cinderellawkids

I view addiction as an illness easily for 2 reasons. I have my own mental health issues and sometimes am manic and reckless and feel out of control.
My husband is an addiction, nothing else but an ilness could ever describe why he continues to do what he does and never seems to learn

baxter

I have such a hard time grasping the disease part myself. My AD was diagnosed with a chemical imbalance when she was in her early teens. She hated taking her medicine because she didn't want to be a "nutcase". It made the difference of night and day and we also compared the imbalance and medication to the likes of having diabetes or any disease you had to take care of. She "chose" self-medication (drugs) over any of her medications. To me that was a conscious decision. Apparently being a crack head is more acceptable than a "nutcase." I still can't figure it out.

To me, I think of addiction as a personality disorder. I think most people I know are addicted to something that briefly takes them away from reality, helps calm the nerves (smoking, food, exercise, shopping, gambling) and just about everyone says, just stop, yet when it's drugs it's a disease. I know there is an annonymous for just about every addiction out there but drugs seems to be about the only one I read about being a disease.

I read and read and try to understand what my AD is going through and I guess I'll never know (or truly understand) but I keep trying. As for the deep dark thoughts, had them once myself.

Hugs,

drainedwife

I do see how it is a disease of the mind and a physical allergy of the body, but I have a question for someone who can answer--
How is it that my AH partied in high school and college but did not become "an addict" then.
THroughout most of our married life he did not use...he drank, but was not an alcoholic. As for him becoming an "addict" that I believe happened when he decided to abuse perscription pain killers, which was when he was in his late 30's. During our marriage i never suspected drug use, until i found coke in the house about 7 years ago....but even then, he showed no signs of addiction. And after that, there was nothing until about 2 or 3 years later, when he start abusing pain killers.

Any thoughts????

hello-kitty

Addiction can be and has been analyzed to death by experts, by family members, by addicts. Now, instead of focusing on the ins and outs of addiction, I focus on myself and setting boundaries for the kind of behavior I will accept from others in my life, addicts or not. My energy is better spent figuring out my problems then contemplating someone elses. My problems are things I can fix with a little time and energy. But time spent worrying about my ex's addiction (what caused it, when it started exactly, why he does what he does, etc.) is time wasted, in my opinion.

"I didn't cause it. I can't control it. I can't cure it." are my thoughts when it comes to someone elses addiction.

cinderellawkids

Drained, did he over drink? even on occassion? would you not consider that substance abuse?
I once asked ina family drug counseling group the same questions. We discussed, for an example, drugs Id used recreationally in the past. She said, you were lucky, the enxt use could have been your last controlled use, sometimes its just one to many that crosses the line with brain chemistry, sometimes its the first use., however then I thought about it and while Im not an addict, I never used just a little, in order to go out to dance Id take 4 sudefedrin, or bronchiodialtors. When given muscle relaxers I rarely took just as prescribed, so wasnt I in some forms abusing substance, maybe mild, but still abusing their purpose for my own benefit.

sleepygoat

It's also not the only disease where there is tremendous non-compliance with treatment and self-destructive behavior, as well as real denial about how sick they are. As a nurse, i remember many a diabetic who ate junk food and refused to listen. Same thing with people with heart disease, strokes who are grossly overweight, eat poorly, refuse or forget to take medication, won't keep doctor's appoints..... The desire for immediate gratification is strong. But with addiction, we are the stupidest of all. I well know the state of irrational thinking that preceeds relapse. I can convice myself of the most insane nonsense. Its like we are two people fighting each other. almost like demonic possession or something. Something is different in my brain. A single visual image can trigger a chain reaction of thoughts that take on a life of their own. between compulsion, obsession, and denial, its amazing any addict gets clean. that requires a whole new way of thinking. Its complex, its baffling, and its frustrating as hell to see the same disease in my own daughter.

wenchris

Unfortunately, their adiction is not what takes away their lives. Rather it is how they choose to treat their addiction once they recognize it exists. If we could find the perfect treatment plan the illness would remain much more silent.

drainedwife

I agree with you hello-kitty...but ive always been curious about that issue.
In the beginning of my recovery, it would stop me from believing he was an addict. Now I know that he is, and i really dont think about it often...also, i have 2 kids to worry about.....one who is entering high school next year---a time when many kids do experiment with drugs.

thanks!