Going Down the Dangerous Path to Addiction by Chasing the High

By: A Forever Recovery

Mar 3, 2014

Categories:

Home » Going Down the Dangerous Path to Addiction by Chasing the High

Going Down the Dangerous Path to Addiction by Chasing the High

It starts out simply. It might be experimental or from just wanting to take the edge off a hard day. It may have been that first experience with the amazing feeling of euphoria that comes from taking a strong prescription painkiller, and before you know it, your whole life has become centered on trying to replicate that first-time sensation. Chasing the high only leads a person further down the path to addiction. Whether from these or other more intense motivations that can start us down a road that’s hard to get back from on our own, there are effective, compassionate treatment programs to help change the addictive behavior.

Not Just a Family Thing

This slippery slope is not one that people are equipped to handle on their own, regardless of how much rationalizing goes into trying to assuage feelings of guilt or the fear of knowing that the problem is a bigger one than may be tackled alone. While a problem shared is a problem halved, there are not many in our sphere of existence who will accept the challenge of taking that walk with a friend in need. This is not to say that friends can’t help. It is just that we know far more about addiction and what it means to come off the powerful attractions that seem to force us down a long, lonely path of self-destruction, including driving many of those friends away.

A Power Even Greater Than Judgment

It is easy for others to criticize offering only the admonition that it is just best to avoid drugs and alcohol altogether. Its hard to understand the compulsion of chasing the high if you’ve never felt it yourself. This is an easy task when everything is going along fine. While the insidious draw into addiction is not necessarily a character flaw, it can seem that way in the face of realizing that it is not so easy to simply stop.

There are powerful reasons for this, not the least of which is how these substances can change our brain chemistry making us slaves to the sensations they produce. Chasing the high is not merely a conscious choice any longer. Further, it is known that from the first exposure the brain is fast working to counteract the effects. This is what causes us to quickly build up a tolerance thus forcing the need for more and more of the substance to duplicate the original sensation.

Statistical Evidence of Individuals Chasing the High

The cold, hard facts support the need for all of us to recognize the importance of seeking help to rise above the challenge of addiction. The sad reality is that statistics start at people ages 12 and older. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there were over 23 million people who needed treatment for drug or alcohol abuse problems in 2009 alone. Despite the need, only 2.6 million of those who needed treatment received it.

This breaks down across age groups as follows:

Ages 12-17 at 7.5 percent
Ages 25-29 at an average of 14.6 percent
Ages 30-39 at an average of 11.5 percent
Ages 40-44 at 12.6 percent
Ages 45-49 at 11.5 percent
Ages 50-59 at 10.4 percent

Those 18 to 19 years old averaged 4.1 percent while the percentage plummets starting at age 60 dropping to 1.2 percent and below.

The Benefits Obtained from Addiction Treatment

In treatment, the goal of non-addictive use encompasses abstinence and moderation through an understanding of long-term recovery. Building upon the creation of a substantive identity intended to replace the addictive one, the focus is on harm-reduction. This process affirms powerfully new connections supporting life-saving interventions while recognizing and honoring that many patients are tackling more than just their addictive behavior. The psychological and emotional issues that present themselves are the same ones that were there before developing an addicted state of existence.

People who are struggling with addiction are not defective. Seeking treatment is possibly the best way to pay self-recognition to know that there are unintended injuries sustained in life that makes it extraordinarily difficult to overcome alone. Even the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has established a mission focused on helping to correct the damage done as a result of an unintended injury.

While the government remains dedicated to curbing the over-prescribing tendencies of doctors and cracking down on “pill mills” contributing to the overabundance of controlled substances, more people addicted to these medications are receiving treatment and learning to understand the dangers of prescription drug abuse and the nature of addiction. With a professional treatment program, addicts learn the facts about why they were chasing the high, and learn ways to take back control of their life.