Substance Abuse & Chemical Addiction is Primary
When speaking of chemical addiction, one should include the entire field of addiction to drugs. There is no distinction between alcohol, crack, marijuana, heroin, pills or any other drug.
Understanding the concept of poly-addiction is helpful during one’s recovery process. Poly means more than one. There are some treatment facilities that suggest even though a person has a problem with specific drug, such as cocaine, he or she can continue to either drink alcohol or smoke marijuana. This is not a reasonable recovery method. The brain reacts the same way regardless of the chemical or how it was introduced in the body. The recovering addict must acknowledge that it is impossible to switch from one chemical to another as he or she attempts to be healed from the addiction of a specific drug of choice. The individual trying to recover is addicted to the euphoria it creates.
We will describe chemical addiction with 3 traits. This video looks at just the first trait.
#1 – Chemical addiction is primary. It is not a secondary problem, nor is it a symptom of an underlying problem. It either causes a problem or aggravates an existing problem. Chemical addiction must be dealt with first.
In order to recover, an addict has to have a sober mind. Until then, he or she is unable to start the healing process. It is more than a lack of willpower to quit using drugs.
Once an addiction passes from the social stage to the addictive stage, all control is lost. This is when chemical and drug addiction become a primary problem and needs to be treated as such.
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