Substance Abuse, Addiction, & Mental Illness

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Substance Abuse, Addiction, & Mental Illness

What Matt didn’t realize-until much later-was that (drug use) only exacerbated his problems. He says, “As soon as I was off whatever I was on, my problems were 50 times worse and I couldn’t control myself. I’d get sad and agitated. I went off on people. I busted holes in walls. I still have a door in my closet that I literally punched through everywhere but the corners. I just sat there and beat up my door because I hated myself. That’s why I wanted to be high all the time.” – Drugstory.org

By definition, chronic drug abuse is the habitual abuse of licit (prescription) or illicit drugs to the extent that the abuse substantially impacts a person’s health or considerably interferes with his or her social or economic functioning. Any person who has lost the power of self-control over the use of drugs is considered a chronic drug abuser. Abused substances produce some form of intoxication that alters judgment, perception, attention, or physical control.

Cigarettes & Tobacco

Among Muslims here in the U.S. and throughout the world, the most common substances being abused are cigarettes, tobacco and alcohol. If you step into any Muslim country today, you will see the streets littered with cigarette butts. Cigarette smoking has become such a widespread practice that even some of the more conservative “religious” figures including women who wear the Islamic headscarf or hijab do it openly. In more recent years, smoking tobacco through the hookah pipe is another popular practice that has emerged from the Muslim/Arab world and made its way over to the West. You can actually find hookah (or shisha) bars in most major U.S. cities today and there you are sure to find several Muslim patrons.

Nicotine is the primary addicting substance in cigarettes and tobacco products, but cigarette smoke contains thousands of other chemicals that also damage health. Heart disease, lung cancer and emphysema, peptic ulcer disease, and stroke are some of the hazards related to cigarette smoking. Anxiety, hunger, sleep disturbances, and depression are some of the withdrawal symptoms of smoking, making quitting extremely difficult. Smoking is responsible for nearly a half million deaths each year. Tobacco use costs the nation an estimated $100 billion a year, mainly in direct and indirect health care costs.

In addition to the direct impact cigarette smoking can have on our lives, excessive cigarette smoking by parents with young children has been linked to the development of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms as well as oppositional behavior in children. This in turn increases the likelihood the children will become substance abusers in the future. (Kollins et all.).

Alcohol

Despite it’s prohibition in Islam and in most Muslim countries, alcohol is the private addiction afflicting many families in both the West and throughout the Muslim world. It is a known fact that many Muslim countries have underground black markets that bootleg alcohol and other illegal substances. Here in the U.S. drinking among Muslims is increasingly becoming more common, especially among the younger generation. Whether it’s going out with friends to bars and clubs on the weekend or attending company parties and galas where alcohol is being served, Muslims are becoming more open about drinking. In fact, some are so open they go as far as posting pictures of themselves with drinks in hand on social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. In Islam, drinking alcohol and using intoxicants in general is a moral sin. God says in the Qur’an, “They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: “In them is great sin and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit”(2:219).

Many young Muslims rely on alcohol as a “pick me up” or to feel good at a social event but due to the inhibitory effect of alcohol on the brain, alcohol actually depresses the brain. In addition to lessening our inhibitions, alcohol can cause slurred speech and decreases muscle control and coordination. Anxiety, irregular heartbeat, tremor, seizures, and hallucinations are a few of the common effects of withdrawal from alcohol. Liver failure or cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcohol is extremely common in the United States. Furthermore, adolescents who drink alcohol are higher at risk to suffer major depression when they become young adults.

Drug Abuse & Mental Disorders

According to the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) diagnostic manual DSM-IV, chronic drug abuse may occur in combination with any mental illness. A few of the common serious mental disorders associated with chronic drug abuse include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, manic depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. There is an increased risk of drug abuse with some of the disorders.

Although individuals can have either a chronic substance abuse or a serious mental disorder independent of one another, often times “co-occurring” disorders (substance abuse combined with mental disorder) are very common. In many cases, it’s difficult to determine which came first, the mental illness or the drug use.
Some individuals who suffer from serious mental disorders (oftentimes undiagnosed mental disorders) tend to “self-medicate” in order to alleviate their symptoms. According to the APA, marijuana is commonly used by individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia as a way to mitigate the negative symptoms of the disorder such as depression, apathy, and social withdrawal. Marijuana is also used by these individuals to combat auditory hallucinations and paranoid delusions. Some even rely on the drug to reduce the adverse side effects of the medication, which can include depression and restlessness.

Additionally, adolescents dealing with depression or high levels of stress as well as those diagnosed with bi-polar disorder are more likely to develop a substance use disorder. If they are exposed to trauma and experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) their chances of developing drug-related problems significantly increases.

Drug abuse can also cause mental disorders. The common street drugs like ecstasy can cause long term depression and anxiety. This is a particular concern among the adolescents abusing this drug. The drug can interfere with normal cognitive development and socialization, which can lead to the development of mental disorders over time. Chronic use of some drugs can cause long-lasting changes in the brain, which may lead to paranoia, depression, aggression, and hallucinations.

Treatment Options

There are many paths to treating individuals suffering from substance abuse and/or mental disorders. The first step is to speak to your personal physician about local drug treatment centers or to seek help from a mental health professional in your community. In order to reduce the risk of your children abusing substances you must set good examples early on, especially with small children and young adults, by not smoking, abusing alcohol or abusing prescription or illicit drugs yourself.

Furthermore, it’s highly encouraged to begin the discussion about substance use with your children from an early age and continue these conversations through college where peer pressure and the culture of “experimentation” are most prevalent. Seriously addicted drug users often say that after their first experience with a substance they were addicted; when it comes to drugs and alcohol even one time is too many. So be certain to clarify your expectations and the consequences for violating your rules with your children. By taking preventative measures such as this, just as we are encouraged to do in Islam, you can protect yourself and your children from what so many suffer through every day with substance abuse.

If, however, there is already evidence of substance abuse or related mental health problems then you must immediately seek professional help. Do not resort to threats, ultimatums, or shaming your child into stopping their behavior. You may end up pushing them even further into their addiction or losing them completely, God forbid. A professional will be able to properly diagnose the underlying issues that led to the behaviors and work towards finding a lasting solution.

As an adult if you are experiencing substance use or dependence, begin by first accepting responsibility for your own health and seek treatment immediately. It’s best to seek treatment early and surround yourself with a support group in order to be successful in your efforts. There is a high relapse rate in substance abuse recovery but the one’s who successfully overcome their dependence were consistent and did not give up after relapse. Address your mental health needs with a licensed clinical psychologist or trained drug prevention specialist and get appropriate treatment in order to end the “self-medication” cycle.