57 www.rnca.ca Addiction can take many forms and shapes. It involves a compulsive or uncontrollable need to find and use a substance. Addiction can be psychological, which means that you need it to feel better mentally; or addiction can be physical, which means that your body craves the substance. All types of addiction cause similar harms to a person’s social and emotional life, and the lives of those around them. One simple way of describing addiction is the presence of the four Cs: • Having craving for a substance; • Loss of control of amount or frequency of use ; • Having compulsions to use; and, • Using despite the consequences. Nobody chooses to become addicted, and addiction is not about personal weakness or character flaws. When addicted, it can be difficult to give up the substance or stop the behaviour. Most people usually need extra support from friends, families or healthcare professionals. Whether its alcohol, nicotine, drugs, gambling, the Internet, or some other form of addiction, there is hope and help available. Call your local mental health and addictions office to speak to a counselor. Why do people keep using substances? When it comes to substance use, there are two kinds of dependence: 1. Psychological dependence occurs when a person feels he or she needs the drug to function or feel comfortable; and, 2. Physical dependence occurs when a person’s body has become used to the presence of a substance. Tolerance means the person needs to use more of the substance to get the same effect. When the person stops using the drug, symptoms of withdrawal occur. Substance use can be hard to change. One thing that makes change so difficult is that the immediate effects of substance use tend to be positive. Initially, the reward the brain receives is often pleasurable and we may call this a “high.” Over time, as our bodies become dependent on that substance and we experience withdrawals, the reward of using the substance may be to avoid the negative withdrawals. Experimentation versus problematic substance use Not everyone who uses alcohol or other drugs will become addicted. Every person’s body and brain are different. Your relationships, surroundings, lifestyle, and other mental health issues can make you more or less likely to become addicted. The progression of substance use to addiction is on a continuum, ranging from no use to dependency. Generally people advance from no use, to use, misuse, abuse, and finally to dependency. As a general rule, when substance use starts to cause problems in your relationships, or begins to negatively affect your work, finances or health, it’s probably time to think about making some changes. Substance Use Facts 1. Alcohol is considered a drug, and it can cause just as much damage as other drugs if misused. 2. After tobacco, alcohol is the substance that causes the most harm in Canada. 3. Alcohol is the most commonly used substance followed by cannabis and tobacco. 4. Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest heavy drinking rate in the country. 5. Addiction affects all genders, all socioeconomic classes, and all communities. Addiction impacts our friends, family, and coworkers. 6. Legal substances (tobacco and alcohol) account for 79.3 per cent of the total cost of substance abuse in Canada. Illegal drugs account for 20.7 per cent of substance abuse. What Is Addiction? continued
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