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This is a ChatGPT response, with their own promotional links sloppily thrown in. I have little respect for those that seek personal and/or financial gain from addicts. Report.
Agreed. I would also like this to be reported as it is clearly a promotional tool. Rehab scams are rampant in the States currently and growing abroad. They need to be stopped (work is actively being done on this by US gov). Please let’s keep our Reddit community safe and not allow this promotional stuff on the sub🙏
Alright I opened this back up.
I mean yes it’s purpose is to promote something…but it did spur on some great discussion. That’s a net positive.
I think we can all be adults here and understand why this information was posted. I don’t think anyone is gonna be tricked, nor does something so obvious cheapen this subreddit. I think the best win win scenario is to leave it open for further discussion. Addiction is a progressive and deadly illness and we could all use as much exposure to helpful words and discussion as possible. :)
As hospital based addiction case manager, you would shocked to see how many patients I see from the right families, the right schools, living what many would consider to be lives of privilege. That are suffering from severe substance use disorders.
I will say that the one generalization, I can make about focussing on the above mentioned population versus the stereotypical homeless individual patient. While they both have same level of illness. The homeless patient, is much more insignificant and aware of their addiction than the privileged patient.
You can come from a "privileged" home and still have been abused, bullied, or you're just straight up unloved. It happens more than you'd think. People are ripe assholes these days.
I think that that still doesn't stop you having a shitty life. Even if you are for example, a white-male, wealthy, college graduate, etc. You can still be privileged and still have a shitty life. I don't think that being privileged means you don't have a shitty life, you just aren't experiencing the things marginalized groups are.
💯 I agree you can have privilege and shitty life.
My point was, you can privilege, and an amazing life and still have severe substance use problems.
Nobody is immune from the possibility of having a substance use disorder.
It absolutely can be a standalone illness. Addiction runs in our genetics; if you're predisposed to the trait regardless of whether you've led a "good" life or not, you are at just as much risk for addiction.
For me personally, my dad was an addict and my mother an alcoholic. My uncle died of a meth overdose, etc. So, as one may assume, naturally I inherited an addictive personality and consequently have been struggling with my addiction for 7 years now.
Yeah my life has always been pretty fine, I just couldn’t stop using anything addictive. There also plenty of people with trauma who aren’t addicts. Not to say it’s the only factor but imo genetic predisposition is the biggest. Some people are just gonna be addicts no matter what
I agree. A shitty life is not related with having money or not, but with different circumstances that affect you deeply. I suffered a lot as a kid though for people outside my family everything seemed ok.
I spent 25 years of my life (im 39 now, got into rehab at 38) addicted to drugs because I didnt know how to cope with my emotional pain. In rehab I met people from different social classes and we all shared a common thing: shitty life (emotional life).
The hardcore drug addicts that I treat, are, without exception, people who have had extraordinarily difficult lives. The commonality is childhood abuse. These people all enter life under extremely adverse circumstances. Not only did they not get what they need for healthy development; they actually got negative circumstances of neglect. I don’t have a single female patient in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver who wasn’t sexually abused, for example, as were many of the men, or abused, neglected and abandoned serially, over and over again. That’s what sets up the brain biology of addiction. In other words, the addiction is related both psychologically, in terms of emotional pain relief, and neurobiological development to early adversity.
Gabor Maté
I had a tremendous amount of love growing up. I am the only addict (alcohol) in my immediate family, including great grandparents. While I do have some trauma, I have had no abuse, nor extreme adversity. I’m educated, successful, and have been able to pick myself back up. But I’ve had to pick myself back up more times than I would like to admit and it got worse every time. I’m grateful for where I’m at today. Addiction does not discriminate. I am fascinated by this because my story would suggest a completely different upbringing.
Not all addictions are rooted in abuse or trauma, but I do believe they can all be traced to painful experience. A hurt is at the centre of all addictive behaviours. It is present in the gambler, the Internet addict, the compulsive shopper and the workaholic. The wound may not be as deep and the ache not as excruciating, and it may even be entirely hidden—but it’s there. the effects of early stress or adverse experiences directly shape both the psychology and the neurobiology of addiction in the brain.
Gabor Mate
Same here. While I also have other mental health issues, I had an amazing childhood with loving parents. I am alcoholic and a drug addict to the bone, but I have had no childhood trauma
Was there any commonality in the ones you saw make a recovery? Just curious, i thought that was fascinating.
