The document discusses alcohol and drug addiction. It defines the signs of abuse and addiction, the effects on the body, and the recovery process. Special homes called sober living homes provide support and help addicts get back on their feet. The recovery process takes time and involves avoiding triggers, getting support, and developing new interests to replace addiction. Relapse can occur but is part of recovery if a person learns from it. Overall the document outlines the dangers of addiction and importance of support and treatment.

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Alex Shebly
Ms. Tillery
British Literature
28 October 2011
Sober Living American
Alcoholism and drug abuse are starting to become a part of everyday life. More and more
people are getting addicted to drugs and alcohol everyday and need help getting over their
addiction. Addictions can cause not only physical damage to one’s body, but also emotional
damage. Special homes are built for people with addictions and who want help getting back on
their feet. Most of these homes are run through non-profit organizations, which rely on the public
to fund and raise money to provide services for people in need. An addict needs to know the
following things: The problems and signs of alcoholism or drug abuse, the effects of this abuse,
and how and where to get help for their addictions.
“Alcoholism can be due to many different factors, including genetics, how you were
raised, your environment, and your emotional health” (Smith, Robinson, and Segal 1). Figuring
out the line between just drinking occasionally and being an addict is not an easy task. “If your
drinking is causing problems in your life, you have a drinking problem” (Smith, Robinson, and
Segal 1). Signs and symptoms can also be spotted for alcohol abuse. Signs include, “Neglecting
responsibilities at home, work or school, using alcohol in physically dangerous situations,
repeated legal problems, continuing to drink even though it is causing relationship problems,
drinking as a way to relax or de-stress” (Smith, Robinson, and Segal 1). The next stage after
alcohol abuse is alcoholism or becoming an alcoholic.

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The difference between the two is becoming dependent on alcohol, or the need to drink
alcohol to function. Tolerance and withdrawal are two major signs of alcoholism. “Do you have
to drink more than you used to in order to get buzzed or relaxed? Can you drink more than others
without getting drunk? “All of these are signs of tolerance” (Smith, Robinson, and Segal 2).
Withdrawal is the other major sign and that is when a person’s body gets so used to a certain
thing, such as alcohol, and experiences withdrawal when that thing is taken away. The only
obstacle that stands in everybody’s way when trying to get help for their addiction is denial.
Nobody wants to admit that they are an addict so they find ways to “rationalize drinking, even
when the consequences are obvious” (Smith, Robinson, and Segal 3). Another problem in
today’s society is the abuse of drugs.
“People experiment with drugs for many different reasons including, out of curiosity,
have a good time, friends are doing it, an effort to improve athletic performance or ease another
problem” (Smith, Robinson, and Saisan 1). Using drugs does not mean that you are abusing
them. The amount and how often it is used is not what is considered the addiction. The
consequences are what determine the problem. “No matter how often or how little you’re
consuming, if your drug use is causing problems in your life, you likely have an addiction to
drugs” (Smith, Robinson, and Saisan 1). Drugs have many harmful effects to your body that can
cause emotional and physical change.
The brain is one major body part that is affected by drugs because they cause “a surge in
levels of dopamine in your brain, which trigger feelings of pleasure that your brain remembers
and wants them repeated” (Smith, Robinson, and Saisan 1). Drugs can change the way a person’s
brain works which can cause inability to “think clearly, exercise good judgment, control
behavior, and feel normal without drugs” (Smith, Robinson, and Saisan 1). Being addicted takes

