Understanding Addictions

Smita Barooah Sanyal

• Publisher: Roli Books
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9789351940401
• eBook ISBN: 9789351940401
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Addiction in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Understanding Addictions is a comprehensive and practical guide to accepting and dealing with addiction. From drugs to alcohol, from sexual to cyber addiction, and from gambling to cross-addictions, the book defines the problem, shares common myths and realities associated with it and offer ways to deal with this dreaded disease many of us or around us face in this fast-paced life.Recovery is an important phase when dealing with an addiction and family and peer support is an integral part that cannot be overlooked. With details of organizations that help one deal with this disease of the mind, and how family members can support the addict, this book is a must read to face the challenge.

SECTION II
TYPES OF ADDICTIONS

5

Substance Abuse: Drug Addiction

The use of drugs is not a new phenomenon in India. According to a Hindu legend, the devas (gods) and the asuras (demons) joined forces and churned the ocean to get amrita, the elixir of life. Once it was found, the two parties started fighting for its possession. The devas captured the pot of amrita and flew to the heavens, spilling a few drops on the earth. One of those drops grew into hemp. The plant was held in high esteem and was named after the King of Gods himself. Its name – Indrasana – literally means Indra’s Hemp. Today, Indrasana is popularly known as cannabis, ganja or bhang. It has been used, usually in small quantities, in certain Hindu festivals through the ages and the practice continues till date. In certain districts of Karnataka, for example, devotees still consume ganja during the festival of Saint Shishunal, almost as a religious obligation.¹

Similarly, opium was used by Ayurveda practitioners to make medicine, and by Rajput warriors to fortify themselves before battle. The use of opium was widely prevalent in Mughal courts, and the emperors Humayun and Jehangir were rumoured to be opium addicts.² In the eighteenth century, the British encouraged poppy cultivation, and India exported opium to China. Even today, poppy is legally, as well as illegally, grown in many parts of the country, and is used by some traditional communities on social occasions. What is interesting is that the mode of consumption in these communities varies across the country. For example, it is smoked in Kashmir, eaten in Haryana and Punjab (where, traditionally, smoking is taboo), and drunk in the desert regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan.³

Psychotropic or psychedelic drugs made a late appearance in India. These drugs were inspired by the Hippie culture and were prevalent among young students and the urban elite.⁴ The Hippie culture emerged in the US in the 1960s. The movement rapidly spread across the rest of the world. Later generations remember the time as a period of rock and roll music, alternative culture, sexual revolution, and drugs. In India, the period is captured by iconic movies, most famously, the 1971 film Hare Rama Hare Krishna.

The Hippies not only popularized cannabis, but also hallucinogens such as LSD, which received sanction from prominent people, including Harvard professor Timothy Leary. He believed that psychedelic drugs aided spiritual development. Some Hippies preferred ‘harder’ drugs such as heroin and amphetamine, but they were discouraged within the community due to the drugs’ addictive and harmful nature.

By the late 1960s, there was a backlash, and LSD was classified as an illegal drug in the US. The hippie culture started waning in the 1970s, but the culture of drugs that it ushered continues to this day.

I. WHAT IS DRUG ADDICTION?

Drugs refer to substances other than food that chemically alter functions of the human body. They include all prescribed medicines. However, in the context of addiction, they refer to the abuse of prescribed drugs, or the use of illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin. According to Dr G.F. Koob, ‘Drug addiction can be defined by a compulsion to seek and take drug, loss of control in limiting intake, and the emergence of a negative emotional state when access to the drug is prevented.’⁵ Diagnosis is usually based on the criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (refer to chap5.er 1).

Drug abuse is a growing problem in India. Reports in the 1980s were already talking about a heroin problem, which has escalated over the last few decades. A study conducted in 45 villages of Rajasthan in 2000 reported a high use of opium or doda, especially among the male population.⁶ In the north-eastern states, where drug use was practically unknown till the 1980s, drug addiction has become a serious problem that is contributing to the spread of HIV in the region.⁷ In 2004, a government and UN report estimated that there were nearly 9 million cannabis users, 2 million opiate users and 0.3 million sedative hypnotic users in India. These are large numbers and they continue to rise.⁸ Recently, academic studies and journalistic reports are highlighting rising drug use in Punjab and Kashmir.⁹ In Punjab, people in many villages are addicted to bhukki (poppy husk). This is sourced from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where poppy growing is licensed. In the state’s urban areas, bhukki is rapidly being replaced by smack, heroin, and pharmaceutical drugs.¹⁰ In Kashmir, some experts link drug use to the prevailing conditions in the valley.¹¹

QUICK FACTS: DRUG LAWS IN INDIA

• People can be detained for drug-related offences, such as producing, buying, selling, consuming, warehousing or exporting drugs.¹² Convictions can result in imprisonment for 10–20 years and a fine. The death penalty can be imposed in certain cases, though there is no precedent for this.

