Supporting a drug addict

Family and friends have been supporting the recovering addict in every way possible during the treatment and recovery process. One friend feels that doing a little individual research can help. One of the first things the friend wants to know is exactly what is drug addiction? So, he looks up a definition.

Drug addiction differs from drug abuse in that drug abuse is when a drug is used for purposes other than what was intended, or in larger quantities than is necessary. A person who is addicted, on the other hand, feels that that drug must be had, even though it is known that the drug and the addiction are harmful.

Oh, yeah. Sort of forgot that, even though it is bought, sold, and used legally, alcohol is a drug, and that addiction to alcohol is no better or no worse. So, the attitude of Well, at least it’s just alcohol, and not the ˜hard stuff is untrue. It does matter.

Another interesting fact: some people do tend to become addicted faster, and may in fact become addicted the very first time a drug is used. That goes for alcohol, also. Wow. That first drink was no big deal to the unaddicted friend; unfortunately, the other seemed to take to the stuff, and quickly. Why that is, however, is still not clear.

One thing is known for sure. The person may have avoided drug addiction, but there are a lot of people not as fortunate. Also, this is not the time to judge; rather, it is a time to put any hurt feelings and other issues aside for right now. There will be time for dealing with them later.