INTRODUCTION

Alcoholism is the inability to control drinking due to both a physical and emotional
dependence on alcohol. Alcoholism is a specific term which particularly refers to the
addiction of alcohol, where drug addiction is a generalized term where an individual is
addicted to any substance from alcohol to heroin to Ritalin. Drug addiction is the disease that
negatively affects a person behavior and brain. A person can be obsessed with any legal or
illegal drugs. This addiction gradually starts developing when the individual continues to
consume the drug despite the impairment it causes. The term addiction does not only refer to
addiction to the substances like heroin or cocaine but activities like gambling, eating also
comes under addiction. The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as
“treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits,
genetics, the environment and an individual’s life experiences. People with addiction use
substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite
harmful consequences”. Some of the examples of alcoholism include marijuana
addiction, amphetamine addiction, cocaine addiction, nicotine addiction, opioid
addiction, food addiction, chocolate addiction, video game addiction, gambling addiction,
and sexual addiction. Addiction of alcohol can also be classified under biopsychosocial
disorder. A person may become an alcoholic due to his culture, family background, religion
and work influence. Family plays a major role in shaping individuals personality.

Alcohol consumption not only affects a person who consumes it but also the people
associated with them especially his family members. The person in an intoxicated state may
involve in domestic violence with his family members. Alcohol consumption is a casual
factor in more than 200 diseases and injury conditions. As per WHO, worldwide, an
estimated annual three million deaths and 5.1% of disability-adjusted life years of the world
are attributed to alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption is a leading cause of global
disease burden and health loss and in 2016 it was ranked seventh in risk factors linked to
deaths. In India, alcohol consumption is widespread across all the states and the union
territories (UT), and an estimated 160 million consume alcohol. According to National
Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4), 29.2 men and 1.2% women consume alcohol. Alcohol
use in India is estimated to cause an annual average loss of 1.45% of the gross domestic
product (GDP) of the economy (15). India does not have a solid national policy on alcohol
consumption, and its use is regulated at the level of individual states and UT. Beyond health
issues alcohol consumption brings significant social and economic loss. This case study
encompasses the impact of addiction in the lives of the addicted individual, problems faced
by them and opinion of society on them. This study also gives few solutions to come out the
addiction.

TYPES OF DRUGS

Drugs under international control include amphetamine-type stimulants, coca/cocaine,

cannabis, hallucinogens, opiates and sedative hypnotics. Countries have decided to control
these drugs because they pose a threat to health.

While some of the physical effects of drugs might sound nice, they do not last long.
Many people get depressed and lonely afterwards and start feeling sick. Also, it is common
for people who use drugs to seem confused, have red eyes, sweat a lot and not care about
their physical appearance.

Cannabis: (Bongo/Ganja/Grass/Marijuana/Pot/Thai sticks)

Cannabis is a tobacco-like greenish or brownish material made up of the dried

flowering tops and leaves of the cannabis (hemp) plant. Cannabis resin or "hash" is the dried
black or brown secretion of the flowering tops of the cannabis plant, which is made into a
powder or pressed into slabs or cakes. Cannabis oil or "hash oil" is cannabis resin in liquid
form. Cannabis is by far the most cultivated, trafficked and abused illicit drug. All forms of
cannabis are usually smoked. Cannabis resin and oil can also be ingested orally or brewed in
tea. Cannabis can make users feel relaxed and heighten their sensory awareness. Thus, users
may experience a more vivid sense of sight, smell, taste and hearing.

Short-term effects include increased appetite and pulse rate.While high, users'
intellectual and physical abilities are impaired. With large doses, users may experience
severely altered sensory perceptions and slow and confused thinking.

Hallucinogens:

Hallucinogens, or "psychedelics", are drugs that alter users' state of consciousness and
produce different kinds of hallucinations. The main types of hallucinogens are d-lysergic acid
diethylamide (LSD),  hencyclidine (PCP), hallucinogenic amphetamines, mescaline and
psilocybe mushrooms.

LSD, commonly referred to as "acid", is one of the most potent hallucinogens. It is

usually sold on the street as small squares of blotting paper with drops containing the drug,
but also as tablets, capsules or occasionally in liquid form. It is a colourless, odourless
substance with a slightly bitter taste.