• First-time offenders caught for possessing or consuming small quantities are released, provided they agree to go for treatment to a recognized de-addiction centre.

ROUTES OF DRUG ADMINISTRATION

Oral – The drug is taken by mouth and is absorbed into the bloodstream. Orally ingested drugs take 20–30 minutes to have an effect.

Inhalation – The drug is inhaled through smoking. It reaches the lungs directly, from where it travels to the heart and, finally, the brain. Inhaled drugs take around 7 seconds to have the desired effect.

Intravenous – The drug is injected into a vein from where it travels to the lungs, the heart and the brain. Drugs taken intravenously take about 14 seconds to act.

Intranasal – The drugs are inhaled into the nasal cavity and absorbed through the capillaries in the nose. They then travel through the veins to the lungs, the heart and the brain. Intranasal drugs take 60–180 seconds to act.

Instillation – The drug is absorbed directly through the skin from where it reaches the bloodstream. Drugs taken this way may take up to 60 minutes to act.

II. WHY DO PEOPLE USE DRUGS?

When I was in my teens, several people I knew experimented with drugs, since it was considered a cool thing to do. For some, it was part of the growing up rituals and about testing boundaries. All those people never went beyond the experimental stage, and they lead successful, drug-free lives today. However, all people are not so lucky. Some are unable to stop after the first few times of use and get addicted.

Let us take an example. Many people use opiates to manage postoperative pain. A few people get addicted with a single use, while others are fine with repeated use.

So why do people who come in contact with drugs react in different ways? Why do some fall for the lure, while others are able to overcome the habit even after a period of dependence? The answer lies in a combination of factors.¹³

Firstly, there is a genetic component that makes certain people more prone to addictions in general. We have discussed this in section I of the book.

Another factor is the nature of the substance. The impact of each drug is different. Drugs such as marijuana are relatively mild, while drugs such as heroin and cocaine easily cause physical and psychological dependence.

People’s personalities also play a big part in drug use. Every person is different and some people have better coping skills or other avenues of pleasure, such as food, sex, and relationships. Others need to use drugs as an emotional crutch or as an antidote to boredom. Individual personalities are shaped to some extent by life experiences. Many addicts have a history of abuse, come from broken homes or have troubled family backgrounds that involve crime, alcoholism and mental illness, among other issues.

Environmental factors, including social attitudes and peer pressure, are other determinants that influence drug use. In societies that frown upon the use of drugs, there are curbs such as strict laws, lack of drug availability, high costs of drugs and negative social sanction. Take the example of US soldiers in Vietnam. Thousands of US soldiers used heroin during the Vietnam War and almost half of them became dependent. But nearly 90 per cent of them kicked the habit once they returned, because it was not socially acceptable and the drugs were not so easily and cheaply available.¹⁴

The converse is also true. People get influenced to try drugs when they are in an environment rife with drugs and drug addicts. Drug use then becomes acceptable behaviour. For example, in Rajasthan, where locals have traditionally used raw opium for eco-stress management, opium is used for social bonding and recreation.¹⁵

The impact of peer groups on the use of drugs is well documented. This is especially significant for teenagers who have a high need to conform. In their case, peer pressure and boredom form a bad combination.

Irrespective of the circumstances of use, drug abuse is usually an indication of a larger problem. Drugs become the dysfunctional coping mechanism to deal with internal distress.

Karan’s story

Twenty-four year old Karan is a recovering drug addict who first experimented with drugs at the age of seventeen. It was in vogue among the hip set at school and he tried it too. But it did not appeal to him at that time. Karan’s interests lay elsewhere. He was in love and busy trying to woo the girl of his dreams. He eventually succeeded in winning the girl and they started seeing each other. However, the girl’s parents did not approve of the affair. The young lovers reacted by eloping and getting married. The girl’s parents then sought the help of the pol...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Understanding Addictions
• OTHER LOTUS TITLES
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedicate
• Content
• Foreword
• Section I Addiction Basics
• Section II Types of Addictions
• Section III Consequences of addiction
• Section IV Recovery and Beyond
• Bibliography
• Index
• BackCover