General Psychology

Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Many people in the world suffer from drug and alcohol addiction. There are many different causes and effects of addiction. Understanding the causes and effects of addiction can lead to treatment and or cures for them. Some people believe that nature; which refers to heredity, or the influence of inherited characteristics causes addiction. (Ciccarelli and Meyer, 2006). My theory is that nurture; which refers to the influence of the environment, plays a part in it as well.

Often times it’s difficult to spot an addict. Some of the signs of being an addict are; mood, body language, and appearance. The mood of an addict can go from mean and angry, if they need a drink or drugs to calm their nerves, or they can be upbeat and very happy, if they are high on drugs or alcohol. Sometimes depending on the type of personality of the addict, they can become very depressed, even when they are high. The body language of someone that is high on drugs or alcohol is often apparent in their eyes, they are often vacant and void of the presence. Often times the eyes communicate an emptiness, loneliness or despair, such as in someone that is depressed. Sometime the pupils of the eyes are dilated, and the person can’t stay focused. (Answers.Yahoo.Com)

The appearance of an addict can be an indication that they are using. They will often let their hair grow long and not comb it, or they are just unkempt looking overall. Sometimes they won’t bathe for several days. They often show a lack of enthusiasm for their appearance or life in general. If a person is on drugs such as methamphetamine, they will often develop sores on their bodies from picking at their skin. (Answers.Yahoo.Com)

There is still much debate about the causes of addiction, that are not fully known, and as stated above there is the controversy of “Nature vs. Nurture”. The debate lies in the facts that there is the physical addiction and the psychological addiction, and many factors can...