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lol1337a
01-06-2015, 03:08 AM
He sounds more and more like the ex I'd mentioned every time you talk about him, kira.

I was going to add more to the addiction conversation, but realized I might need help with my definitions before saying something ignorant or irrelevant.

Can you call someone who becomes physically dependent after just partying too much an addict if the only major psychological component associated with use is an acute result of withdrawal? (Maybe 'acute' isn't the best term -- I just mean the long lasting depression/anxiety that eventually dissipates after opiate withdrawal, for example.) Or do people tend to limit the use of the term 'addict' to those who started using to self medicate, and then became psychologically and physically dependent?

Maybe a simpler way of asking this is whether self-medication needs to be present in addition to physical dependence for most professionals/groups to call substance abuse addiction.

Hopefully this isn't too dumb of a question, my Google skills are letting me down right now.

kirakonstantin
01-06-2015, 03:24 AM
I've come to realize that abusers tend to be very similar. They all seem to follow the same pattern and use the same tactics.

lol1337a
01-06-2015, 03:30 AM
^^ Isn't it crazy it can so often be reduced to these four steps!? (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Cycle_of_Abuse.png). And the specific techniques (gaslighting, projection, etc). It's like they're hardwired in abusers' brains..

audrey_k
01-06-2015, 07:14 AM
Can you call someone who becomes physically dependent after just partying too much an addict if the only major psychological component associated with use is an acute result of withdrawal? (Maybe 'acute' isn't the best term -- I just mean the long lasting depression/anxiety that eventually dissipates after opiate withdrawal, for example.) Or do people tend to limit the use of the term 'addict' to those who started using to self medicate, and then became psychologically and physically dependent?

Maybe a simpler way of asking this is whether self-medication needs to be present in addition to physical dependence for most professionals/groups to call substance abuse addiction.



The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders... what a psychologist would have to use if they were to properly diagnose you) lists substance dependence and substance abuse (thinking back to uni now... I remember having to write an essay differentiating the two on my Abnormal Psych final.....). Here's an excerpt:

Substance dependence, or addiction, as defined by the DSM-IV, is indicated by the presence of three or more of the criteria listed below in the last 12 months. Note that all but the first two criteria reflect some form of loss of control over the use of or effects of the drug.

Tolerance: Does the patient tend to need more of the drug over time to get the same effect?

Withdrawal symptoms: Does the patient experience withdrawal symptoms when he or she does not use the drug?

Continued use of drug despite harm: Is the patient experiencing physical or psychological harm from the drug?

Loss of control: Does the patient take the drug in larger amounts, or for longer than planned?

Attempts to cut down: Has the patient made a conscious, but unsuccessful, effort to reduce his or her drug use?

Salience: Does the patient spend significant time obtaining or thinking about the drug, or recovering from its effects?

Reduced involvement: Has the patient given up or reduced his or her involvement in social, occupational or recreational activities due to the drug?

Substance abuse, as defined by the DSM-IV, involves a maladaptive pattern of substance use resulting in significant negative physical, social, interpersonal or legal consequences. Unlike substance dependence, the criteria for abuse do not include tolerance, withdrawal or a pattern of compulsive or uncontrolled use.


So I think regardless of what the circumstances were that led you to use, if you fit the criteria above then you're suffering from 'dependence' (the proper psychological term). But people become addicted in all kinds of ways. I mean, I met tons of people in rehab who became addicted to opiates through medical use-- they had chronic pain that they needed to manage or went through an illness and when it was time to stop taking the Vicodin they couldn't.

kirakonstantin
01-06-2015, 01:34 PM
From what little I know about emotional abuse and drawing from my experience with it, I tend to believe that abusers abuse, due to several psychological factors, such as abuse in their childhood, low self esteem, insecurity, etc. It stands to reason that, if two people have similar underlying factors, they would abuse in a similar fashion.

The cycle is pretty accurate and it's startling when it continues, even after the victim refuses to participate. In this case, I'd already given up and moved on. His cool down period was over and he'd decided that it was no big deal and that we were still a couple, without considering that I refused to see him and had blocked him from social media. When I refused to accept his attempt to pretend that everything was great... The cycle shot right into the abuse and gaslighting. In fact, knowing what I know about emotional abuse, I accelerated it to get it over with.

I have another ex who did the same thing, even after I'd moved 2000 miles away and started seeing someone else. He kept cycling, even when he couldn't talk to me. I'd get voicemails one day, apologizing, a couple days of I love you crap, a few days of silence and a few days of horrendously abusive shit. It's just bizarre and, yes, it does seem like there's a manual floating around because it's so similar.