Constant Need of Drugs?

Question by Tinky Winky: Constant need of drugs?
Okay, well not real hard core drugs. I’m 14. I was in constant need of alcohol when I was 12, and I drank a ton. Now I’m always in need of getting high, and I smoke a lot. Don’t worry it’s just weed. And I’ll never, ever do coke or anything harsher like that.

But why do I always need to get…away? :/

Best answer:

Answer by Czar Walters, Child Saver!
Because you have an addictive personality, most probably.

Look into your family background. Do you have parents, grandparents, or aunts and uncles (blood relatives, IOW) with substance abuse problems? Have they suffered from depression or other mental illness? Have they been in and out of jail or mental institutions? If you answer yes to these questions, you likely have a genetic predisposition for substance abuse, addiction, and mental illness. When combined with compulsive behavior, this can lead to a lifetime of problems, misery, incarceration and eventually, death.

I’ll admit, cannabis is one of the safest drugs out there. It’s certainly safer and less harmful than alcohol. However, it can be abused and can rarely lead to psychological addiction in addiction-prone individuals.

More importantly, these are the formative years for your brain’s development and the behaviors you will carry with you into adulthood.

Doing drugs at this early point in your life seriously increases the risks of addiction, as opposed to waiting until you are a fully-grown adult to indulge in drug use (not abuse!) behavior. Your brain is not fully grown yet – screw with the reward (dopamine) circuits and get them accustomed to responding only to dope, and you may never be able to get high from anything other than drug use. This, for example, is what happens to meth addicts. That is why they crave the drug many years after they quit – their brain’s reward circuits only respond positively to meth.

You also say that “you’ll never use this or that, or end up like that.” Well, NO ONE says “I think I’ll become a junkie or an addict!” Yet, it still happens to those who least expect it. For example, what if you’re at a party, slightly beer-buzzed, and some popular dude offers you a line of coke. With everyone urging you on, you may do it. Then, when you crash after the high, you may say “well, I already did it once with no problems, so I may as well do some more coke!” That’s how you become a slave to hard drugs (not weed.)

I’d recommend that you talk to your family, friends, or someone else you trust who won’t rat you out and get you in trouble. Explain your constant urge to get high, and ask them what they recommend for you to HELP YOURSELF.

I would also recommend a visit or two to an NA or AA meeting. You may meet some people there who inspire you to take a second look at your current behaviors.

Just know that now is not the time for you to be spending all your energy to get high. I doubt you’ll listen (I wouldn’t have at your age, either) but trust me on this. The true addicts I knew way back when are ALL DEAD or in PRISON.

You should be focused on building a productive life with rewarding relationships, education, and financial security. If you want action, take some risks. Travel to a foreign country. Skydive, or shoot guns, etc. Try rock climbing. You may learn to love that “high” more than that of drugs. It will also build self-esteem, which often leads to an obsession with getting high. Good luck.

Addicts Victorious conference helps battle 'drug epidemic'
"If you had a child dying with cancer, you'd do everything possible to save that child, but many parents have a child dying with drug addiction and don't even realize it," Jenkins said. "The thing about addiction is it has no boundaries. It's not …
Read more on Quincy Herald Whig

Scholarships help teens from families gripped by addiction
When Greg Stone decided to start a scholarship fund for teens suffering from addiction, he didn't do the obvious — give grants to teens who were recovering alcoholics or drug addicts. Instead Stone decided the fund would provide college money for …
Read more on Portland Tribune

Find More Help For Relatives Of Drug Addicts Information…