What Are Some of the Worst Addictions to Have?

worst addictions | Transcend Texas

Addiction is bad, and there’s no way to talk around that. It’s a debilitating psychological and physical condition that takes many forms, and leaves lasting effects – sometimes for decades. Depending on the drug, an addiction can completely change your life, or even kill you. And far too often, it will. That said, some of the worst addictions will affect you far more than other.

However, the worst addictions are arguably more difficult than others. Some are harder to kick, more dangerous to the body, and more widespread. While all addictions are hard, and a person’s individual journey with any one drug is completely different from that of another, here are some of the worst addictions to get hooked on.

 

Anti-Anxiety Meds

Anxiety is one of the most pervasive mental health problems in the country. And just about anything can trigger it, or make it worse. Anxiety exists in the form of phobias, PTSD, social anxiety and more – and its effects on life range from causing flash sweats and hyperventilation at the thought of going to a public event, to mental breakdowns.

To combat anxiety, psychotherapists have spent decades refining therapeutic techniques like CBT and DBT – but ultimately, patients early on may need to be prescribed medication to stave off their condition. This is where anti-anxiety meds like Xanax and valium come into play.

These drugs affect the same parts of the brain as alcohol, and create the same calming, tipsy feeling. As sedatives, they act in the exact opposite to stimulants like cocaine or methamphetamine – but they’re just as dangerous when abused and cna be counted among some of the worst addictions.

Much like someone in chronic pain struggling to get off opiates, if you’re struggling with anxiety like 40 million other people in the US, and find yourself hooked on your meds, then the prospect of stopping becomes even harder.

 

Heroin/Opiates

Heroin is one of the worst addictions to have, because:

  • It’s far too common for people on pain medication to fall into a cycle of opiate addiction
  • Heroin is a rising problem in the States, fueling the ongoing overdose epidemic
  • Opiate addiction can lead to accidental overdose through extremely potent drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil, which are sometimes used to cut heroin and are indistinguishable.

While there are more immediately dangerous drugs, they’re not as widespread. Of course, at the end of the day, the worst addictions to have is any at all. Whatever you end up struggling with the most, whatever vice it is that has you in its grips, that addiction will haunt you for decades and keep you on-guard well throughout your sober life.

But given the effect it has on the country, and the widespread damage it has caused over centuries, there are few drugs with the combined potency, availability and danger as heroin and assorted opiate derivatives.

 

Nicotine

Ultimately, smoking is known by some addicts to be the hardest habit to kick, making it rank among some of the worst addictions. This is typically based on ratings given by people with several drug addictions, when asked to describe and rate which addiction is toughest to get rid of. However, on the dependence rating scale, the nicotine in cigarettes sits just under heroin and crack cocaine, which is more potent than snorted powdered cocaine.

There are a few key differences that shed some light onto why smoking is one of the hardest habits to kick – and why people manage to kick it so often anyways.

  • Cigarettes are everywhere.
  • Cigarette smoking starts early.
  • Cigarettes take decades to kill.
  • Cigarettes are easy to use.
  • There is far less stigma attached to nicotine addiction (than other addictions).

Up until quite recently, cigarette smoking has been very popular, and even touted as healthy. Cigarette smoking also often began at an early age, and lung cancer takes years to develop, giving smokers ample time to work on quitting. Their ease of access and ease of use also meant there was no paraphernalia needed when smoking – unlike in the past, when smoking tobacco involved pulling out the pipe and preparing a pinch of herb.

This is what makes nicotine so insidious and one of the worst addictions. Due to being so common and so hard to quit, it can often lead to a life-long addiction and death.

While many state that nicotine is an incredibly hard drug to kick to the curb, many still quit anyway. According to the CDC, there are more former smokers than current smokers in the US today. A common way to quit has been by going cold turkey – others rely on a more gradual progress.

 

Worst Addictions From Other Drugs

We’ve all heard of monster drugs like krokodil and flakka, street concoctions abroad and sometimes found domestically, and each capable of ruining your life over the course of a few hits. These are synthetic drugs known for causing organ failure and tissue death, and permanent psychological damage.

Krokodil is the subject of many online horror stories, but it isn’t very widespread or dangerous to non-users – the wounds it causes aren’t contagious. Made of a mixture of industrial cleaning agents, lighter fluid and painkillers to create desomorphine, it’s extremely addictive and extremely cheap. Its major side-effect? It rots your flesh to the bone.

Synthetic cathinones (bath salts) and synthetic marijuana (spice) have also been in the news for the severity of their side effects – in addition to being addictive, they can cause strong hallucinations and end in a deadly overdose.

The reason these addictions might not necessarily rank among the worst addictions, is because of both their rarity, and their potency. Methamphetamines, opiates, and Xanax each can lead to months of declining health and an increasing risk of overdose.

New drugs are regularly being discovered – many of them far worse than most of what we’ve seen in the past. From drugs like carfentanil that possess the lethality of nerve gas, to homemade concoctions like krokodil and “DIY” synthetic drugs like spice, the world is full of dangerous substances. Struggling with an addiction is a challenge however and sometimes a Men’s Sober living program in Houston might be the solution to keeping yourself clean for good.

