The Road Out Blog

Addiction to drugs or alcohol hasn't an on-off switch. There is not really a point at which you can say, "Wow, yesterday I was just a drug abuser, but today I am a drug addict."

Most of the drug abusers do not become addicted. They abuse drugs for a certain period and then just sort of graduate out of it; or they become interested in life and realize that drug use is getting in the way of their goals and simply stop.

Caleb was a young teen living in an affluent area of a major California city. Although he is quite young, Caleb has shown himself to have remarkable talent in acting and singing, has starred in middle and high school plays and even a few television commercials.

I first heard of this young man from his aunt who attended a parent seminar I gave at a high school in another part of town. The aunt told of her increasing worries over drugs and alcohol abuse among the crowd with which Caleb (Not his real name) was hanging. She said that although he was talented and quite handsome, his judgment was poor and he had more courage than sense. She gave me the family’s name and numbers and I tried to reach the family but got no response.

If you are asking yourself this question, consider it a good sign. If you are addicted, it means you’ve come to the point of looking at your habits and behavior with a critical eye. Believe it or not, that is a big step and is the first requirement for recovery from addiction.

 Drug addiction is both physical and mental. These two aspects are equally important and neglecting to address either one is asking for failure in any treatment program.

Psychological addiction can begin very rapidly. In fact, many addicts claim their addiction began with the first use of their drug of choice.

I have trouble answering this question. But it happens to be the most often asked question on my websites, blogs and every school day in classrooms from third grade through college. 

Many of the reasons drugs are taken multiply their risks. Example: cough remedies which are relatively safe when taken as directed can be extremely dangerous when abused.