Addiction Blog | The Raleigh House of Hope

The drug and alcohol epidemic has been plaguing people and families all over the world for decades. In some people, drug experimentation and alcohol consumption starts at a young age and, from there, evolves into something more prolific in adulthood. In others, drug and alcohol use is left behind at the experimentation phase. Still, others may never use an illegal substance or abuse alcohol in their entire lifetime. So what separates these groups of people?

Staggering reports show that 47% of the population in America aged twelve and over has used an illicit substance at some point in their lives. Americans aged 12 and older who admitted to use of cocaine ranged in the range of 35.9 million as of 2007 and an estimated 2.1 million of these state that they use cocaine on a regular basis. The use of lifetime non-medical Oxycontin users increased from 221,000 in 1999 to 399,000 in 2000. Nearly 104 million people of American adults state that they have alcohol addictions that began as an ‘innocent’ drink as a young person.

Everyone knows that drug and alcohol abuse can lead to numerous health issues. Excessive alcohol use can lead to problems such as hangovers, weight gain, high blood pressure, cancer, liver disease and heart and respiratory failure. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports the number of alcohol related deaths due to liver disease per year at 13,050 and the number of alcohol-induced deaths at 22,073. Some health concerns brought on by drug addiction can be nausea, seizures, heart attack, respiratory failure, depression, and fatal lung failure. The amount of deaths due to drugs is around 17,000 people per year due to illicit drug use and nearly 32,000 per year due to abuse of and adverse reactions to prescription drugs.

Facing these facts can be quite scary for anyone who is either personally facing a drug or alcohol addiction, or anyone with a loved one who is afflicted by drug or alcohol abuse. So, what is the cause of addiction in youth and adults? Recent studies have shown that it all starts in the brain. Years of scientific research has revealed that children of addicts have more of a pre-disposition to develop addictions as adults and very frequently start exhibiting addictive behaviors as young as twelve years old. What scientists have discovered is that babies that are born to addictive parents are more likely to be born with ‘addicted brains.’

While this is the case for some, others that develop addictions who have parents that weren’t subject to substance abuse is due to extensive damage that is done to neurotransmitters in the brain that fire certain hormones that are necessary for healthy body function. Either way, the brain is afflicted by drugs and alcohol that inappropriately trigger activity in the brain circuits designed to provide a sense of reward or satiated needs, healthfully. Once these ‘circuits’ are damaged, the brain no longer is able to ‘fire on all cylinders.’ What is created out of this chemical damage is something referred to as a ‘hungry brain.’

When a brain is hungry, it causes cravings that are almost impossible to deny. This is a primary reason that most addicts have a hard time with kicking the habit, even when they truly desire to do so. But there is hope! Teams of scientists have actually developed proprietary formula of amino acids, peptides, and vitamins and minerals which has greatly contributed to the success of addiction recovery. These nutraceuticals have been marketed to many people though to get better results its always better to this in the care of professionals because they can custom build a protocol just for the addict.

There are scientist that work on the technology that amino acids and various vitamins and nutrients can rebuild the portion of the brain that has been damaged by excessive drug and alcohol abuse. In turn, once the brain is restored to its normal operating state, withdrawals and cravings are greatly diminished and in some cases not apparent for the addict at all. Many people who were interviewed after medical studies subjects reported that in their recovery they described feelings of relief, reprieve, and hope. Many are able to greatly diminish, if not completely stop using drugs and alcohol and stay stopped.  For many, people that use amino acids it   has been the light at the end of the tunnel that addicts seeking addiction free lifestyles have been looking for.