CHARLES PERKEL, who is a consultant psychiatrist at Riverfield Lodge Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centre, addresses some commonly asked questions about alcohol and drug addiction
Have you ever said or done something that you later regretted because you were drunk on alcohol or stoned on another substance?
Have you ever neglected to do something, missed school or work, lied to get money, or become violent or stupid, because you had used or intended to use booze or drugs?
If your answer is yes and you learnt your lesson and recognised that you had made a mistake you will not repeat, then you are part of a group of people who have experimented with drugs or alcohol, recognised the dangers which hopefully were not too serious, and stopped. However if your answer to the questions above is yes, but you continue to use that substance with the same or different negative consequences, then you have a problem. We call this problem ”substance abuse” because you are abusing this substance in a way that is causing some sort of damage to your life. This damage may be minor; for example, causing you to lose concentration or ignore your family, or may be major; for example, causing you injury or to be involved in crime. Either way we still define it as substance abuse.
Does being a substance abuser mean you are an addict?
It may mean that you are an addict if, in addition to the repeated problems caused by your use of that substance, you have also lost control of your use of that substance.
What is meant by loss of control of a substance?
If you have ever used more of a substance than you meant to use at that time, or found that once you start using a substance it was hard for you to stop, then you have experienced loss of control. Therefore, we would say that you are an addict if you continue to use alcohol or another drug despite your awareness that it is causing damage of any sort to your life, and along with this, if you have difficulties controlling the way you use it.
Can anyone become an addict?
Yes, anyone can become an addict, but some people are at higher risk than others.
How do you know if you are one of those at risk of becoming an addict if you experiment with alcohol or drugs?
You don’t! This is a tough question to answer because although we know some of the factors that may increase your risk of becoming addicted, there are many other factors we still don’t know. We do know that if you have a close blood relative who has a problem with alcohol or drugs, then you may have inherited in your genes a similar risk of becoming an addict, and you should be extra careful. Thus, when you begin to experiment with alcohol or drugs, you are taking a large gamble as to whether you may end up as an addict.
What if you use alcohol or try drugs but are very careful?
You may say that you see many people using alcohol and enjoying themselves without any damage. You yourself may have tried marijuana or may even smoke it regularly and feel fine. There are no simple answers, but here are some points to consider:
Did you know that more than half the fatal car accidents in South Africa are directly or indirectly caused by someone being drunk on alcohol?
Did you know that marijuana is an addictive drug and sits in the fat cells in your body for months?
Did you know that more and more scientists are showing that using ecstasy regularly causes learning and memory problems that may be permanent?
The big problem is that you may be experimenting with or using regularly a substance and feel fine, but you may be doing damage to yourself or your life that you do not realise or see. Often the damage is not obvious, such as loss of motivation or mood swings. Sometimes the damage is obvious to other people but you refuse to see it and keep saying that everything is fine when it is not. We call this ”denial”.
What should you do if you are aware of someone else harming their life because of alcohol or drugs, and they deny the problem?
This is a difficult question to answer as it may be very difficult to help someone see the problem. If you care about this person you may try and speak to him or her yourself, or you may contact a teacher or a family member. Sometimes you have to do things that appear to be cruel to help a person who is caught up in substance abuse or addiction. An example here is refusing to give or loan money to that person if you know they will spend it on alcohol or drugs. You are being tough with that person to help him or her. We call this ”tough love”.
What if you use alcohol or drugs because it makes you feel better when you feel bored, or less nervous at a party, or more confident or relaxed?
You may feel good while the drug is working in your body, but there are two problems here. Firstly, when you are intoxicated your judgment may be impaired, and you may say or do things that you later realise were wrong, or get into a fight or an accident. Secondly when the drug or alcohol wears off you may feel worse and suffer a ”hangover”. You may then be tempted to use more of that same drug to feel better again, but will feel even worse when it wears off, leading you to use even more of that drug. So we see how easily you can get caught in a cycle which gets more and more out of control. If you struggle with feelings that you find hard to deal with, rather than getting into this cycle, talk to a counselor or someone you trust and get the correct help.
But what if after reading all of this, you still want to experiment with or use alcohol or a drug?
The best advice is to enjoy your life sober and if you are going to use a substance, arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can by reading and asking questions from those who know. Avoid taking risks and be safe, don’t use something that you do not know, and do things in moderation. Remember that many drugs are illegal and if you get caught it can lead to terrible problems including expulsion from school or job loss, a criminal record and a possible jail sentence.
Why are certain drugs illegal?
There are different views. Some say the government has a responsibility to protect people from the dangers of drug use and should put people in jail if they are caught using or selling drugs, so as to discourage them. Others argue that it is a waste of time and money to jail people and that this money should rather be spent on educating people about drugs and helping treat those who have become addicted.
Why is alcohol not illegal when it causes so many problems?
A good question! What do you think?
The Teacher/Mail & Guardian, June 5, 2000.
M&G Supplements