Addiction – What is really going on?

25 Aug 2017 | 2 min read

Several factors contribute to what proves or appears to be addiction-related problems. Genetic predisposition, social circumstances and psychological vulnerability all play a part.

Someone who does not drink every day but completely loses control when they do may also have an addiction. Binge drinking can therefore also constitute addictive behaviour.

If parents or grandparents struggled with alcohol or other substance misuse, the next generation may inherit increased vulnerability. According to the source, this genetic aspect already creates a clearly elevated risk of misuse and addiction.

Social circumstances are also extremely important. Family instability, divorce, parental addiction or mental illness, and an environment in which smoking, using cannabis or other substance use is normalised at an early age increase the likelihood of developing an addiction.

The development of the prefrontal cortex in particular may be inhibited. This part of the brain plays a role in planning, decision-making, social behaviour and impulse control.

As a result, not only does the risk of substance misuse increase, but the ability to set boundaries and properly assess consequences may also diminish.

Sometimes more is involved than substance use alone. ADHD, unrecognised depression or untreated post-traumatic stress may lead someone to try to numb or regulate themselves with alcohol or drugs.

For example, Peggy-Sue sees underlying PTSD in many women, often resulting from physical or sexual abuse. In this way, use can slowly progress to misuse and ultimately addiction.

According to Peggy-Sue, once someone has developed a true addiction, controlled use is no longer realistic. The source compares this to a cucumber that has become a pickle: it cannot return to what it was before.

The key point is that returning to supposedly normal or moderate use after addiction has developed usually does not work.

If someone stops drinking alcohol but turns instead to cannabis, sleeping tablets, GHB, ecstasy or another compulsive escape, the problem has not been solved—it has merely shifted. One addiction then replaces another.

To outsiders, the original problem may seem to have disappeared, but in reality the underlying disease of addiction remains active.

Not everyone embraces recovery straight away, but according to Peggy-Sue it is always worth making a serious attempt. This applies both to the person in active addiction and to the entire family system around them, including their partner, parents and children.

Do you need help for yourself or a loved one? Contact Peggy-Sue to discuss the options.