Handling Drugs

What's the deal? Why can't some people handle drinking and drugs?

There's just not a perfect answer to this question. Drinking or taking drugs is often a sign of trying to avoid problems: pressure from friends, stress in the family, concerns at school, hassles at work, adults are on their case, feeling different from everyone else in the world. In the beginning drugs can make you feel like you're escaping to something that's easier, something that feels better. But after awhile, escaping becomes harder because, over time, the body needs more and more of a drug to get the high that once came easily. Often, you just end up chasing after the first high. Unfortunately, the more drugs you take, the higher the risk of getting addicted or overdosing.

Other people take drugs or drink as an experiment. They figure it is just part of what you do when you're figuring out your way in the world. Yeah, experimentation is part of growing up — but some experiments can lead to permanent damage. And for people whose families have a history of alcoholism or addiction, experimenting is really risky. Just like heart disease and cancer, substance abuse often runs in families so, for those people, a bit of experimentation could lead to serious dependency in no time at all. But you're not off the hook if substance abuse doesn't run in your family. Addiction is a powerful thing, and it can take hold of anyone at anytime. Basically, if you've got the insatiable craving, you're addicted and it doesn't matter if you've only used once or everyday for months.

The current thinking on addiction is that it is a brain disease that develops after exposure. People are not born addicts (though some are genetically more susceptible to addiction.) But after exposure to a drug, the brain chemistry changes, "a switch is flipped, " and you become an addict. The thing no one knows is how much of a drug it takes to flip the switch in one's brain.