What is Alcoholism / Chemical Dependency – Part II

What is Alcoholism / Chemical Dependency – Part II

“Alcoholism is a two fold disease – an allergy of the body coupled with an obsession of the mind”. – Alcoholics Anonymous

I)                   Definition of Alcohol / chemical Dependency:

a)      Alcohol Dependency is a condition in which the usage of alcohol / mood altering chemicals is associated with problems in all / any area of one’s life on a chronic basis.

II)                 Definition of Mood altering chemicals:

a)      Generally, the site of action is the central nervous system.

b)      Mood altering substances affect three areas:

i)                    Thinking

ii)                   Feeling

iii)                 Behavior

c)      It is generally available from three sources:

i)                    Beverage Alcohol

ii)             Physician’s prescription / drug store

iii)           Illicit dealers on the street

d)      Categories of mood altering chemicals include:

i)                    Ethyl alcohol (Beer, wine, scotch, liquors etc.)

ii)                   Amphetamines (Speed, diet pills, Dexedrine, Methedrine, Ritalin, Benzedrine etc.)

iii)                 Barbiturates (Amytal, Seconal, Nembutal, Luminal, Downers etc.)

iv)                 Sedative hypnotics (Sleeping pills, Doriden, Dalmne, Tuinal etc.)

v)                  Minor tranquilizers (Valium, Librium, Equanil, Limitrol, Serax, Tranxene, Miltown etc.)

vi)                 Pain relievers (Darvon, Demerol, Talwin, Percodan)

vii)               Anti Depressants (Elavil, adapin, Trofanil etc.)

viii)              Major Tranquilizers (Haldol, Mellaril, Thorazine, Stelazine, Prolivin, Triavil etc.)

ix)                 Cannabis (Marijuana, Hasish, Hash oil, THC derivatives etc.)

x)                  Hallucinogens (L.S.D., S.T.P>, Mescaline, Magic Mushrooms etc.)

xi)                 Piates (Codine, Morphine, Heroin etc.)

xii)               Cocaine

xiii)              Over the counter drugs (antihistamines, Decongestants, Niquil, Airplane Glue, Solvents etc.)

xiv)             PCP (Phencyclidine)

III)              Drug Substitution: Any use of mood altering chemicals may lead an individual back to using his / her drug of choice.

IV)              Effects of Mood altering chemicals:

i)                    Synergistic effect: Some chemicals taken in combination have a multiplying rather than addictive effect (Alcohol + Antihistamine is synergistically combined so that 2 + 2 = 5)

ii)                   Antagonistic effect: Some chemicals taken in combination, inhibit the individual effects of each (L.S.D. + Tranquilizers is antagonistically combined so that 2 + 2 = 3)

iii)                 Cross Tolerance: Utilization of certain drugs may result in tolerance to chemically related drugs with a similar action (Alcoholics may have a tolerance to minor tranquilizers such as valium and may therefore require a higher dose.)

This material is sourced from various articles and is a compilation of my notes. I do not claim any copyrights over the content of this post. The content is solely for information only. It is recommended that you consult with a trained professional to address your addiction / chemical dependency issues.