The Wisconsin Association on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse
Fighting Addictions
Fighting Addictions
By Jonathan Gramling
Part 2 of 2
In American society, it isn’t hard to become addicted to some form of drugs. There are the
illegal substances such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin and oxycotin or ecstasy. A new
illegal drug seems to crop up every year. But there are also the legal ones like cigarettes and
prescription drugs. It is estimated that almost one-half of the American population is on some
sort of prescription drugs. And prescription drug use among children is growing at a very fast
rate. And of course, there is always alcohol.
The Wisconsin Association on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (WAAODA) works to expand
and enhance Wisconsin’s AODA prevention and intervention systems. The current board chair,
Charlie Doram, has witnessed the impact of addictions on people as a therapist and as a
researcher at UW-Madison. While it isn’t universally accepted in the profession, Doram views
addiction as a disease — so does the American Medical Association — much like cancer and
diabetes. While a person may make a bad decision in their initial experiment with the drug, they
lose their ability to stop using the drug because of its impact on the brain.
Part 2 of 2
In American society, it isn’t hard to become addicted to some form of drugs. There are the
illegal substances such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin and oxycotin or ecstasy. A new
illegal drug seems to crop up every year. But there are also the legal ones like cigarettes and
prescription drugs. It is estimated that almost one-half of the American population is on some
sort of prescription drugs. And prescription drug use among children is growing at a very fast
rate. And of course, there is always alcohol.
The Wisconsin Association on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (WAAODA) works to expand
and enhance Wisconsin’s AODA prevention and intervention systems. The current board chair,
Charlie Doram, has witnessed the impact of addictions on people as a therapist and as a
researcher at UW-Madison. While it isn’t universally accepted in the profession, Doram views
addiction as a disease — so does the American Medical Association — much like cancer and
diabetes. While a person may make a bad decision in their initial experiment with the drug, they
lose their ability to stop using the drug because of its impact on the brain.
“It is a disease that actually attaches to the brain,” Doram said during an interview with The Capital City Hues. “The substance alters the
brain. It’s not necessarily the chemical balance. They alter the brain and the brain begins to believe that it needs this substance to live. We
actually have what we call two brains. One is our intellectual or modern brain. Then the other brain is called the primitive brain. And the
primitive brain is the part of our brain that tells us when we need to eat or drink or whatever it takes us to survive. And that primitive brain is
almost identical to a rat’s brain. Rats are not that bright, but they are great survivalists. So when one becomes addicted to the substance like
crack cocaine — which is a real problem in our environment nowadays — this part of the brain says ‘Whatever that was, we need more of it
or we are going to die.’ And the brain begins to believe that.”
Once the brain has made that decision about the drug or alcohol, it is no longer a matter of choice like deciding to eat or not eat meat.
“There are many people who believe that addiction can be stopped on one’s own,” Doram said. “However, the fact is that once a person is
addicted, because the brain has decided that it needs the substance to live, it’s just not going to happen. They need treatment and sometimes
hospitalization. It takes a lot of hard work on the part of the person who is addicted. Because it is like a virus, addiction is something that they
will be faced with for the rest of their lives. They don’t necessarily have to have a habit for the rest of their lives. They may be in remission.
However, it probably needs to be treated in some fashion or another for the rest of their lives, possible through AA, NA, Smart Recovery or
other support groups composed of individuals who have been with this or know how to deal with it.”
Just because someone stops using a substance doesn’t mean they have cured themselves of the addiction. “In most cases, if one stops
using and gets through the withdrawal period and they aren’t using, it doesn’t mean they aren’t cured if there is no treatment for the
addiction,” Doram said. “Treatment that means you are looking at your life, looking at the evolution of issues that may have happened 10
years ago, understanding that one may be predisposed to addiction based on addicted parents or grandparents having an addiction.”
Having a history of addiction in a family doesn’t mean that an individual will develop an addiction; it just means that the chances are
greater that they could develop an addiction. “It’s just like someone had heart disease,” Doram explained. “You go to the doctor and fill out
that form and the form asks if anyone in your family ever had heart disease or high blood pressure or diabetes. The reason the doctor wants to
know that is because that raises your percentages of being predisposed to have those diseases yourself.”
When one thinks of addiction, the image of someone on skid row often comes to mind. But addiction is more of a state of mind in relation
to things or actions than it is a specific drug. “An addiction means very often, out of control,” Doram said. “I’ve given treatment to people who
are legitimately being treated for pain, legitimate pain. If one is taking a medication like oxycotin that they really need, even if they are taking it
as prescribed and only taking it as prescribed, if taken long enough, they will become dependent upon it. And if they stop taking it, they will
experience a very serious withdrawal. Now that doesn’t make them addicted. They have become dependent upon it. We treat many people
who have crossed the line from dependency to addiction based on the fact that they were being treated for pain. And it crosses all races and
classes, poor folks, rich folks, it doesn’t matter.” It might even take the form of shopping for things one doesn’t need or overeating for that
matter.