 

Addiction Trigger: How To Manage Triggers For Addictive Behavior In Recovery

addiction trigger | Transcend Texas

Learning to deal with an addiction trigger is an important part of your recovery. An addiction trigger is just those little cues that exist in life that influence your behavior. For example, you may see an old colleague and feel the urge to go grab a drink like you used to do after work. In some instances, you may even be unaware of your addiction trigger, until you find yourself facing the possibility of a serious relapse. Gaining recognition of your personal triggers along with an understanding of other common ones gives you more control over managing your behavior.

Understanding External Addiction Trigger Potential

An external addiction trigger are influenced by your environment, and there will be times that you have little control over them before they arise. For instance, you may detect a certain smell that triggers a craving as you walk through downtown on your way to work. Yet, being aware that the addiction trigger exists allows you time to plan for how you will handle them in the future.
• Interacting with certain people
• Seeing reminders of past drug abuse
• Enjoying experiences such as concerts
• Visiting favorite places
• Celebrating holidays

Discovering Internal Addiction Trigger Potential

An internal addiction trigger is a thought or emotion that generates a desire to use drugs or alcohol. Usually, this is a negative emotional response, but happiness can also be an addiction trigger if you associate doing drugs with celebrating special moments. As you work on identifying the feelings that accompany your cravings, consider whether these emotions may be a trigger for you.
• Boredom
• Anger
• Self-pity
• Sadness
• Anxiety
• Loneliness
• Excitement
• Exhaustion
• Confidence

Handling Specific Places

During your time in treatment, you likely learned to avoid places such as bars or the neighborhood where you used to get your drugs. However, other places can also trigger cravings that may not be avoidable. For instance, entering a bathroom can cause an addiction trigger if you to want to use drugs, or you may find that staying in a hotel brings up old memories. Knowing that this might happen gives you a way to plan. For instance, you may choose to stay in a different hotel, or redecorate your bathroom so that it looks different.

Coping With Social Triggers

People are often unaware of the effect that they can have on someone who is recovering from drugs or alcohol. In fact, you may even run into people who do not know or understand that you are in recovery. For example, your old college roommate could come to town and arrive bearing a bottle of your favorite drink. While their intentions are well meaning, you will need to be prepared to turn down their offer to relive old times. This is why it is important to surround yourself with other sober-minded people during the early stages of recovery. Leaning on the people in your sober living community make it easier to avoid social situations that trigger cravings.

Dealing With Emotional Stress

Emotions can be a powerful addiction trigger that often leave you feeling powerless when they take over. Yet, you can learn how to deal with emotional stress in positive ways. Engaging in physical activity such as going for a swim helps to melt away anxiety, and you can use relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga to get yourself in a stronger state of mind. Talking to your sober mentor or therapist also allows you to release pent up emotions before they lead to a major breakdown.

Identifying High Risk Situations

The interesting thing about an addiction trigger is that they vary so much from one individual to another. For instance, your roommate may find that attending a family event is their trigger, while you may know that watching certain movies cause you to crave drugs or alcohol. Learn which situations are high-risk for you so that you can develop strategies to combat your cravings. For instance, knowing that you will be having a drug test after your holiday celebration makes you stay accountable for your sobriety.

Working Through A Triggered Response

Unfortunately, you can’t go through life completely avoiding triggers since even seeing a spoon could cause you to remember your old habits. The good news is that you can learn how to work through a craving that is triggered by something in your environment or an emotional response. Begin by recognizing the addiction trigger for so that you can notice it faster the next time. Then, move on to your action plan, and do whatever helps you avoid falling prey to a craving such as talking to a member of your support team or engaging in a favorite activity.

The best thing about learning how to manage triggers is that each time you overcome a craving makes it easier to do it again. As you continue on your sober journey, keep track of what triggers your cravings so that you become stronger in your commitment to beating your addiction.

Why Do Some Students Develop an Adderall Dependence?

Adderall Dependence | Transcend Texas

Adderall is a prescription drug designed to help patients dealing with the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). People struggling with this disorder go through cycles of hyperactivity and inattention – they have a marked inability to stop themselves from acting out, jumping from task to task, lacking persistence and having difficulty staying organized. While the applications of the medication are good for those suffering form ADHD, Adderall dependence is possible when abused.

ADHD is more severe in some cases than others, but can be considered a disorder if the symptoms become unmanageable through will alone and result in a diminished ability (or total disability) to adequately perform school work and other responsibilities.

ADHD is by reputation mostly a childhood disorder, but exists in many adults as well. An estimated 5% of children in the US is affected by it in one form or another.

Adderall (amphetamine) treats this disease by improving a person’s drive by increasing the amount of dopamine in the system, which is inherently tied to motivation. Other prescription drugs used to combat ADHD include Ritalin and Dexedrine. However, aside from being effective in diminishing the symptoms of a serious hindrance like ADHD, these prescription stimulants are also highly addictive and can lead to Adderall dependence.

