FLAME TEEN HANDOUT Week 9 - Addiction Notes from the large group presentation: What was your overall reaction of the presentation? What did the presenter say about addition? What did you agree with? Was there anything that you don t agree with? What was something you learned? 1 P a g e
Defining Addiction Dictionary.com definition: Addiction is the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma Dr. Goodman definition: An addiction is anything that distracts you from your walk with Christ American Society of Addiction Medicine definition: Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors. Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. My definition: Class definition: 2 P a g e
Types of Addictions Positive Negative Positive and Negative Does what you have in your chart line up with your definition of addiction? Why do you think we can be addicted to good and bad things? When do you think an action goes from being a positive choice to an addiction? When does a person cross that line? Addiction can be a big problem for college students. What do you think college students would become addicted to? Why do you think college students are more susceptible to addiction? Why are they more likely than high school students to cross that line? Key Ideas Addiction is more than just drugs and alcohol Addiction is a process that can be present in the lives of teens as well as adults There is a scientific reason behind addiction. Your brain chemistry can be altered. There can be a link between addiction and faith. God and this community are always here for you. 3 P a g e
Addiction in the Lives of Teens Drugs and alcohol may be the most commonly talked about addictions when it comes to teens and kids, but they are not the only forms of addiction. An addiction typically involves being unable to stop or quit an activity or action, regardless of negative consequences. Often, addictions also offer some sort of reward that makes an individual feel happy or simply normal. Some additional addictions that commonly affect kids include video game, computer, and food addictions. A teen who is addicted to video games, for example, may experience a spike in dopamine (the feel-good hormone) over rewards achieved while playing the games, such as completing difficult combinations, finishing a hard level, or earning extra points. Addicted teens or children may resort to stealing money for new games or game downloads, forget or simply skip doing household chores, and may even feign sickness in order to stay home and play. The quality of the child s homework will likely suffer, as will their grades, as the work may be rushed or incomplete. Playing video games at night might cause kids to fall asleep while in school and make it difficult for them to concentrate. Kids who are addicted to gaming may avoid family time or no longer participate in activities that they once enjoyed. When gaming is not allowed or an option, they may become irritated or upset and unable to function due to the need to play. Social networking or general Internet use are additional forms of addiction that kids, particularly teens, may face. Teens may find it hard not to routinely check and update social networking sites such as Facebook. Kids with an Internet addiction may, like video game addiction, find it upsetting to be away from computers, which are interrupting normal activities and social interactions. Food is another potential addiction. Excess eating can promote obesity or result in eating disorders. People may begin to sneak food and eat in hiding, while others may binge and purge what they eat. This can result in teens who become less social as well as a host of health problems. Do you see any of these three types of addiction in your life or the lives of your friends? Is it more likely to see addictions to video games, the internet, and food than drugs or alcohol in your school? Why or why not? What other things are teens likely to be addicted to? 4 P a g e
Understanding Drug Use and Addiction From the National Institute on Drug Abuse Many people don't understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. They may mistakenly think that those who use drugs lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop their drug use simply by choosing to. In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting usually takes more than good intentions or a strong will. Drugs change the brain in ways that make quitting hard, even for those who want to. Fortunately, researchers know more than ever about how drugs affect the brain and have found treatments that can help people recover from drug addiction and lead productive lives. What is drug addiction? Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences. The initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, but repeated drug use can lead to brain changes that challenge an addicted person s self-control and interfere with their ability to resist intense urges to take drugs. These brain changes can be persistent, which is why drug addiction is considered a "relapsing" disease people in recovery from drug use disorders are at increased risk for returning to drug use even after years of not taking the drug. It's common for a person to relapse, but relapse doesn't mean that treatment doesn t work. As with other chronic health conditions, treatment should be ongoing and should be adjusted based on how the patient responds. Treatment plans need to be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient s changing needs. What happens to the brain when a person takes drugs? Most drugs affect the brain's "reward circuit" by flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. This reward system controls the body's ability to feel pleasure and motivates a person to repeat behaviors needed to thrive, such as eating and spending time with loved ones. This overstimulation of the reward circuit causes the intensely pleasurable "high" that can lead people to take a drug again and again. As a person continues to use drugs, the brain adjusts to the excess dopamine by making less of it and/or reducing the ability of cells in the reward circuit to respond to it. This reduces the high that the person feels compared to the high they felt when first taking the drug an effect known as tolerance. They might take more of the drug, trying to achieve the same dopamine high. It can also cause them to get less pleasure from other things they once enjoyed, like food or social activities. 5 P a g e
This excerpt on the previous page talks about drug addiction and the way that drugs can alter our brain chemistry. Though it uses drugs as an example, this excerpt is also explaining how we can be addicted to every other thing as well. After reading the excerpt, talk about these questions: How does addiction work? Why do you think that matters in your life? How can addiction affect you and other teens? Take a look at the first paragraph again: What does the excerpt say about stereotypes of addicts? What do you normally think of when you think of an addict? Do you think this vision and stereotype are true? What about the media? How does the media portray addiction? What kind of TV shows talk about addiction? What do they say about it? How does this feed into stereotypes? 6 P a g e
So, what does the Bible say? Read each Bible verse and then discuss as a class: How does this verse relate to addiction? What does it say about my role in addiction? Is there any advice or instruction in this verse? What is it? How is this verse relevant in your life today? Romans 7:18-19 Matthew 26:41 Romans 13:13-14 1 Corinthians 10:13-14 7 P a g e
Addiction: By the Numbers 22.2 million: Classified with substance dependence or abuse 2.8 million: Classified with dependence or abuse of both alcohol and illicit drugs 4.5 million: Classified with dependence or abuse of illicit drugs but not alcohol 14.9 million: Classified with dependence or abuse of alcohol but not illicit drugs. 623%: The increase in likelihood to be classified with alcohol dependence or abuse for those who were 14 or younger when having their first drink of alcohol versus those who had their first drink at age 21. 118%: The increase in people who abused or were dependent on heroin from 2011 (214,000) to 2012 (467,000) If you or anyone you know suffers from addiction, PLEASE tell someone. There are many treatment centers in our area and people who want to help. There are a ton of resources and help out there to help with everything from eating disorders to drug addiction. There are people who want to help. PLEASE reach out to an adult so that you or your friend can get the help they need to conquer their addiction. I Learned Statements complete at least two of the sentences below I discovered... I learned I was reminded that... The question I have is.. I was surprised by... 8 P a g e