Doram feels it is important for people to realize that when one has an addiction, there may be two problems present, the physical
addiction and an underlying condition like depression. And it is important that both conditions be treated at the same time. “A dual disorder is
not one that necessarily is caused by the first disorder,” Doram said. “They operate independently of one another. If one is being treated for an
addiction and has the diagnosis or is showing symptoms, but hasn’t been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder
and is not being treated, is really not going to be able to grasp the treatment of the addiction. So they should be treated simultaneously as
much as possible.”
While some feel that addiction is the sign of a character flaw or defect, it is really the symptom of a disease that can and should be
treated. Why suffer when help is just a phone call away.
For more information about WAAODA, visit their website at www.waaoda.org.
brain. It’s not necessarily the chemical balance. They alter the brain and the brain begins to believe that it needs this substance to live. We
actually have what we call two brains. One is our intellectual or modern brain. Then the other brain is called the primitive brain. And the
primitive brain is the part of our brain that tells us when we need to eat or drink or whatever it takes us to survive. And that primitive brain is
almost identical to a rat’s brain. Rats are not that bright, but they are great survivalists. So when one becomes addicted to the substance like
crack cocaine — which is a real problem in our environment nowadays — this part of the brain says ‘Whatever that was, we need more of it
or we are going to die.’ And the brain begins to believe that.”
Once the brain has made that decision about the drug or alcohol, it is no longer a matter of choice like deciding to eat or not eat meat.
“There are many people who believe that addiction can be stopped on one’s own,” Doram said. “However, the fact is that once a person is
addicted, because the brain has decided that it needs the substance to live, it’s just not going to happen. They need treatment and sometimes
hospitalization. It takes a lot of hard work on the part of the person who is addicted. Because it is like a virus, addiction is something that they
will be faced with for the rest of their lives. They don’t necessarily have to have a habit for the rest of their lives. They may be in remission.
However, it probably needs to be treated in some fashion or another for the rest of their lives, possible through AA, NA, Smart Recovery or
other support groups composed of individuals who have been with this or know how to deal with it.”
Just because someone stops using a substance doesn’t mean they have cured themselves of the addiction. “In most cases, if one stops
using and gets through the withdrawal period and they aren’t using, it doesn’t mean they aren’t cured if there is no treatment for the
addiction,” Doram said. “Treatment that means you are looking at your life, looking at the evolution of issues that may have happened 10
years ago, understanding that one may be predisposed to addiction based on addicted parents or grandparents having an addiction.”
Having a history of addiction in a family doesn’t mean that an individual will develop an addiction; it just means that the chances are
greater that they could develop an addiction. “It’s just like someone had heart disease,” Doram explained. “You go to the doctor and fill out
that form and the form asks if anyone in your family ever had heart disease or high blood pressure or diabetes. The reason the doctor wants to
know that is because that raises your percentages of being predisposed to have those diseases yourself.”
When one thinks of addiction, the image of someone on skid row often comes to mind. But addiction is more of a state of mind in relation
to things or actions than it is a specific drug. “An addiction means very often, out of control,” Doram said. “I’ve given treatment to people who
are legitimately being treated for pain, legitimate pain. If one is taking a medication like oxycotin that they really need, even if they are taking it
as prescribed and only taking it as prescribed, if taken long enough, they will become dependent upon it. And if they stop taking it, they will
experience a very serious withdrawal. Now that doesn’t make them addicted. They have become dependent upon it. We treat many people
who have crossed the line from dependency to addiction based on the fact that they were being treated for pain. And it crosses all races and
classes, poor folks, rich folks, it doesn’t matter.” It might even take the form of shopping for things one doesn’t need or overeating for that
matter.
Doram feels it is important for people to realize that when one has an addiction, there may be two problems present, the physical
addiction and an underlying condition like depression. And it is important that both conditions be treated at the same time. “A dual disorder is
not one that necessarily is caused by the first disorder,” Doram said. “They operate independently of one another. If one is being treated for an
addiction and has the diagnosis or is showing symptoms, but hasn’t been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder
and is not being treated, is really not going to be able to grasp the treatment of the addiction. So they should be treated simultaneously as
much as possible.”
While some feel that addiction is the sign of a character flaw or defect, it is really the symptom of a disease that can and should be
treated. Why suffer when help is just a phone call away.
For more information about WAAODA, visit their website at www.waaoda.org.
Charlie Doram is a therapist, UW researcher
and chair of the Wisconsin Association on
Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse..
and chair of the Wisconsin Association on
Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse..
