ADDICTION INFORMATION FOR NEWCOMERS

I AM IN THE PROCESS OF SIGNING UP AS NON PROFIT. ALL DONATIONS WILL HAVE TO BE EITHER CHECK OR MONEY ORDER AND WILL GO TO PAR, A STATE FUNDED ADULT REHAB HERE IN FLORIDA. IF INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING THEM PLEASE MAIL ANY DONATIONS TO LYNN NELSON C/O SOBER & SEXY, 100 SINGLETARY CIRCLE, #6, IMMOKALEE, FL 34142 

                                                         ADDICTION

The state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to somethingthat is psychologically or physically habit-forming, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.


A Slow Death As I hold the spoon to the flame,
I've got no one but myself to blame.As I stick the needle in my skin,
I don't feel like I can ever win.There's a moment of elation,
That follows the penetration.But it's gone again too soon,
So I try to find my spoon.And I'll do it all again,
'Till I reach the very end.- Anonymous

"Never talk down to an alcoholic from any moral or spiritual hilltop; simply lay out the kit of spiritual tools for his inspection. Show him how they worked with you. Offer him friendship and fellowship." 


Addiction isn't just about willpower. It's a chronic brain disease, says a new definition aimed at helping families and their doctors better understand the challenges of treating it. Addiction is about a lot more than people behaving badly. That's true whether it involves drugs and alcohol or gambling and compulsive eating. And like other chronic conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, treating addiction and preventing relapse is a long-term endeavor. Addiction generally is described by its behavioral symptoms — the highs, the cravings, and the things people will do to achieve one and avoid the other. The new definition doesn't disagree with the standard guide for diagnosis based on those symptoms. But two decades of studies have uncovered how addiction affects different parts of the brain, to explain what prompts those behaviors and why they can be so hard to overcome. Then there's the frustration of relapses, which doctors and families alike need to know are common for a chronic disease.Just what does happen in the brain? It's a complex interplay of emotional, cognitive and behavioral networks. Genetics plays a role, meaning some people are more vulnerable to an addiction if they, say, experiment with drugs as a teenager or wind up on potent prescription painkillers after an injury. Age does, too. The frontal cortex helps put the brakes on unhealthy behaviors. It's where the brain's reasoning side connects to emotion-related areas. It's among the last regions to mature, one reason that it's harder for a teenager to withstand peer pressure to experiment with drugs. Even if you're not biologically vulnerable to begin with, perhaps you try alcohol or drugs to cope with a stressful or painful environment.. Whatever the reason, the brain's reward system can change as a chemical named dopamine conditions it to rituals and routines that are linked to getting something you've found pleasurable, whether it's a pack of cigarettes or a few drinks or even overeating. When someone's truly addicted, that warped system keeps them going back even after the brain gets so used to the high that it's no longer pleasurable. You have family members that say, “OK, you've been to a detox program, how come you're taking drugs?'" The pathology in the brain persists for years after you've stopped taking the drug. Make no mistake: Patients still must choose to fight back and treat an addiction. But understanding some of the brain reactions at the root of the problem will hopefully reduce some of the shame about some of these issues. Genetics plays a role, meaning some people are more vulnerable to an addiction if they, say, experiment with drugs as a teenager or wind up on potent prescription painkillers after an injury. But understanding some of the brain reactions at the root of the problem will hopefully reduce some of the shame about some of these issues, and hopefully reduce stigma.