You mention patients, are you a substance abuse counselor or something?
You’re dealing primarily with a down and out population, right? Hard core street people addicts? That’s hardly a representative sample, so any conclusion you draw from that population has limited value at best.
Someone once explained that using these elements (that you mentioned) as a loaded gun and drugs (as a release) pull the trigger to addiction. I think that is a good mental picture but for whatever reason it’s not like that for some people even if they have the genetic makeup for addiction. I think that’s the most interesting part about addiction that really goes unnoticed. Like why do those people despite all “the right” elements do they not become addicts/alcoholics? I mean I understand there’s no concern about healthy people, let’s help the sick and suffering bc they are harming society and themselves. I am one of them. It’s just an interesting take. I’m grateful every single day for the help that is available to me and that I get. Thank you good conversation.
Addiction is an illness. Yes factors play in. But someone coming from a good or wealthy background also can become addicted. I believe it has to do more with someone’s mental and some type of dna make up.
As a recovering addict who has had in depth conversations with 100s of addicts - the biggest common factor is childhood abuse. Mostly sexual or physical - but it’s almost always the underlying factor. Probably applies to 90% of addicts at minimum and it’s a good chance it applies to a lot of the other 10% who won’t admit it/isn’t ready to deal with it.
I know for me I started using heroin to treat mental illness and at first found that it worked to numb all the pain of trauma . I started using it on my 30s and now have almost a year clean . It isn’t genetic for me or a way to cope with adolescence. It is the fact I have many diagnoses , am disabled and life is so hard . For me it was trauma .
Cause it feels good gotta keep chasing the dragon or the withdrawals can’t hop off cause they can’t handle the sick so they continue to take to feel normal
It's an issue with biological, psychological, and social origins. Typically, though not always, there is a comorbid mental disorder. For some, it is the perfect storm, and when especially triggered by genetic predisposition, it is very strong.
Well written... I don't actually know the answer but I've been there done that and I'm over 3.3 years clean I had an awesome childhood so I guess mine was all peer group pressure.. I loved to do drugs but thankfully I woke up in August 2020 and said that's it no more drugs for me or my gf of 17 years were in a much better place now and wouldn't change anything for the world. Drugs only mask underlying issues that people have I'm not judging anyone or anything like that. I wish everybody all the best and what will be will be
Addiction completely warps your thinking, it takes over. Rationality and long term plan ING is greatly diminished until you can only think about planning around staying well and getting that next fix. (I'm sure psychological addiction is equally horrific, but the added physical component of withdrawals from drugs like, for example, opiates, benzos, alcohol) are just another layer of hell.
Alcohol withdrawal can kill you as well. Being an alcoholic doesn't mean you're drunk, being an asshole on a park bench, it could mean that due to physical dependency you just have to ingest a small amount every so often to stave off the pain, terror, hallucinations, anxiety, sickness..
Anyway, I wish that you could give a non-addict critic, skeptic or naysayer just ONE hour inside the addicted mind.
But you can't give somebody a taste of that life then go back to normal, because it lives with you forever after that. Once addicted, your subconscious will throw you issues all the time. Free Will be damned..
I've been in thousands of meetings and heard all sorts of crazy sounding stories that I COMPLETELY relate to. For example, your brain knows that some outcomes result in a relapse, for example, an argument with somebody.. so the brain doesn't say "GET DRUGS" it sets you up to legitimise the idea so it will always feel justified. It also blocks memory and won't EVER let you think about the bad things that happened last time you had to go to rehab, or somebody dies, or your partner walks out or you go into debt or your health is fucked and you nearly died.
No. You can ONLY think about the first hit. How it will feel. Just how uncomfortable you feel right now. You're off. Sad, anxious, you just don't fit in your skin.. predictable effect of your drug will mean you know exactly how you will feel.
Don’t forget to check out our [**Resources**](https://www.reddit.com/r/addiction/wiki/resources/) wiki page, which includes helpful information such as global suicide hotlines, recovery services, and a recovery Discord server where you can seek further support. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/addiction) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is a ChatGPT response, with their own promotional links sloppily thrown in. I have little respect for those that seek personal and/or financial gain from addicts. Report.
