Root Causes of Addiction

It is often difficult to pinpoint the root cause(s) of addiction. In my Social Innovation class, we learned that people often identify causes which are actually just symptoms. By solving these these symptoms, however, often do not solve the actual problem. The process of distinguishing symptoms from causes can be a difficult one. In relation to drug abuse in Vancouver, people often point to many symptoms:

• The availablity of drugs
• The lack of post trauma counselling programs
• The unrealistic time pressures of treatment centres
• Lack of education on drug prevention

The list of symptoms go on; however, when taking a step back, what is the actual problem here? Majority of drug addictions are due to trauma and mental illnesses. Does this mean that society doesn’t have proper resources to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS)? Or is it that we do not properly classify those who suffer from PTSS and other mental illnesses? This problem can also be stemmed from the increasing peer pressures at school, or a lack of drug prevention programs.

It is hard to draw the line that distinguishes causes from symptoms of drug addiction. In my opinion, there are several factors that lead to the many symptoms. In order to identify them one would really have to break down the symptoms. The three that stand out most in my mind are mental illness, trauma, and early exposure to risks.

Early exposure to risks could be due to the fact that many children are not properly educated on the consequences of drugs, or to the fact that many children live in underprivledged areas where they have no other exposures. This could be led by poverty, which could be one of the underlying factors of addiction.

Mental illness and trauma could be due to the fact that some areas do not have the proper resources to diagnose these problems, or the proper resources to treat them. This could lead to a feedback loop where it feeds the addiction which then in turn feeds the illnesses. Could inadequate health care be the root of this problem?

These are only some ideas as to what the root cause of drug addiction may be. What I am listing could be symptoms as well, but that I cannot find out until I explore further. Through researching for solutions I am hoping to get a little more enlightenment on the causes as well.

Addiction: a choice or a disease?

It is often argued whether addiction is considered a choice or a disease. Some say that people choose the addiction, therefore they can choose to end the addiction. Some say addicts have no choice, that the addiction takes over and becomes a disease that one now has to battle.

What is addiction? According to www.dictionary.com, addiction is:

“the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.”

One doen’t choose to be enslaved in such a horrendous feeling; however, one does choose the step of doing the drug in the first place. One choose the drug (or addiction I guess you can say) of choice and chooses to move forward with doing that drug while fully knowing the the consequences for it.

But once that whirlwind begins, can one just simply choose to leave it? I don’t think it’s that easy. At this point there are pyschological and physical dependencies, and usually a lack of resources to get back on the right track. One can no longer think straight or be physically well without the drug-is that really a choice?

I think addiction involves both choice and disease. Like I said previously, the involvement with the drug is by choice. One often turns to drugs in order to cope with trauma, loss, and pressure; however, we all know that drugs is not the only answer. Many choose to deal with the above factors in a completely differently light, and therefore choose not to be involved with addiction. The addiction itself- the dependency factors (once developed) is where I think the disease lies. The inability to make rational, sober choices is due to a malfunctions in different organs, taking the choice away from the drug user. The lack of resources (e.g., a home, money, counselling) also takes away the ability for the drug user to battle his or her disease.

Take for example another disease, let’s say lung cancer. If you were a smoker, and found out you had lung cancer, yet could not afford any treatment for it, would you really quit now knowing that you were going to die in a few months anyway?

Addiction is a controversial issue and I believe that while it is a disease, there are many choices that are presented along the way. It is how one interprets these options and whether he or she chooses the way out. But sometimes, when there is nothing or no one there to help you, you let the disease take over. The hopelessness, the despair, that is the disease. It is powerful and heavy; many think they are invincible from catching this disease and only think twice it’s too late.