Adderall has a notorious history of misuse as a recreational amphetamine, or as a study drug used in excess by students to increase their ability to focus on school work, or be motivated to finish their projects and make it through the night without sleep. It can be described as hit with “10 cups of coffee”.

Because of this, it is commonly misused and overused in universities and colleges. To understand why Adderall has become so popular, and why Adderall dependence have been on the rise, it is important to understand how the drug works and why many students are convinced to give it a try.

 

How Adderall Works

Amphetamines affect the brain’s neurotransmitters, specifically increasing the amount of dopamine in your nervous system. The result is a surge in motivation and a euphoric feeling. How exactly this affects your behavior largely depends upon your mental state.

Overuse of amphetamine can lead to heart problems – as a stimulant, one of the side effects of using amphetamines is an increased heart rate and a loss of appetite. Blurry vision, fatigue and dizziness are not uncommon. Aside from increasing the availability of dopamine in the brain, amphetamines also kickstart the body’s fight-or-flight system with the release of norepinephrine (noradrenaline).

In other words, amphetamines (or in this case Adderall) both excites your system, and vastly increases motivation. As a result, the reported benefits of Adderall include better reaction times and alertness. In schools where the pressure of examination can get very intense, using an Adderall to spend a few extra hours of sleep studying for the exam the next day or popping a pill before the exam itself can give some that second wind they need after weeks of preparation to get through their finals or pass that all-important project.

Performance and cognitive improvements are not guaranteed with Adderall. The drug does not actually improve your intelligence or make your thinking clearer – it simply motivates you and keeps you awake. However, that and its addictive qualities have made it a massive hit in campuses today. The dangers of developing an Adderall dependence for the study drug don’t just revolve around being caught with an amphetamine – Adderall dependence can be hard to beat, and migrating from a competitive school environment to a competitive workplace can mean more reasons to keep the habit up throughout an early career.

 

Why Adderall Dependence And Usage Is Rising  

The main risk behind Adderall is that it isn’t marketed as an amphetamine with a high potential for misuse. Many college kids do not realize that they’re taking an addictive stimulant with the same chemical composition as Speed. They get a dosage from their friends, or their friend tells them about it and gets them hooked up with a supplier, they try it and after having a few productive nights, it becomes a habit that sometimes ends in Adderall dependence and addiction.

This is part of a series of issues with the nootropic movement. Nootropics are drugs used to improve cognitive function, typically taken not as medication but to enhance performance. Caffeine and L-theanine are common examples of nootropics, taken not only in natural form (coffee and tea) but as chemical extracts added to water or some other drink. Aside from more harmless stimulants, some people also use more dangerous stimulants such as Adderall, and numerous dietary supplements including ginseng and Ginkgo leaf.

On its own and at low dosages, Adderall does improve motivation and can be extremely helpful to people struggling with the inattentive symptoms of ADHD. However, overuse leads to drug tolerance and increases both the risk of overdose and Adderall dependence. Unless you are diagnosed with a legitimate mental disorder and require Adderall to function, it only poses a significant risk to you.

It’s important to frame Adderall as what it is – a prescription drug used for the treatment of legitimate cases of ADHD and narcolepsy, not a designer drug to be used for studying or self-improvement.

Adderall has its pros and cons, particularly for people struggling with mental disorders. But for the general population, amphetamines shouldn’t be part of someone’s morning routine. If you’re struggling with adderall in Houston, consider seeking help and advice from our Houston sober living programs.

 

15 Celebrities that Died of a Drug Overdose

Celebrity Drug Overdose | Transcend Texas

There is something about being in the limelight that takes its toll on people. Celebrities, in spite of all the flashing lights and stardom, have issues just like the rest of us. They battle with drug addiction just like everyone, because they are normal people. Just because they have fame, doesn’t mean that they aren’t suffering. The following people have all succumbed to addiction and died of a drug overdose.

Judy Garland (The Wizard of Oz)- barbiturates

Chris Penn (Reservoir Dogs)- Benzedrine and opiates

John Entwistle (Bassist of The Who)- Cocaine

Zoe Tamerlis Lund (Actress- Bad Lieutenant)- Heroin and Cocaine

Sonny Liston (Boxing Champion)- Heart Failure due to Heroin

Trevor Goddard (Actor- Mortal Kombat/JAG)- Heroin, Cocaine, Prescription pills

Peter Farndon (Bassist- The Pretenders)- Heroin

Glenn Quinn (Actor- Roseanne/Angel)- Heroin

Bam Bam Bigelow (Professional Wrestler)- Cocaine and Xanax

Domino Harvey (Model/Bounty Hunter)- Opiates

George Hickenlooper (Documentary Director)- Opiates and Alcohol

John Matuszak (NFL player/Actor- Sloth in The Goonies)- Opiates and Cocaine

Lani O’Grady (Actress-Eight is Enough)- Vicodin and Prozac

Dinah Washington (R&B Singer)- Barbiturates

Jimmy Wayne Jamison (Singer of Survivor)- Methamphetamines

So much talent on this list and yet they couldn’t get past their addictions and eventually died of a drug overdose. If you are struggling, seek the help you need, so you don’t end up on a list like this.

For more on these people and their lives visit The Fix HERE