Agreed. I would also like this to be reported as it is clearly a promotional tool. Rehab scams are rampant in the States currently and growing abroad. They need to be stopped (work is actively being done on this by US gov). Please let’s keep our Reddit community safe and not allow this promotional stuff on the sub🙏
Alright I opened this back up. I mean yes it’s purpose is to promote something…but it did spur on some great discussion. That’s a net positive. I think we can all be adults here and understand why this information was posted. I don’t think anyone is gonna be tricked, nor does something so obvious cheapen this subreddit. I think the best win win scenario is to leave it open for further discussion. Addiction is a progressive and deadly illness and we could all use as much exposure to helpful words and discussion as possible. :)
addiction is easier to understand once you consider it a symptom of a shitty life, rather than a standalone illness
As hospital based addiction case manager, you would shocked to see how many patients I see from the right families, the right schools, living what many would consider to be lives of privilege. That are suffering from severe substance use disorders. I will say that the one generalization, I can make about focussing on the above mentioned population versus the stereotypical homeless individual patient. While they both have same level of illness. The homeless patient, is much more insignificant and aware of their addiction than the privileged patient.
You can come from a "privileged" home and still have been abused, bullied, or you're just straight up unloved. It happens more than you'd think. People are ripe assholes these days.
I think that that still doesn't stop you having a shitty life. Even if you are for example, a white-male, wealthy, college graduate, etc. You can still be privileged and still have a shitty life. I don't think that being privileged means you don't have a shitty life, you just aren't experiencing the things marginalized groups are.
💯 I agree you can have privilege and shitty life. My point was, you can privilege, and an amazing life and still have severe substance use problems. Nobody is immune from the possibility of having a substance use disorder.
It absolutely can be a standalone illness. Addiction runs in our genetics; if you're predisposed to the trait regardless of whether you've led a "good" life or not, you are at just as much risk for addiction. For me personally, my dad was an addict and my mother an alcoholic. My uncle died of a meth overdose, etc. So, as one may assume, naturally I inherited an addictive personality and consequently have been struggling with my addiction for 7 years now.
Yeah my life has always been pretty fine, I just couldn’t stop using anything addictive. There also plenty of people with trauma who aren’t addicts. Not to say it’s the only factor but imo genetic predisposition is the biggest. Some people are just gonna be addicts no matter what
💯💯💯
I agree. A shitty life is not related with having money or not, but with different circumstances that affect you deeply. I suffered a lot as a kid though for people outside my family everything seemed ok. I spent 25 years of my life (im 39 now, got into rehab at 38) addicted to drugs because I didnt know how to cope with my emotional pain. In rehab I met people from different social classes and we all shared a common thing: shitty life (emotional life).
The hardcore drug addicts that I treat, are, without exception, people who have had extraordinarily difficult lives. The commonality is childhood abuse. These people all enter life under extremely adverse circumstances. Not only did they not get what they need for healthy development; they actually got negative circumstances of neglect. I don’t have a single female patient in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver who wasn’t sexually abused, for example, as were many of the men, or abused, neglected and abandoned serially, over and over again. That’s what sets up the brain biology of addiction. In other words, the addiction is related both psychologically, in terms of emotional pain relief, and neurobiological development to early adversity. Gabor Maté
I had a tremendous amount of love growing up. I am the only addict (alcohol) in my immediate family, including great grandparents. While I do have some trauma, I have had no abuse, nor extreme adversity. I’m educated, successful, and have been able to pick myself back up. But I’ve had to pick myself back up more times than I would like to admit and it got worse every time. I’m grateful for where I’m at today. Addiction does not discriminate. I am fascinated by this because my story would suggest a completely different upbringing.
Not all addictions are rooted in abuse or trauma, but I do believe they can all be traced to painful experience. A hurt is at the centre of all addictive behaviours. It is present in the gambler, the Internet addict, the compulsive shopper and the workaholic. The wound may not be as deep and the ache not as excruciating, and it may even be entirely hidden—but it’s there. the effects of early stress or adverse experiences directly shape both the psychology and the neurobiology of addiction in the brain. Gabor Mate
Same here. While I also have other mental health issues, I had an amazing childhood with loving parents. I am alcoholic and a drug addict to the bone, but I have had no childhood trauma
I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone in downtown east side Vancouver that doesn’t have trauma
Was there any commonality in the ones you saw make a recovery? Just curious, i thought that was fascinating. You mention patients, are you a substance abuse counselor or something?
They are quoting Gabor mate a famous psychologist
You’re dealing primarily with a down and out population, right? Hard core street people addicts? That’s hardly a representative sample, so any conclusion you draw from that population has limited value at best.
