressure. This process slows healing unless the pain is controlled so that is why these medications are given in the first place: MEDICAL USE. Now some people surpass the medical use of the drug and allow their brains to switch from healing mode to sensation mode. To elaborate further, people begin the process of just loving how they feel when they have a certain medication. Long periods of using medication for the "sensation mode" creates the pathway of addiction. Your body and brain became in love with that feeling that its going to get pissed off if it doesn't get to feel that way again. Eventually that when on Vicodin, it will increase to two Vicodin.....then to Percocet....then to pure Oxycontin and eventually heroin.
I truly believe that certain controlled substances creates the gateway to illegal substance abuse. The DEA for crying out loud was created because of it. I don't think ALL of them (meaning Scheduled I medications) like some people do. are gateway medication. Example: Marijuana. In the State of California they are allowing the use of the Scheduled I Marijuana to be used. Its not like that anywhere else in the US......yet anyways.
Scheduled I medications just don't have a purpose except for people that don't think they have purpose. You chose "Crack" cocaine, Crystal Meth, Heroin, PCP, and LSD then you pretty much have lost their sight of themselves and their purpose. Long duration of use of these will either kill you if your lucky or just ruin your life minute by minute. People choose drugs because they like they way they feel when they are on them. Eventually they are only the drug and that is it.
People are lucky when they have the opportunity to get clean. Its a hard and grueling process. It can also be dangerous. Its not the easy way out but its the right way. They only way I can see someone that was an addict that became clean and to stay clean is to know why they chose that path to begin with. Know your triggers and avoid them at all costs. Move away. Far away. Avoid people that was apart of that in your life. Hell if you only ate candy when you were high then stay away from it until you can trick your mind to lose that association of candy and drugs. Mind over matter. Master yourself by learning what got you there in the first place when you have the chance to have your first moment of clarity. Breathe it in. Remember what it was like to live a day without those drugs and you were happy. That is your goal. Addicts will be clouded and forget how to have that control so its important to have a support system and let them know why you even started using in the first place. They can't just be that phone call when you have a craving. They need to know you so they can remind you what your fighting for. One day at a time.
In a way I don't believe that being an addict is considered a disease. You are sick...but its not cancer. You chose this path for yourself by accepting something into your body. I love pizza so I have a big ass as a consequence. I'm a smoker so eventually I may have lung disease or cancer. I CHOSE these because I LOVE THE FEELING, THE PROCESS, & THE TASTE. Its apart of me and I know it. I've quit smoking and for years and then go back to it. The same reason why I even started it in the first place applies every time I start back up again. I've settled this as my life for me. I know heroin use and pizza love are totally on different levels of addiction, but the meaning is still there. Its what your body and mind trigger what it needs and loves because of how you process the sensation of use of them. Understanding that will help you quit.....for good. You have to want it though and stop making excuses. Quit saying when you relapse that its just because your addict and you have a disease.
Hopefully that wasn't too much at once. I promise I will write more and if you want me to elaborate further on anything more then please let me know. I'm also open for debate.
First I am going to give you all a history lesson for understanding why certain medications are classified the way they are and distributed/not distributed the way they are. One place I will LOVE to work for one day: the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), was created and placed under the supervision of the Department of Justice. Here they created the classifications or categories on how controlled substance should be placed per the way of how they can be potentially abused AND how they level out to be used for medical use in the United States. The medications are labelled as schedules.
Schedule I: Medications are not accepted/approved for any purpose of medical use AND they hold a an extremely high levels of abuse.
Schedule II: Has a medical use but has a high abuse potential with severe psychological or physical dependency.
Schedule III: Has accepted medical use with the lesser potential of abuse than those from schedule I and II.
Schedule IV: Abuse potential is less than with Schedule III drugs, but administration may lead to limited physical or psychological dependence.
Schedule V: Abuse potential is less than with Schedule IV drugs
Due to these medications with their abuse potential and illegal use, prescription monitoring programs has been nationally instated. Monitoring the patients, the pharmacies and the physicians on all Scheduled Controlled Substances had to be created to ensure some regulation to make sure a patient isn't taking advantage of the "system" of getting controlled substances from multiple physicians. Each state is different on how this monitoring program is, so take this as some guidance, assurance, or a warning.
