UNDERSTANDING ADDICTION AND ITS FOUR STAGES

Addiction is a non-medical term that refers to a wide range of conditions called Substance Use Disorders that can be identified under a variety of headings, usually related to the particular substance or behavior that is involved.

There are many misconceptions about the nature of addiction that makes it a highly misunderstood condition.

One of the most common misconceptions is that to be addicted to something like drugs or alcohol is to be morally weak and that bringing the addictive behaviour to a halt is simply down to willpower.

But addiction is not that simple and recovery less so. Scientific research into the field has shown that certain structural changes in the brain make recovery from addiction much more challenging.

Using alcohol or other substances on a social basis does not define addiction. They are able to enjoy the pleasures and experiences these substances can give, and still stay safe and get on with their lives. However, for some people that is not the case.

Eugene Greaney is a Swinford based counsellor who worked as a Director of Counselling for Harristown House Treatment Centre in Castlerea before going on to establish his own practice. He spoke to the Western People about his experience of working with people who have experienced addiction. He added that he knows first-hand about the journey to recovery, having first started his own journey over 33 years ago, one day at a time.

Eugene Greaney, a counsellor based in Swinford

“When a person presents themselves for help with any of these disorders, us as counsellors will invariably use a treatment model to help them find the solutions to their condition, and sometimes this may mean looking for underlying causes,” he said.

“Some people who are caught up in the addiction stage of the disorder, will experience cravings for the substance or activity leading them to use more and they will go to any lengths to justify and satisfy these obsessional cravings. They have lost control and are unable to stop without help.”

He said that at this point, the person caught up in the addiction stage may go to great lengths to hide their activity from others and family members will notice changes in their mood. Other signs could be related to their employment.

“At this point they are usually experiencing trouble in their relationships, missing time off work, becoming more unreliable, telling lies or maybe even getting into trouble with the law.

“Concerned others such as family, friends and colleagues can’t understand why their family member, or loved one would continue to drink, or use drugs, or gamble after getting into trouble. It is at this stage where addiction has taken a serious hold, and the addicted person will continue to use in order to blot out the pain, and shame they are experiencing.”

Addiction does not happen overnight. Mr Greaney said that it is widely agreed by counsellors working in the field of addition that there are four main stages leading to progression to addiction and that understanding these four stages is a critical step in recognising that one may have a problem with an addictive substance or activity.

Step one, he says, is experimentation.

“Most young people will at some time in their lives, experiment with alcohol or drugs. This can usually happen during the adolescent or teenage phase of their lives. During this time the peer group becomes more important than their parents and in order to fit in they will invariably experiment with alcohol or drugs.”

“During this experimentation phase there is little or no awareness about the effects these stimulants can have on their bodies. However, for some people they can get hooked straight away, and it’s often the case when people present themselves for treatment that they will say something changed inside of them when they took the first drink or the first drug.”

He said that most individuals will be able to stop and get on with their daily lives. However, some will feel the need to use more which will lead them to the next stage which is regular use.

“For some people regular use can accelerate a person into more difficulties with drugs, alcohol, or gambling. Regular use can cause problems for some people, as they get caught up in the daily stresses of life. They can very easily use more alcohol, drugs, gamble more, as a crutch to cope with life’s problems.”

“This can happen almost unconsciously, and the person can feel blindsided by their consumption, and will often say in hindsight they didn’t notice the amounts increasing, that it just crept up on them. Most people have a daily routine in their lives, and it can often be the case that using Alcohol, Drugs, or Gambling, can become part of their daily activity.”

“At this point a dangerous habit is forming and most people will struggle to break the cycle. This in turn, can cause feelings of guilt, shame, and other negative emotions about their use of Alcohol or Drugs or Gambling.”

Mr Greaney says that the growing dependency can be hidden in ways that are seductive, baffling, and very powerful and creates a way of justifying a person’s use as being regular when in fact it is preparing them for the next stage which is the High Risk – Use.

“When a person enters into the High-Risk Use phase they are beginning to experience difficulties at home, in their relationships, and are beginning to have problems at work, and possibly with the law as a direct result of their use. They have moved from the regular use of their comforter to relying on it to get them through the difficulties in life that is happening for them. Most people in the High-Risk area are in denial that their consumption has increased, and that their reliance has become more permanent.”

“They look forward to getting their daily fix to help them to cope. This creates a vicious cycle. The need to use in order to cope but the very use itself is creating more problems increasing the need for the substance activity and so on and so forth. During this time people will often experience craving feelings which can become obsessional in their thinking. They will take more risks in this High-Risk phase. Telling lies about the amount they are consuming, is a very common trait during this time.

It is from this phase that a lot of people will fall into the next stage, full-blown addiction. Mr Greaney describes the point where people pass into addiction as an “invisible line” that propels them into addiction.

“People who have experienced full blown addiction identify very strongly with this point. In my experience anyone that becomes addicted to a substance will never regain a healthy use of that substance.”

“For example, you cannot make a normal drinker out of an alcoholic. He or she may feel they can get away with a few drinks, and they may for a few days or weeks. But research and life’s experiences have proven otherwise. The addicted person will return to the original addiction and will go to any lengths to satisfy their cravings.”

“Family members often try to intervene as they witness the loved ones’ return to addiction. It is at this stage that a person’s life can be in danger as they become reckless and irresponsible. This behaviour affects all the family as they watch the person they love very much destroy their lives.”

He says that despite the severity and impact of the condition, no matter how serious an addiction has gotten, there is help out there. Mr Greaney said that getting in touch with an addiction counsellor is an extremely vital first step on the journey to recovery.

“Fortunately, no matter what stage of addiction you’re in, whether it’s periodic, or everyday use, then help is available. Addiction is now recognised by the World Health Organization as being a killer condition. It gets progressively worse when left untreated. If you’re ready to admit that you have a problem and have a willingness inside of you to try to live a life of recovery, then please give me a call. I would be delighted to help you, or your family member see that recovery is possible for anyone who has the desire to change.”