In our fast-paced world, it is often hard to catch a break. With everything moving so quickly, it becomes very easy to fall behind. Bad turns into worse and one problem begets another. Before you know it, you've fallen over the edge and you don't know what happened. This process can happen with so many things: work, relationships, school. The worst, however, is when this happens with drugs and alcohol-and it can happen easily and more rapidly than you think.



Drug and alcohol addiction has always been a problem in this country. The problem spins quickly out of control as most addicts do not even realize that they have a problem. There are some who believe that their addiction is manageable or recreational, but those addicts are commonly in denial. Once a person begins to need drugs or alcohol to feel good about themselves, or make it through the day, it is definitely time to seek help.

THE TRANSITION FROM OCCASIONAL USE TO FREQUENT USE

Becoming an addict is not an overnight process. The addict usually starts out as an occasional user, drinking or using drugs socially at first. They may attend a party where alcohol is served and have a few too many, or try other drugs such as marijuana or valiums to loosen up after a long week. Weekend gatherings with friends or Friday evening happy hours become sources of comfort, making the potential addict comfortable with the feeling he or she gets while drinking or using.

Soon, the drinker or user begins to abuse drugs or alcohol, using more than they need to achieve a sense of well-being. Often a tolerance for alcohol or the drug of choice builds in the individual so that they need to use more to achieve the same effect. Once this happens, the person is on the road to addiction. The developing addict is constantly seeking the feeling of the first time, rarely able to feel the same level of inebriation first achieved. Rather, the addict usually feels worse the following day and feels the need to do it again, hoping that it will be different. The problem is, they continue their behavior even though they know that it is destroying them.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT: FRIENDS AND FAMILY

The first people to notice that something is going wrong are the family and close friends of the drug or alcohol addict. As they have seen the individual before they let things get out of control, they know that the person is not well. Addicts behave erratically, acting out against those who are close to them because they are in denial. They do not think they have a problem, or they are too ashamed to admit that they do, even if they are consciously or subconsciously crying out for help. All of the people who love the person are affected and want to help, but they may not know what to do.

Sometimes families try to have an intervention. An intervention is when friends and family get together to collaboratively embrace the addicts problems and in a loving and caring way advise the addict to seek assistance. This works occasionally, but can sometimes backfire as well. Often the intervention creates a feeling of isolation or alienation in the person, which is quite harmful. In their state of isolation, the addict escalates his or her behavior, creating more pain for everyone involved.

OWNING YOUR PROBLEM

When it comes to addiction, be it coffee, cigarettes, alcohol or drugs you must want to stop to truly begin a life free from addiction. You can know that you need to stop, however, knowing you need to and having a desire to actually do so is different. People don't smoke because it is healthy; smokers know that smoking kills, but they do it anyway. The only way to successfully quit anything is to have the desire to quit. If you have thought about quitting, but haven't been able to do it on your own, you need to seek help. Once you ask yourself if you have a problem, or think about needing to stop or slow down, you have a problem that has become bigger than you can, or should attempt, to solve alone. Be honest with yourself; get the help that you need. You will get better, but if you cannot stop you must get the help you need before it is too late.