It is usually swallowed. Taking LSD leads to strong changes in thought, mood and
senses in addition to feelings of empathy and sociability. However, the exact effects of LSD
vary depending on the mental state of the user and the environment when taking the drug.

Short-term, LSD produces delusions and distorted perceptions. The user´s sense of
depth and time changes and colours, sound and touch seem more intense. Some LSD users
experience severe, terrifying thoughts and feelings such as fear of losing control, fear of
insanity and death, and despair.

The physical effects are small compared to the psychological and emotional effects.
They include dilated pupils, increased heart rate and blood pressure, loss of appetite,
sleeplessness, dry mouth and tremors.

Cocaine (Crack/Bazooka/Blanche/Cake/Coke/Lady/Star dust)

Cocaine is a fine white or off-white powder that acts as a powerful stimulant. In its
pure form, cocaine is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant. On the street, it can be
diluted or "cut" with other substances to increase the quantity. Crack is cocaine that has been
further processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and looks like small
flakes or rocks. Prevalence rates for lifetime use of cocaine are typically between one and
three per cent in developed countries, with higher rates in the United States and in the
producer countries of South America.

Cocaine can make users feel exhilarated and euphoric. Furthermore, users often
experience a temporary increase in alertness and energy levels, and a postponement of hunger
and fatigue.

Short-term effects include faster breathing and increases in body temperature and
heart rate. Users' behaviour can also become bizarre, erratic and violent. Excessive doses of
cocaine may lead to convulsions, seizures, stroke, cerebral haemorrhage or heart failure.
Long-term users of cocaine risk a number of health problems, some of them depending on the
ingestion method. Sniffing cocaine severely damages nose tissue, smoking can cause
respiratory problems, whilst injection can lead to abscesses and infectious diseases.
FIRST CASE

The first individual interviewed for this case study is a twenty-nine year old male,
who works in Andhra Pradesh as a site engineer, with ramanputhur as his native place. The
concerned individual did not have any precarious trauma incidents in his childhood. But the
individual has shown interests in the form of curiosity, despite the hatredness he has
harboured towards smoking and drinking. Around fourth grade, the individual managed to
steal a beedi from a shopkeeper and has tried smoking it. The individual experienced severe
cough and chest constriction, making him throw away that disgustful thing. He wonders how
people all over the globe managed to smoke such an awful tasteless thing.

In terms of exposure, the individual’s paternal grandfather and his uncle are
accustomed to smoking and drinking. The individual records that he has only seen his uncle
drunk, smoking foreign beedi and never really saw him drinking. The individual says in vain
that he regrets getting into this habit.

During teen years, the individual and his classmates played this game, where they
tend to collect rare cigarette packets like Panama and Triple 5, and if they got lucky, they’d
have foreign brands. This game was solely played to show off to their peers, which they
considered a sense of pride. During 7th grade, the individual happened to find a half used
cigar packet with an unused cigarette in it on his way from school to home. The individual
felt like he had hit a jackpot. And here’s the interesting fact: the individual takes it to a
normal stationary shop and tried getting a chocolate in exchange for that unused cigar. But
unfortunately the shopkeeper shooed him away and the individual ended up smoking it
himself. The individual says that though he hated smoking initially, he still used it for the
sake of holding onto his pride that he too is a savage kind-of person with quirks.

The individual further states that ever since 8th grade, he and his friends used to smoke
every year during their church festival and at the times when he went out with his friends.
During 9th grade, the individual gets caught red- handed for smoking in the class, but
somehow he got away with it without any severe measures or alerting the parents. It should
be taken into note that the individual did his schooling in an English medium school. By 11th
grade he decided to quit this habit and he managed to do it effortlessly. This is a huge blow in
the face of the contemporary notion that once a person gets addicted to drugs or alcohol, they
won’t be able to overcome it without medical help.
 By this time, the individual has his first drink of beer during his 10th grade, in one of
his friend’s birthday. The individual says with delight that he hated his first time, owing to
the foul smell of the drink. With these experiences at hand, the individual goes to an
engineering college.