Now I'm not going to list all the examples of what drugs go to what category today but I wanted you to see and understand where "Pharmacy Law" is the way it is to protect all of us. Just because something can be created doesn't mean is has a medical purpose. Controlled substances does harm to our body no matter what. There are just different levels of it. Addiction is pretty much guaranteed if any controlled substance is abused or taken for a long period of time. A medication that was prescribed to help and to heal may soon stop working and then you need something stronger in order to have that medical use benefit. Before you know it your out of options.....well legally anyways.
I've had friends drown in the system of these drugs. They never were able to keep their head out of the water long enough to want to live without drugs. You would think when their whole world has been taken away from them they would fight....but sometimes they just don't. I've studied pharmacology for over 10 years and have a background in psychology. With that said, all of this next part is based on my opinion, my research, and my life.
The reader that wrote the question for this blog is someone I hold dear. They themselves struggled with addiction to Scheduled III that progressed to Schedule II and eventually went to Schedule I controlled substances. My friend survived, is healing, and has been clean for over a year and half. They lost a lot but they gained so much more. Not a lot people that abuse narcotics can actually reflect and see what the cause of their drug use is. The majority of drug addicts remain addicts because they allowed the drug to take them over and to lose any sight of any other life. When you lose that sight, you begin to forget why you even chose that path for yourself in the first place. Its understanding your triggers. Its understanding the sensation you have when you take a medication.
Lets say you break your foot and then you have surgery. Your going to get some pain killers. Dependent on the severity of the break and surgery and your pain level you may get a schedule III medication like Vicodin or a schedule II medication like Percocet. The purpose of these medications is to help you heal by managing your pain. Pain on the body increase stress which then increases your blood pressure. This process slows healing unless the pain is controlled so that is why these medications are given in the first place: MEDICAL USE. Now some people surpass the medical use of the drug and allow their brains to switch from healing mode to sensation mode. To elaborate further, people begin the process of just loving how they feel when they have a certain medication. Long periods of using medication for the "sensation mode" creates the pathway of addiction. Your body and brain became in love with that feeling that its going to get pissed off if it doesn't get to feel that way again. Eventually that when on Vicodin, it will increase to two Vicodin.....then to Percocet....then to pure Oxycontin and eventually heroin.
I truly believe that certain controlled substances creates the gateway to illegal substance abuse. The DEA for crying out loud was created because of it. I don't think ALL of them (meaning Scheduled I medications) like some people do. are gateway medication. Example: Marijuana. In the State of California they are allowing the use of the Scheduled I Marijuana to be used. Its not like that anywhere else in the US......yet anyways.
Scheduled I medications just don't have a purpose except for people that don't think they have purpose. You chose "Crack" cocaine, Crystal Meth, Heroin, PCP, and LSD then you pretty much have lost their sight of themselves and their purpose. Long duration of use of these will either kill you if your lucky or just ruin your life minute by minute. People choose drugs because they like they way they feel when they are on them. Eventually they are only the drug and that is it.
People are lucky when they have the opportunity to get clean. Its a hard and grueling process. It can also be dangerous. Its not the easy way out but its the right way. They only way I can see someone that was an addict that became clean and to stay clean is to know why they chose that path to begin with. Know your triggers and avoid them at all costs. Move away. Far away. Avoid people that was apart of that in your life. Hell if you only ate candy when you were high then stay away from it until you can trick your mind to lose that association of candy and drugs. Mind over matter. Master yourself by learning what got you there in the first place when you have the chance to have your first moment of clarity. Breathe it in. Remember what it was like to live a day without those drugs and you were happy. That is your goal. Addicts will be clouded and forget how to have that control so its important to have a support system and let them know why you even started using in the first place. They can't just be that phone call when you have a craving. They need to know you so they can remind you what your fighting for. One day at a time.
In a way I don't believe that being an addict is considered a disease. You are sick...but its not cancer. You chose this path for yourself by accepting something into your body. I love pizza so I have a big ass as a consequence. I'm a smoker so eventually I may have lung disease or cancer. I CHOSE these because I LOVE THE FEELING, THE PROCESS, & THE TASTE. Its apart of me and I know it. I've quit smoking and for years and then go back to it. The same reason why I even started it in the first place applies every time I start back up again. I've settled this as my life for me. I know heroin use and pizza love are totally on different levels of addiction, but the meaning is still there. Its what your body and mind trigger what it needs and loves because of how you process the sensation of use of them. Understanding that will help you quit.....for good. You have to want it though and stop making excuses. Quit saying when you relapse that its just because your addict and you have a disease.
Hopefully that wasn't too much at once. I promise I will write more and if you want me to elaborate further on anything more then please let me know. I'm also open for debate.
