Aging and Addiction

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Recommended: Definition paper on addiction

Stages of addiction

Addiction is defines as, “being abnormally tolerant to, and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming (especially alcohol or narcotic drugs)”. (www.webstersdictionary.org) Addiction, or “chemical dependency” is a disease that affects several people worldwide. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), In the United Sates alone 22 million Americans have a substance abuse or dependency problem, only 2.5 million of them seek treatment. Chemical dependency is not a process takes place over night, it occurs after repeated misuse of a chemical/substance. This repeated misuse goes from/creates a transition from the early, middle and later stages of addiction.

The first stage towards addiction, is use at this stage is an individual becomes “one step closer” to heading downward into the journey of illness, pain, and inactivity. When use takes place, this is as it sounds: the individual consumes this chemical substance (be it alcohol or drugs) for the first time. The first stage is usually harmless, however it is the individuals reaction to the first stage which matters most. If the individual gets some sort of “rush” or feeling of extreme relief or emotion they begin to believe that the substance consumed has benefitted them. For example, one of the men from Alcoholics Anonymous said, “I didn’t feel like I belong”, he continued to speak of how he did not fit in with other groups of individuals and how uncomfortable that made him feel. After having his first drink of alcohol he mentioned that feeling being relieved, gone, and he no longer felt socially unaccepted. This is also r...

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... and Encyclopedia." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. 13 Feb. 2012 .

"Stages of Addiction." Drug Rehab Centers - National Addiction Resources. 12 Feb. 2012 .

Type..., Program. "Stages of Addiction and Recovery — Addiction Treatment Centers." Addiction Treatment Centers - Addiction Treatment. 12 Feb. 2012 .

W, Valeria, Erika K, and Scott B. "The Statistics of Drug Addiction and Abuse in the United States | The Canyon Rehab Blog." Web log post. Drug Rehab, Alcohol Rehabilitation, Addiction Treatment and Detox - The Canyon Malibu, California. 13 Feb. 2012 .

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