We all want to lead healthy lives and make healthy choices. We sit in comfortable homes and see stories on the news (and, yes, on pop culture shows too) about people who have lost their lives to addictions or who battle with addictions and we think “how does that even happen?” and “I can’t even imagine that.” Basically we get pretty judgey about it, even when we’re trying to be empathetic.
Here are some basic facts about addiction that you should know, styled in the 5 W’s that we all used to have to model our current events reports on when we were in school.
Who gets addicted: anybody and everybody. Addiction doesn’t discriminate.
What can you get addicted to?: The most “common” forms of addiction are to drugs and alcohol. But there are other types of addiction like shopping, gambling, sex, etc.
When can you get addicted?: At any time, really. Many say they started their spirals in their late teens and early twenties, but it can happen at any age.
Where can addiction happen?: It would be easy to assume that addiction is more rampant in certain parts of the world or in certain types of neighborhoods, but addiction can happen anywhere.
Why do people get addicted?: There is no one central “why” that everybody can simply avoid to avoid addictions. There is evidence that addiction is hereditary. Others say it is more a product of environment and social structure.
It’s a lot to wrap your head around, isn’t it? Let’s get a little bit more specific.
How does someone become an alcoholic?
It happens little by little and all at once–at the same time. It is rare that someone develops severe alcoholism after just one drink. That first drink, though, can set someone on a path toward alcoholism and addiction if they aren’t careful. Case in point:
Person A, let’s call her Jen, has her first drink in high school. She doesn’t much like the taste of the cheap beer she’s handed, but she likes the feeling of being buzzed. She doesn’t start drinking right away, she has school to finish–high school and college–and other things on her mind.
After school, newly 21 and loving the fact that she can go out every night after work if she wants, Jen starts hanging out at a bar close to work. She likes the camaraderie there and becomes a regular. Slowly she graduates from drinking beers to harder drinks and then one morning she wakes up and realizes that she doesn’t remember how she got home. It’s taking more and more to get the same buzz she used to enjoy and she hates going even one evening without enjoying that feeling. Soon she finds that she can’t get through the night without that feeling. Then she starts having a “nip at lunch” to make the afternoon work hours more bearable.
You can guess the rest from there.
What Happens Next
Admitting that you have an addiction is difficult, especially if it has been a slow burning one like Jen’s. It is particularly difficult when the addiction is to substances like alcohol that are common and where using is more socially acceptable than abstaining. The thing you have to realize, though, is that no matter how stubborn you might be, you cannot overcome an addiction by yourself.
If you think you are addicted or are an alcoholic, it is important to seek help immediately. Talk to your doctor and a therapist first. Your doctor and counselor can help determine the severity of your alcoholism and work with you to set up a course of treatment. If your alcoholism is severe or you want a “clean break” to help you overcome it, you might choose to opt for inpatient alcoholism treatment. Many alcoholics have found that the strict structure offered in inpatient programs helps break the hold that alcohol has over them.
If your budget is an issue or if inpatient treatment would exacerbate your problem instead of helping it, there are a lot of outpatient treatments programs you can try ranging from looser structures like AA to something with more structure set up with your doctor and counselor.
Staying Clean
A common theme among alcoholics is that drying out is the easy part. It’s staying sober that’s hard. This is why perhaps the most important step you can take for yourself is to try and build a support system for yourself. Support systems are incredibly important for a lasting recovery.
Finally know this: if you or someone you know is an alcoholic or an addict, that isn’t anything to feel ashamed about. Addiction is incredibly common and, like we said: it can happen to anybody. What matters is getting help and getting healthy.
