What could possibly be added to everything that’s already been written about substance abuse? I am a drug addict in recovery. So I know what it feels like to live a life of drug abuse and addiction. For people who have never known what it is like to use drugs every day, I will tell you after a while it isn’t much fun. I started out smoking marijuana when I was 21 years old. And for the next 15 years I smoked pot. I honestly believed there was nothing wrong with what I was doing. Drug addiction has a way of making you believe it is ok, or not that bad. And when you have not used in a while that first hit makes an addict feel like they have died and gone to heaven.
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Friday, July 17th, 2009Drug Abuse is Not Necessarily Drug Addiction
Friday, July 17th, 2009At the risk of splitting hairs, there is a difference between drug abuse and drug addiction. They are not the same. They belong to the same organization, but are in separate departments. All drug addicts abuse their drug or drugs of choice. The fine and important distinction between a drug abuser and a drug addict is craving and dependence. If someone can smoke marijuana one day, all day and then not even think about it again for at least a month, they would not meet my criteria for being an addict. However, if a person smokes pot and the next day feels a strong urge, desire and need to smoke again, there is a very good chance they are addicted. Addiction is not about using or abusing drugs. It is the mental obsession which eventually takes over an addict’s life.