Are you addicted or
dependent on drugs?
It is also suggested by some that there are 3 basic types of drinkers
or drug users. Granted, there are certainly all kinds of gray
areas in between, but basically most users can be categorized
into one of the following three groups that we have listed
below:
A social or moderate drug user
This drinker or drug user seems to only use socially, occasionally
having a glass or two of wine, or even the "once in a
while" hit off a joint. There have even been known to
be social users of hard drugs (i.e. the guy who does a line
or two of cocaine at a bachelor party once every few years)
who never seem to develop a problem with it. Understand, however,
that even the social user can become addicted to drugs or
alcohol with enough use.
A hard drinking/drug user
This drinker or drug user appears, at first, to be an alcoholic
or addict if you look at a particular time frame in his life.
However, when a negative consequence occurs as a result of
his drinking or drug use, then he usually stops, very often
without the aid of treatment. Examples of this would be the
woman who drank heavily in college but was taken advantage
of” while under the influence and has never picked up
a drink since, or the man who gets married and puts down the
marijuana simply because his wife tells him to, or the man
that refers to his early 20s as his "cocaine and booze
days" but hasn't drank or used a drug since. The hard
drinker can and will quit drinking on their own willpower
if there is a negative consequence as a result of his drinking
or using. If the drug or alcohol user does not seem to quit
no matter how often or how many negative consequences pile
up, then there is a good chance that he is.
An alcoholic or drug addict
This drinker or drug user either has periods of abstinence
with heavy “binges” or is a continuous user and
doesn't ever seem to summon up enough personal willpower to
quit no matter what the negative consequences. Volumes upon
volumes can be written on this very subject, but we can sum
it up in a few brief statements. The "real" alcoholic
or drug addict, no matter what happens as a result of his
drinking and using, usually cannot quit drinking permanently
without the help of some form a treatment, ideally inpatient.
Left to his own devices, the drinking or using will progressively
get worse, destroying the hopes and dreams of his loved ones,
and eventually killing him in the end.
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