He is introduced to rum in his first year of college days through another birthday
party. The individual says that he stopped drinking for a funny reason: during his first year,
the individual happen to have a crush on one of his classmates, and one night he gets a dream
where his supposed dream girl chastised him for his drinking habits. Out of fear of rejection
he stops his drinking habit. And he managed to abstain from it for almost an year. During
second year, he proposed his dream girl, but unfortunately, he rejected her. Unable to handle
the heart break, he decides to drink and smoke to alleviate his mental pain. And one of his
friend’s sister’s marriage also happened to fall on the same day, which was fortunate enough
for him to get his hands on drinks and cigars.

That night at the marriage function, the individual drank to his heart’s content, and he
confesses that he felt glad drinking and smoking after a long time and is no longer disgusted
by its foul smell. By now the individual smoked almost every day and even got into the habit
of smoking weed once or twice a month.

During his final year in his engineering course, the individual decided to get a grip in
his life and decided to quit drinking and smoking altogether. The individual had a strong will-
power that enabled him to abstain completely from both the habits. The individual managed
to avert by focusing more on his prayer and spiritual life. To ensure that he stayed healthy,
the individual started frequenting gym. To increase his confidence level, he still continued to
frequent his friend’s gatherings where they smoke and drunk with ease. He stayed true to his
intentions even amidst various temptations and even managed to abstain from them al for a
couple of years. Now the individual works in a construction site in Andha Pradesh, where he
once again resumed his smoking habit, just for the sake of alleviating his boredom.

The individual happens to have a girlfriend now, whom he aspires to marry. He has
once again decided to drop this habit once and for all, because he is well aware that his
girlfriend hates the smell of smoke.

The individual has also shared his view on addiction and the people’s perception
towards him. He believes that the only way to overcome addiction solely lies on his/her ‘self-
control and will-power’. If the person has a compromising character where the person is
unable to hold onto a single notion or decision for a long time.

And nowadays since many prefer other states and districts apart from their native
place for educational and employment purposes, people tend to live far away from their
relatives and parents. As a result, even if the youngsters get into ant drug habits, they are
unlikely to be get caught by their parents or friends. Hence, no one really knows about
anyone.

SECOND CASE

The second individual interviewed for study is 22 year old female, who is currently
pursuing her PG degree in one of the reputed women’s college in Nagercoil. She begins her
confession with the word “Bacarti” which is a famous drink among the peers. During
childhood, the individual hated both drinking and smoking habits and despised people who
were involved in it. As far as she remembers, there is no one in both the sides of her family
who were accustomed to such habits.

She continues to explain how she got into the habit of drinking. During her 11th and
12th grade, the individual faced loneliness and depression as a result of peer pressure certain
health ailments. She asserts that she chose to drink based on her own self preference.

She once got a chance to hang out with a few of her school friends who were
accustomed to drinking habits. They urged her to drink, trying to normalize it. Though
initially she refused on the basis of family’s reputation and health issues, she was tempted
enough to try it out. And the first time she drank it, she threw up. Yet she stood lethargically
and continued on with the next day with no hangover. She said that before throwing up, she
felt so light-headed, as though going through a roller coaster and felt happy. She says that her
limit is 3 pegs now.

During her UG 1st year, she was so constantly into drinking that people saw her weird.
Even her friends circle did not care much about it that they went with it. Despite her parent’s
objection she continued to drink. She happened to have a boyfriend back then who was also
accustomed to drinking and continued to encourage her. When they broke up, her drinking
habit went out of control. Her previous health ailments added to it, affected her health so
seriously that it showed drastic effects on her menstrual cycle.
 Then she got into touch with another set of friends who managed to divert her
attention from drinking towards reading books and watching TV. This helped her to come out
of her addiction. Ever since then whenever she got the urge to drink, she’d take a long bath.

According to her, drinking habit is a personal decision, and she hates smoking
because it could darken the lips, given that the individual is highly health conscious. She
strongly believes that once an addicted person starts doing stuffs that increase body activity,
they will soon become health conscious that will make them avert from drinking habits.
Because the more a person stays still, the more they start to think and the more they are prone
to get tempted.

INFERENCE

These two cases shed light on how teen-relationship and friendship plays a major role
in a person’s addiction and overcoming it. Both the individuals, in a way chose to adopt this
habit on the basis of peer pressure and hype. When they go through a heart-break, they use
this habit of smoking and drinking as their escapade. This breaks the myth once a person gets
into addiction, they could only be saved when they receive treatment from rehabilitation
center.

