K' LaBombard

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• K. LaBombard

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What is addiction?
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What really matters most is whether or not a
drug causes what we now know to be the essence of
addiction uncontrollable, compulsive drug
craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of
negative health and social consequences.
http//www.eiconline.org/braindisease.html
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The addiction debate

• Historically, it was thought that addiction was
  caused by lack of willpower, by poverty, moral
  weakness, mental illness, genetics, family
  socialization, anti-social personalities, and
  societal problems.

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The addiction debate

• Today addiction is seen as a disease and like
  any other disease, many factors contribute to it
  including
• The Drug
• The User
• The Environment

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The Drug

• The Drug. Some drugs are more addictive than
  others. This is due to the pharmacology of the
  substance, and how it affects the mood of the
  user.

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The User

• The User. The genetics of the user and his
  overall self-concept contribute to the potential
  for addiction. A person from a family with
  alcoholic or drug-addicted parents is twice as
  likely to develop an addiction. Studies are now
  being done to learn more about the genetics of
  addiction, and to develop early intervention
  programs for people who have a greater potential
  for becoming addicted.

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The Environment

• The Environment. Does the culture or society
  tolerate excessive use or abuse? Does the society
  give mixed messages about the use and abuse of
  psychoactive substances, endorsing some and
  condemning others? Does the society tolerate
  public intoxication or driving under the
  influence? Is psychoactive substance use and
  abuse glamorized in the media?

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Addiction is

• Loss of control. The user cannot predict what
  will happen when he uses the substance. One day
  he may be able to stop after one drink, or after
  one line of cocaine the next day he may not be
  able to control his use at all.

Compulsive preoccupation. The addict spends a
great deal of time thinking about the substance.
Continued use despite negative consequences. If
drinking or drug use causes problems but one
continues to do it, one is tempting addiction or
is already addicted. The person has lost
voluntary control of the use of that substance.
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Factors that influence addiction

• inappropriate shy and aggressive behavior in the
  classroom
• failure in school performance
• poor social coping skills
• affiliations with deviant peers or peers around
  deviant behaviors and
• perceptions of approval of drug-using behaviors
  in the school, peer, and community environments.

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Factors that help prevent addiction

• strong bonds with the family
• experience of parental monitoring with clear
  rules of conduct within the family unit and
  involvement of parents in the lives of their
  children
• success in school performance
• strong bonds with prosocial institutions such as
  the family, school, and religious organizations
  and
• adoption of conventional norms about drug use.

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Can refusal skills work?

• Have you ever found yourself in a situation where
  you have had to make a choice between what a
  friend wanted to do and what you really knew what
  the right thing to do was?

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Addiction

• It is important to analyze risk factors to stay
  ATOD free.
• There are many forces that can impact ATOD use
  including friends, family, and the media.
• While drug laws cant prevent drug use it is
  important to have laws to help protect victims.

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Sources of Help

• Al-Anon/Alateen
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
• National Association for Children of Alcoholics
  (NACOA)
• National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug
  Information (NCADI)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human
  ServicesSubstance Abuse and Mental Health
  Services Administration

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• National Council on Alcoholism and Drug
  Dependence (NCADD)12 West 21st Street, 7th
  FloorNew York, NY 100101-800-622-2255http//www
  .ncadd.org National Clearinghouse for Alcohol
  and Drug InformationP.O. Box 2345 Rockville, MD
  20847-2345301-468-26001-800-729-6686http//www.
  health.org National Families in Action2957
  Clairmont Rd., Suite 150Atlanta, GA
  30329404-248-9676http//www.emory.edu/NFIA
  National Institute on Drug Abuse6001 Executive
  BlvdBethesda, Maryland 20892-9561.301-443-1124h
  ttp//www.drugabuse.gov

• American Council for Drug Education164 West 74th
  StreetNew York, NY 10023212-758-80601-800-488-D
  RUGhttp//www.acde.org Families Anonymous,
  Inc.P.O. Box 3475Culver City, CA
  90231-3475310-313-58001-800-736-9805http//www.
  home.earthlink.net/famanon/ Nar-Anon Family
  GroupsP.O. Box 2562Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA
  90274310-547-5800
  Narcotics Anonymous (NA)P.O. Box 9999Van
  Nuys, CA 91409818-773-9999http//www.na.org

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Credits

• Hand Photo. http//www.mgh.harvard.edu/images/home
  _photos/help.jpg
• Focus on the Positive Song. http//www.wholetruth.
  com/focus/focus_on_positive_remix.mp3
• http//www.badvertising.org/gear.html
• http//tobaccofreekids.org/adgallery/display.php3?
  ID83
• http//www.adbusters.org/spoofads/alcohol/
• http//www.absolutad.org/unclass/

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References

• http//www.eiconline.org/braindisease.html
• http//www.fadaa.org/resource/justfact/addiction.h
  tml
• http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drug
  s/art/chart2.gif
• http//www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/LIBRARY/studie
  s/nc/nc2a.htm
• http//www.acde.org/common/Alcohol.htm
• Lyrics http//www.reallyrics.com/lyrics/E00030002
  0006.asp
• http//tobaccofreekids.org/adgallery/
• http//www.nida.nih.gov/Prevention/RISKFACT.html
• http//www.nida.nih.gov/Infofax/costs.html
• http//webmd.lycos.com/content/dmk/dmk_article_546
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