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over and makes family, friends, a job, and personal health less important than doing drugs.
Different types of drugs do different things to people, but the signs and symptoms are the same.
Common signs and symptoms of drug abuse are very similar to the signs of alcohol abuse
which include “neglecting responsibilities, using drugs under dangerous conditions or taking
risks while high, getting into legal trouble and relationship problems” (Smith, Robinson, and
Saisan 2). Similar to alcohol abuse, there is another stage after drug abuse and that is being
addicted to drugs.
Becoming an addict is much worse than abusing and that’s when professional help should
come into play. Signs and symptoms of a drug addict include “built up drug tolerance, take drugs
to avoid or relieve withdrawal, lost control of drug use, life revolves around drugs, abandoned
activities previously enjoyed, and continuing to use drugs despite knowing its hurting you”
(Smith, Robinson, and Saisan 3). Being at the stage of a drug addict is an extremely difficult
place to get out of and it is a long process to become sober again. The only way to get back on
track and live right is to get professional help and get rid of an addiction.
The road to recovery is very bumpy and takes a long time. People start to feel that they
cannot overcome their addiction, but they can no matter how impossible it may seem at times.
“Recovery starts with admitting you have a problem with alcohol or drugs. You do not have to
wait until you hit rock bottom; you can make a change at any time” (Smith, Saisan, and Segal 1).
Not having the money to spend on rehab or professional help does not have to slow anyone down
on sober living. Many addiction patients will do their own personal treatments to recover so they
can go at their own pace. Rushing into recovery is not the best idea. Taking it slow and gradually
reaching the goal is a much better approach. Recovery varies from person to person. Some
people want to stop completely, and others want to just cut back. Whichever path is chosen,

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deciding on a quit and/or cut back date is the key to making progress. Some good ideas to start
on the recovery journey include “getting rid of temptations, announce your goal, be upfront
about your new limits, avoid bad influences, and learn from the past” (Smith, Saisan, and Segal
2). The last step in recovering is getting support.
Deciding on going to rehab, getting therapy, or doing personal treatments does not
matter, as long as the support is there. “Support can come from family members, friends,
counselors, other recovering alcoholics, healthcare providers, and people from your faith
community” (Smith, Saisan, and Segal 2). An important aspect of the support process is finding
new meaning in life besides drinking. Mental recovery plays a part in starting a new life alcohol
free. Long term ways of living sober would be “taking care of yourself, building your support
network, developing new activities and interest, continuing treatment, and dealing with stress in
a healthy way” (Smith, Saisan, and Segal 4). Much of the same goes for overcoming drug
addictions as well.
The road to recovery for drug abuse is no different than recovering from alcohol abuse.
One is not easier than the other and both are not fun to have to recover from. The biggest thing
about starting on a road to sobriety is knowing that there will be setbacks that are not enjoyable
but must be done. Giving up on drugs that make you happy and feel good is out of the comfort
zone, but sticking with it will be more satisfying in the end. Building a meaningful life without
drugs is the biggest step of them all. Ways of maintaining this drug-free lifestyle include
“picking up a new hobby, adopting a pet, getting involved in your community, set meaningful
goals, and looking after your health” (Smith, Segal, and Robinson 4). Relapse is the emotion that
is the most difficult part of the process.

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Relapse is discouraging but a good thing in the view of learning from past mistakes and
staying on track with the treatment. Things that can trigger relapse are “negative emotional
states, physical discomfort, positive emotional states, testing personal control, strong temptations
or urges, and conflicts with others” (Smith, Segal, and Robinson 4). If relapse occurs, the
treatment is not a failure. Understanding this information is vital to figuring out what triggered
the relapse and how it could have been avoided.
Getting into drugs and alcohol is becoming a massive problem in today’s society and
needs to be stopped. The effects of drug and alcohol abuse are long term consequences that can
and will ruin people’s lives. Drugs and alcohol have a negative effect on everyone’s body
emotionally and physically and has no positive affect what so ever. Recovery homes and services
are working hard to get drug abusers and alcoholics on a fast track to sober living. Recovery
homes provide a sober living environment for people to live in while trying to build a new life in
sobriety. They get people plugged into support groups, help them get jobs, and get back on their
feet. In order to provide these services, they rely on public help and donations. Places like these
have changed lives forever and hopefully will spread and prevent people from getting into drugs
or alcohol in the first place. An addict needs to know the following things: The problems and
signs of alcoholism or drug abuse, the effects of this abuse, and how and where to get help for
these addictions.

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