HOW TO COME OUT OF IT

The more you drink, the more likely you’ll notice other health effects, too, like,
disrupted sleep, digestive issues, memory problems increased anxiety, depression, and
irritability disagreements and other conflict with loved ones. As these effects begin to pile up,
you might wonder if it’s time for a break. A key first step in giving up anything is identifying
why you’re doing it. Some may drink because of the family issues and stress, some may drink
due to break up and so on. Plenty of people use alcohol to numb emotional pain or face
stressful situations more easily. It’s common to drink to lighten tension on a first date or
before a difficult conversation. At some point, it turns into addiction. At the same time, you
have to find whether it really gives you solution to the problems or its adding fuel on the fire.
Next, letting others know about your choice to stop drinking may help motivate you to stick
with your decision. If you truly loved and cared for your loved ones, you can get motivation
from them and soon you can quit it. Family may recommend some recover center and send
him for recovery. The truth is that recovery is a lifelong process that dramatically changes
things for someone in recovery on a daily, if not moment-to-moment, basis. Recovery will
change an individual’s goals, expectations, behavior, and even personality. In turn, this can
cause changes in loved ones and relationships. The best way a loved one can help an addict is
to educate themselves on the many aspects of addiction and recovery, such as potential
triggers, health issues, enablement, the recovery process, and the psychological changes that
addiction causes. Loved ones will find it much easier to relate to and assist a recovering
addict if they understand addiction. The support of loved ones is often critical to a recovering
addict maintaining their sobriety. For example

1) Removing all addictive substances from the home.

2) Avoiding social gatherings where substance abuse will occur.

3) Finding new, sober activities to do together.

4) Putting a focus on new aspects of life.

5) Building relationships with sober friends. Added to that, they often take up more and more
of the slack, financially, emotionally, and with regards to responsibilities such as chores and
childcare. This often continues in recovery, particularly in the early days when the recovering
addict is focusing on rebuilding a new, sober life. However, this can also be exceptionally
draining after a while. Often, friends and family of addicts devote so much of their time and
energy into helping someone that they neglect themselves. Therapy, counseling, and activities
such as yoga are very helpful. Now a days, priests and sisters are willing to help them. Priests
are organising many programs to create awareness on alcoholic addiction and drug addicts.
Most of the priests and nuns are giving opportunities to attend free counseling which helps
alcoholics to recover from the addiction. More to say, they are using meditation, therapy,
prayer and religion as their weapons. Apart from religious, many organisations come forward
to create awareness as well as helping them financially. Even though, all are taking efforts to
release him from the alcoholic addiction, he should motivation himself. He should understand
that there is set back behind every problem or fall. Self-motivation too played a important
role once you decided to stop drinking. Addiction is a terrible condition, and it is especially
terrible for the loved ones that live with an addict or alcoholic. Luckily, recovery is possible.
Every year, millions of people find the help that they need to get started living a better life.
Once you identify your biggest risks, you can create a plan to prepare for or avoid them.
Some common triggers may include:

 Stress
 Emotional distress
  Environmental cues
 People who are still using drugs or drinking
 Relationship troubles
 Job or financial problems
 In this case, avoid old routines and habits.

It stands to reason that if you quit your drug of choice but continue with your same
routine, hanging around the same people and places, and not making any changes in your
circumstances, it will be much easier to slip back into your old behaviors and habits.

Some of the immediate changes you will need to make will be obvious—like not hanging
around the people that you used with or obtained drugs from. After all, you can't hang around
your drug dealer or old drinking buddies and expect to remain sober for very long. You may
also need to change your route to work or home in order to avoid any triggers, or people,
places, or things that make you want to use drugs or drink again. There are some groups
known as support group. If you find it difficult to make new, sober friends, try joining a
support group. Spending more time with supportive loved ones and planning activities for the
entire family can also help you develop a healthier lifestyle and avoid situations in which you
would normally drink or use drugs.

It is also important to seek help from a therapist. A mental health professional can help
you cope with some of the challenges you'll face on your path to sobriety.

A therapist can help you learn new coping skills, develop new thinking patterns, and
address any co-occurring mental health conditions that may make recovery more difficult.

