Cycle of Addiction Please take notes…

Groups of 4 Answer questions on your sheet…assign a recorded and reporter for each group. List reasons why people experiment with drugs. Write ideas on the piece of paper.

Continued Why do you think that some young people go from experimentation and social use to more serious drug dependency, often resulting in addiction. On your own write down any ideas you may have about why drug experimentation escalates.

Cycle of Addiction The cycle of addiction, a scientific theory about why experimentation with drugs can lead to addiction. The cycle of addiction includes the following steps: (Please copy in binder) 1. A young person is feeling pain and discomfort because of family or school problems.

Cycle of Addiction 2.The individual is looking for ways to feel better, so he or she starts to take drugs. 3. At first, the drugs seem to work because they dull the pain the person is trying to escape from. So the person keeps taking the drug. 4. From this point, it often doesn’t take long for the person to become addicted because he or she has developed a physical dependence—an addiction—to the substance. Now the person can think only about getting more of this drug just to function.

Cycle of Addiction 5.At this stage, a serious downward spiral begins. The person will sacrifice anything—family, friends, school, or work—for drugs. Changed by drugs both physically and mentally, the person is now an addict.

Cycle of Addiction SHORT-TERM GRATIFICATION: First there is short-term gratification. You feel good NOW. There is a strong short-term gain that causes you to assume the drug or behavior is good for you. 2. LONG-TERM PAIN AND DYSFUNCTION: The short-term gratification is eventually followed by long-term pain. This pain, part of which is from physical withdrawal, and part of which is from the inability to cope psycho-socially without drugs/alcohol, is the direct consequence of using the addictive chemical/s.

Cycle of Addiction 3. ADDICTIVE THINKING: The long-term pain and dysfunction trigger addictive thinking. Addictive thinking begins with obsession and compulsion. Obsession is a continuous thinking about the positive effects of using alcohol and drugs. Compulsion is an irrational urge or craving to use the drug to get the positive effect even though you know it will hurt you in the long run. This leads to denial and rationalization in order to allow continued use. Denial is the inability to recognize there is a problem. Rationalization is blaming other situations and people for problems rather than drug use.

Cycle of Addiction 4. INCREASED TOLERANCE: Without your being aware that it is happening, more and more of the drug is required to produce the same effect. 5. LOSS OF CONTROL: The obsession and compulsion become so strong that you cannot think about anything else. Your feelings and emotions become distorted by the compulsion. You become stressed and uncomfortable until finally the urge to use is so strong that you cannot resist it. Once you use the addictive chemicals or the addictive behaviors again, the cycle starts all over.

Cycle of Addiction 6. BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL DAMAGE: Eventually there is damage to the health of your body (physical health), mind (psychological health), and relationships with other people (social health). As pain and stress get worse, the compulsion to use the addictive drugs or behaviors to get relief from the pain increases. A deadly trap develops. You need addictive use in order to feel good. When you use addictively you damage yourself physically, psychologically, and socially. This damage increases your pain which increases your need for addictive use.

Cycle of Addiction Examine the two scenarios. Then focus on why such a cycle gets set into motion. Read the following… then answer the questions that follow. (answer on piece of paper)

Questions Questions Which girl is more vulnerable to becoming involved with drugs? Why? What role do friends play in both girls’ lives? Do you think friends are an important influence? Give reasons to support your ideas. What role does family play in the girls’ lives? Do you think the family is an important influence? Give reasons to support your ideas. Do you think that Allison is going to turn to drugs? Why or why not? What factors in her life will help her decide not to use drugs? How do you think those factors will affect the way she makes decisions about other issues in her life? Do you think that Laura is going to turn to drugs? Why or why not? What factors in her life will affect the way she makes a decision about drugs and other issues in her life? What do you think are some characteristics of people who turn to drugs? What are some characteristics of people who cope in other ways? Give examples to support your ideas.

Scenario 1 Allison was having a bad year. After years of not getting along, her parents had finally decided to get a divorce. While there was a lot of tension in the house, her parents were trying hard to be polite to each other and considerate of Allison’s and her younger brother’s feelings. Always a good student, Allison continued to find comfort in studying hard and getting good grades in school. Her best friend, Susie, had really been there for her, too. Every weekend Susie had planned something fun for them to do by themselves or with other friends. Over the past several months, Allison and Susie had gone ice-skating on a regular basis, seen many movies, and gone bowling. Allison had also continued to play soccer on her school’s team. Throughout the year, Allison had been able to talk to her parents about the pending divorce. Allison’s parents had been willing to listen to her concerns and discuss her anger about this big change in her life. Allison felt really sad, but she also felt that she was going to be all right.

Scenario 2 Laura felt as if her life was falling apart. Her parents had just told her that they were getting a divorce. Although her parents hadn’t gotten along for years, Laura had always hoped that they would find a way to stay together so they could continue to be a family. Instead, her parents didn’t seem to have any time to talk to her about her feelings. Laura had always thought that she had a few good friends, but she wasn’t feeling like she could turn to them now. Her friend Katy had a boyfriend, and she didn’t get a chance to see her soccer teammates much outside of games and practices. Laura had always been a good student, and she continued to complete her assignments on time. But she had noticed that it was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on her schoolwork. Because she was feeling lonely and isolated, Laura was considering going to a party with Katy. She had heard that some kids brought drugs to these parties. For that reason, she had always stayed away. Now, however, she thought that it might be a way to get out of the house and forget about her problems for a little while. It might be fun. Laura was thinking that unless something else happened so that her social life improved, she might just go.

Characteristics Characteristics of people who begin using drugs. They are lonely. They are unhappy. They feel isolated. They are looking for ways to ease their pain.

Characteristics Characteristics of people who don’t turn to drugs include the following: They are involved with people. They find satisfaction in outside interests. They are able to talk about their feelings in order to ease their pain.

Reflect Compare the two lists. What healthy actions could Laura take to feel better? Have your ideas changed as a result of learning about the cycle of addiction? If so, how? What conclusions can you draw about the causes of drug use among young people?

Reflect How do you make decisions in your life? What role does family play? What role do peers play? What role do teachers, coaches, or other adults play? How can these influences help them make healthful choices?

Extension Questions Do you see peer pressure as positive, negative, or both? Give examples Describe a situation in your life where you had to make a difficult choice. What factors influenced you during that time? What choice did you make? Imagine that you are Laura’s best friend. What advice would you give her? As her friend, what would you do to support her during this difficult time in her life?