Our Philosophy on Chemical Dependency
Chemical Dependency is a primary, chronic disease with psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations; the disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by continuous or periodic impaired control over substance use, preoccupation with the substance, use of the substance despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial.
| Primary refers to the nature of chemical dependency as a disease entity in addition to and separate from other pathophysiologic states which may be associated with it. |
| Disease means an involuntary disability. It represents the sum of the abnormal phenomena displayed by a group of individuals. These phenomena are associated with a specified common set of characteristics by which these individuals differ from the norm, and which places them at a disadvantage. |
| Often progressive and fatal means that the disease persists over time and that physical, emotional, and social changes are often cumulative and may progress as substance abuse continues. Chemical Dependency cause premature death through overdose, organic complications involving the brain, liver, heart and many other organs and by contributing to suicide, homicide, motor vehicle crashes, and other traumatic events. |
| Impaired control means the inability to limit substance use or to consistently limit on any occasion the duration of the episode, the quantity consumed, and/or the behavioral consequences of use. |
| Preoccupation in association with chemical use indicates excessive, focused attention given to the substance, its effects, and/or its use. The relative value thus assigned to the substance by the individual often leads to a diversion of energies away from important life concerns. |
| Adverse consequences are substance related problems or impairments in such areas as: physical health (e.g. withdrawal syndromes, liver disease, gastritis, anemia, neurological disorders); psychological functioning (i.e. impairments in cognition, changes in mood and behavior); interpersonal functioning (e.g. marital problems and child abuse, impaired social relationships); occupational functioning (e.g. scholastic or job problems); and legal, financial, or spiritual problems. |
| Denial is used here not only in the psychoanalytic sense of a single psychological defense mechanism disavowing the significance of events, but more broadly to include a range of psychological maneuvers designed to reduce awareness of the fact that substance use is the cause of an individual's problems rather than a solution to those problems. Denial is an integral part of the disease and a major obstacle to recovery. |
| Chemical dependency can only be arrested with a commitment to a lifetime of abstinence from alcohol and mood-altering substances. |