Living with Alcoholism and Addiction PDF
Preview Living with Alcoholism and Addiction
LIVING with ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ADDICTION also in the teen’s guides series Living with Allergies Living with Anxiety Disorders Living with Asthma Living with Cancer Living with Depression Living with Diabetes Living with Eating Disorders LIVING with ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ADDICTION Nicholas R. Lessa, with Sara Dulaney Gilbert Living with Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Copyright © 2009 by Nicholas R. Lessa All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. An imprint of Infobase Publishing, Inc. 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lessa, Nicholas, 1957– Living with alcoholism and drug addiction / by Nicholas R. Lessa with Sara Dulaney Gilbert. p. cm. — (Teen’s guides series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-7326-9 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8160-7326-0 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Drug abuse. 2. Alcoholism. I. Gilbert, Sara D. II. Title. HV5809.5.L47 2008 616.86—dc22 2008045347 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com Text design by Annie O’Donnell Cover design by Jooyoung An Printed in the United States of America Bang Hermitage 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. contentS ■ ■ 1 What Are Alcoholism and Addiction? 1 ■ ■ Substances of Abuse 14 ■ ■ Causes of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction 32 ■ ■ Recognizing Alcoholism and Drug Addiction 44 ■ ■ 5 Dangers of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction 54 ■ ■ 6 Getting Support and Help 65 ■ ■ Approaches to Treatment 77 ■ ■ Managing Alcoholism and Drug Addiction: Life After Treatment 92 ■ ■ Helping a Friend or Relative 104 ■ ■ 10 Paying for Care 115 ■ ■ 11 What More Can You Do? 123 Appendix: Associations and Support Groups 132 Glossary 140 Read More About It 147 Index 151 1 What Are Alcoholism and Addiction? a Alcoholism and addiction are more widespread among teens—and even preteens—than many realize. We’re not just talking about the kind of beer parties that sometimes make the news, but also about situations like these: M Tommy keeps a bottle of cough syrup in his middle-school locker. He sips from it between classes—but he doesn’t think about being a drug addict. M Mary Anne’s parents let her—and sometimes her friends— drink beer and wine at their home. They are happy it’s “just alcohol.” M Lisa’s parents are alcoholics, and her grandparents too. At 14, Lisa is determined to never be like them. She busies herself with positive activities such as cheerleading and service clubs. But one evening at a party, she is offered some pot. She takes a couple of puffs and fi nds she likes the effects—and she knows it won’t make her a “sloppy drunk” like some of her family members. M Jason’s junior high class learned about the dangers of hard drugs, and they all hated smoking, but pills from his mom’s medicine cabinet seemed safe—and fun. Putting aside questions of illegality, each of these stories might sound like mild examples of kids who have substance use “under 1 Living with Alcoholism and Drug Addiction control.” Unfortunately, they are all-too-common scenarios of teens and preteens—some 8 million of them—on the road to alcoholism and other kinds of drug addiction, which science now says causes permanent changes in the developing brain. Many still think of alco- holics as drunks sleeping in the gutter, or addicts as junkies nodding out with needles in their arms, but here are some basic facts about alcohol and drug addictions. M A drug addict is not necessarily a strung-out street junkie—yet. Addiction can begin with repetitive and inappropriate use of something as seemingly innocuous as cough syrup. M There’s no such thing as “just alcohol.” Alcohol, in addition to being a dangerous substance on its own, is a potentially addicting drug. Alcoholism is an addiction. M Addiction runs in families, whether from socially learned pat- terns, from genetic inheritance, or both. M Alcoholism is not solely an adult problem. It doesn’t necessar- ily take a long time to become an alcoholic or an addict, and it can mean trouble for kids as young as 12. M The abuse of prescription medications is increasing, and it is potentially one of the more dangerous addictions. Another fact that’s only recently gaining acceptance is that addic- tion starts at a much younger age than was once thought. By high school, it’s often already time for treatment. According to a survey by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, more than a fifth of all eighth-graders have used illegal drugs; more than a quarter have used alcohol; and a quarter report having been drunk at least once. The long-term dangers and effects of addiction are revealed by recent research, as you’ll learn in detail in this book. The impact of early use of alcohol and other drugs on the brain is more serious and long-lasting than once thought. The federal government tracks substance use among young people and reports that for almost all types of drugs, use by eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-graders was down during the first few years of the 21st century. Though surveys show that fewer teens are using drugs, large numbers are still using. The numbers show that use increases with age: Twice as many 12th-graders as eighth-graders use drugs. Twelve million teens are regular substance users, and as many as 3 million qualify as substance abusers or full-blown addicts. Chances are, you know at least one person your age (in addition to one or more substance-using adults in your life) who is dealing with What Are Alcoholism and Addiction? a drug or alcohol problem. Each of these teens has parents, siblings, and friends who are significantly affected by their problem. You’ve probably already been confronted with literature and lec- tures designed to scare young people away from drinking and drug- ging. The bad effects of alcohol and drugs are indeed something to be scared of, but as you probably also know, using fright to keep young people away from substance abuse often has the opposite effect—it makes danger seem attractive. Instead, this book presents facts about these widespread, serious disorders to help you figure out the best way to deal with them, whether you experience them in yourself, in a friend, or in a family member. You’re also surrounded by opportunities and even encouragement to at least try alcohol or another chemical substance. Even if your friends don’t use, TV shows, ads, and movies all make drugs and alcohol seem like a natural part of life. The more you know about alcoholism and addiction, the better you will be able to cope with them, whether they affect you directly or indirectly. In the first half of this book, you’ll learn about addiction and how it works. The second half of the book shows ways to deal with alcoholism and addiction, including, at the end of the book, resources for further support and information. SubStance uSe DiSorDerS Mary Anne, whose family let her drink at home, wouldn’t ever think of “using drugs.” Lisa, who chose pot at that party, believed it was much less messy than booze. They share the common misconception that “alcohol is not a drug.” In fact, alcohol is one of many psychoactive drugs—substances that affect the brain in very specific ways, includ- ing causing addiction. People can become addicted to alcohol just as they can become addicted to the whole range of other drugs—from pot to heroin to nicotine or even caffeine. Substances like some cough syrups or prescription medications contain a variety of ingredients that create an addictive reaction. Addictive substances may differ, but addictions themselves have so much in common that members of the medical profession use the term substance use disorder (SUD) to refer to any kind of dependence on an external chemical substance. The most common types of SUD are alcoholism and drug addiction. Addiction is a physical, mental, and emotional dependence on chemicals known as psychoactive drugs. Alcoholism, for example, is an addiction to alcohol. Addiction is a disease that includes the fol- lowing four symptoms:
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