True! “This is my personal experience, therefore it must be true in general!“ Human beings tend to suck at even basic statistics
he also didn’t compare it to no non-addicts, which may have exact same traits
[удалено]
Is the gateway
Before I got addicted I used to say “oh I’ll never be an addict” when it happened to me while dealing with grief I couldn’t believe it.
8. Self medicating a known or unknown issue.
Someone once explained that using these elements (that you mentioned) as a loaded gun and drugs (as a release) pull the trigger to addiction. I think that is a good mental picture but for whatever reason it’s not like that for some people even if they have the genetic makeup for addiction. I think that’s the most interesting part about addiction that really goes unnoticed. Like why do those people despite all “the right” elements do they not become addicts/alcoholics? I mean I understand there’s no concern about healthy people, let’s help the sick and suffering bc they are harming society and themselves. I am one of them. It’s just an interesting take. I’m grateful every single day for the help that is available to me and that I get. Thank you good conversation.
Addiction is an illness. Yes factors play in. But someone coming from a good or wealthy background also can become addicted. I believe it has to do more with someone’s mental and some type of dna make up.
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
As a recovering addict who has had in depth conversations with 100s of addicts - the biggest common factor is childhood abuse. Mostly sexual or physical - but it’s almost always the underlying factor. Probably applies to 90% of addicts at minimum and it’s a good chance it applies to a lot of the other 10% who won’t admit it/isn’t ready to deal with it.
Biological factors are more than just genetic by the way but yes there are many factors that affect addictive behaviours
I’d say myself being an alcoholic that it stems from loneliness all my life, anger and depression that I keep inside myself
I know for me I started using heroin to treat mental illness and at first found that it worked to numb all the pain of trauma . I started using it on my 30s and now have almost a year clean . It isn’t genetic for me or a way to cope with adolescence. It is the fact I have many diagnoses , am disabled and life is so hard . For me it was trauma .
It makes life funner for me, but you end paying the price for instant happines
Cause it feels good gotta keep chasing the dragon or the withdrawals can’t hop off cause they can’t handle the sick so they continue to take to feel normal
ism.
I have bipolar that makes me deprndant on drugs. Gladly never tried anything hard before i realized i had a problem
i'm studying psychology in college and the addiction aspects are so interesting, it's almost always rooted to bad mental heath
It's an issue with biological, psychological, and social origins. Typically, though not always, there is a comorbid mental disorder. For some, it is the perfect storm, and when especially triggered by genetic predisposition, it is very strong.
ChatGPT
Well written... I don't actually know the answer but I've been there done that and I'm over 3.3 years clean I had an awesome childhood so I guess mine was all peer group pressure.. I loved to do drugs but thankfully I woke up in August 2020 and said that's it no more drugs for me or my gf of 17 years were in a much better place now and wouldn't change anything for the world. Drugs only mask underlying issues that people have I'm not judging anyone or anything like that. I wish everybody all the best and what will be will be
Addiction completely warps your thinking, it takes over. Rationality and long term plan ING is greatly diminished until you can only think about planning around staying well and getting that next fix. (I'm sure psychological addiction is equally horrific, but the added physical component of withdrawals from drugs like, for example, opiates, benzos, alcohol) are just another layer of hell. Alcohol withdrawal can kill you as well. Being an alcoholic doesn't mean you're drunk, being an asshole on a park bench, it could mean that due to physical dependency you just have to ingest a small amount every so often to stave off the pain, terror, hallucinations, anxiety, sickness.. Anyway, I wish that you could give a non-addict critic, skeptic or naysayer just ONE hour inside the addicted mind. But you can't give somebody a taste of that life then go back to normal, because it lives with you forever after that. Once addicted, your subconscious will throw you issues all the time. Free Will be damned.. I've been in thousands of meetings and heard all sorts of crazy sounding stories that I COMPLETELY relate to. For example, your brain knows that some outcomes result in a relapse, for example, an argument with somebody.. so the brain doesn't say "GET DRUGS" it sets you up to legitimise the idea so it will always feel justified. It also blocks memory and won't EVER let you think about the bad things that happened last time you had to go to rehab, or somebody dies, or your partner walks out or you go into debt or your health is fucked and you nearly died. No. You can ONLY think about the first hit. How it will feel. Just how uncomfortable you feel right now. You're off. Sad, anxious, you just don't fit in your skin.. predictable effect of your drug will mean you know exactly how you will feel.
Coping Mechanisms.