Adopting the Addiction Culture

One of the definitions of culture is the behaviours & beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture.

It shows the social acceptance pattern of behaviour among a specific community. It also talks about the living hood of that society.

Being addict is a process. People slowly turned in the category of addict. The transformation of this phases passes through this phage called adapting the culture of addiction.

In simple words, people make some changes in their outward appearance & in the behaviour to fit in to the addicts group. 

I remember around 2007; a teenager was referred to me by the school. The complains was breaking rules, arguing with staff, bullying students, coming late in nights, hanging out with senor students, not receptive for suggestions etc.

2 yrs after that in 2009 the same case has come for counselling this time he was exhibiting different changes. He was significantly different than his Premorbid personality, he was wearing all dark cloths, long red & yellow coloured hairs, all right hand was with full of tattoos, no eye contact. Parents were complaining about drug (ganja) use.

2013 when I saw him, I realized drug use has changed him a lot. I was noting down my observations. Each time there was a significant change. He incorporated many new irrational beliefs in him. This time the shirt was sleeveless & buttons were open, big rings in all the fingers, was wearing Bermuda, some repetitive abnormal gestures like bending neck towards left side shoulder &   rubbing his nose with right thumb. He was wearing big white stone ear ring. I feel I am talking with the different person. Addiction has entirely changed him as a person. Some of his using friends were Nigerians.

He was just imitating their dressing pattern, tone & accent, gesture & reaction pattern too. This time complains were being physically aggressive, breaking articles, engaged in illegal activities etc. He was using all kind of drugs since morning to night. He was very apathetic towards family & was running away from home after assaults or stealing. Frequent accidents & hospitalizations were there during last year.

One can see the progression of the behavioural symptoms each time.

Over the period, he was struggling to fit into the culture of addiction. He was moulding himself according to his using friends, blindly imitating some of their behaviours like: dressing hairstyle, gestures etc.

 Many addicts admit that they consciously changed their language, dressing style, reaction pattern, eating patterns as a result of increased substance abuse. In order to fit in to the peer group, support addiction without money, escape from the guilt & shame of ding wrong one s this culture.

Adapting addition culture is red alarm which clearly indicates that the person needs long term treatment for substance abuse.

HOW TO IDENTIFY:

1.       Sudden change in friends

2.       Sudden change in dressing sense

3.       Demand resistance

4.       Opposite deviant behaviour

5.       Attention seeking  

6.       Breaking rules

7.       mood swings  

8.       Difficulty in managing money

9.       Manipulating behaviour

10.   Careless attitudes

Sheetal