Develop a structured schedule, having a chaotic or disorganized lifestyle can also hinder
your recovery. It's important to develop a structured daily and weekly schedule and stick to it.

A structured routine will help you achieve other goals in your life, whether short-term
like being on time for work or long-term like going back to school and changing careers.

Staying sober is a high priority, but developing and pursuing other goals can help you
maintain that sobriety. Then practice healthy living.

Chronically misusing drugs and alcohol can take a major toll on your physical and
emotional health, and now that you're in recovery, you'll want to prioritize self-care and
ensure you have the fortitude to remain sober. Keys to a healthy lifestyle include:
-Exercising regularly

-Making time for recreational -activities and hobbies

-Eating regular, well-balanced meals

-Getting ample, quality sleep

-Practicing relaxation strategies, like -mindfulness meditation and yoga

After that, you have to focus on your finances. People in recovery from a substance
use disorder frequently have problems meeting work-related responsibilities, maintaining
employment, and managing money. If you were active in your addiction for a period of time,
you may have developed financial problems.

Financial troubles and problems finding and keeping employment are major triggers
for relapse6—but it is possible to take baby steps and get your finances in order. Just keep in
mind that your improvements won't happen overnight. Once you do return to work, it's
important to create a budget and take steps to safeguard yourself as work stress can be a
relapse trigger. After that, deal with past Mistakes. Most people who make their way into
recovery have left a lot of pain and suffering in their wake. Feeling guilty or shameful for
past behavior or actions during active addiction is pretty natural and healthy.

Shame is described as having negative beliefs about yourself and your self-worth.
Guilt is having negative feelings about your past behavior. People in recovery can experience
a lot of shame simply for having become addicted in the first place.To avoid relapse and stay
sober, it's important that you take the necessary steps to learn from your past mistakes and
begin to live life more responsibly. Further to say, people new to recovery can find
themselves approaching their new diet, exercise program, job, and even participation in
support groups with a compulsion that echoes addiction.

Although their new activities are healthy and productive, they can be a stumbling
block to lasting recovery if they become a transfer addiction to fill the void left by the
original addiction. The secret is to find a healthy balance and to gain control over everything
in your life and all of your choices.

The key is to learn that you have choices and that you can maintain control. If any
area of your life is out of control, it will not help you maintain lasting sobriety. Research
shows that about one-third of people who are treated for alcohol problems have no further
symptoms 1 year later. Many others substantially reduce their drinking and report fewer
alcohol-related problems. Many health professionals can play a role in treatment. Below is a
list of providers and the type of care they may offer. They are known as Primary Care
Provider, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Social Worker, and Alcohol Counselor.

To conclude, recovery from alcohol addiction is not a impossible one, if you believe in
yourself, everything is possible.

CONCLUSION

Alcohol is not an ordinary commodity. While it carries connotations of pleasure and

sociability in the minds of many, harmful consequences of its use are diverse and widespread.
From a global perspective, in order to reduce the harm caused by alcohol, policies need to
take into account specific situations in different societies. Average volumes consumed and
patterns of drinking are two dimensions of alcohol consumption that need to be considered in
efforts to reduce the burden of alcohol-related problems. Avoiding the combination of
drinking and driving is an example of measures that can reduce the health burden of alcohol.
Worlwide, alcohol takes an enormous toll on lives and communities, especially in developing
countries and its contribution to the overall burden of disease is expected to increase in the
future. Particularly worrying trends are the increases in the average amount of alcohol
consumed per person in countries such as China and India and the more harmful and risky
drinking patterns among young people.

National monitoring systems need to be developed to keep track of alcohol

consumption and its consequences, and to raise awareness amongst the public and policy-
makers. It is up to both governments and concerned citizens to encourage debate and
formulate effective public health policiesthat minimize the harm caused by alcohol.

Drug Addiction is a complex problem that affects every aspect of the life.
Overcoming addiction requires reaching out for support and making changes to the way one
live, deal with problems, and relate to others. Recovery is within one's reach but don’t
try to go it alone; it’s very easy to get discouraged and rationalize “just one more.”

Whether one choose to go to rehab, rely on self-help programs, get therapy, or take a
self-directed treatment approach, support is essential.