On May 18th, 2007 Siobhan Morse wrote:

Perhaps the most important feature of addiction is that the addict does not recognize the symptoms of the disease or its progression. Although family and friends may see the effects of a loved one's use on his or her life, the individual themself often experiences the impact(s) as an almost natural process, oblivious to the downward spiral that his or her life has become. The incipient and subtle nature of the disease process for so many is what keeps them in a state of denial. Very few individuals begin at the "bottom". What family and friends often witness is a slow and progressive, yet persistent decline in the individuals affect, values and self-image which is reflected in the behaviors that the individual exhibits. More often than not there is not a steep drop, but a slow and steady decline - baby steps - down at an ever-increasing pace, much the way an individual's pace would increase walking down a steep incline.
This is perhaps the deadliest feature of the disease because it makes it so easy to remain in denial.

On May 23rd, 2007 Meghan Gorchoff wrote:

The slow and progressive decline, the concious-dampening and malignant downward spiral, is, as the above writer stated, subtle. Subtle too is the development of mindfulness (present moment awareness), one tangible solution to WORKING the walk toward full recovery. Finding a place of calm is integral to confronting uncomfortable feelings, those formerly quelled by the honey of avoidance, one\\\\\\\'s substance of choice. Something equally tangible must replace the elixir, a \\\\\\\"something\\\\\\\" to access, a guide, a warm body of the mind. As one in treatment is repeatedly reminded, life after treatment remains the same. Troubling events occur, daily stressors ensue, and with these circumstances,the urge to use will rise.

Rise and fall. Just as pain and happiness wax and wane with the solacious sea, so too will the urge to use. It gets easier over time, this clutch-ready urge. The voice of addiction becomes softer and gentler as awareness of the present moment is cultivated. The mind becomes accustomed to changing its relationship with thoughts. Thoughts beget thoughts, and are this only, just thoughts (rather than defintions of self). The creative mind may tempt one to consider to use again when emotions become seemingly umanageable during recovery. This is anxiety, a core contigent in the human experience.

It has a voice encouraging change. This change, if one is open to acquiring freedom from further suffering, is about developing mindful awareness of the impermanence of all emotions. The honey of before, the catalyst for the subtle downward spiral, is slowly born as bold and brawny as the honey of the Now.

On Jun 18th, 2007 Gloria wrote:

that's the good advise and information regarding drugs and its effect to the body. I'would like to know more about handling disclosure.

On Nov 8th, 2007 Eric Roberts wrote:

The question that every person will ask who cares of someone who is an addict is how can they be promoted to dissolve there disease and the answer is for the addictee to be witheld for detoxification a nutritionally suited diet and time for councilling to readjust the mentality to ongoing health. Unfortunatly legal services within Britain are destructive due to there short term paltry consideration of care that does no more than instigate a deeper addictive trait that proves irreversible and it is unforgivable I have a friend a young lady who will fatally overdose her chance of coming to her senses is under present guidelines is zero.

On Jan 3rd, 2008 AlanABQ wrote:

It seems almost as though there are 3 distinct levels of addiction: The recovering addict, the semi-functioning addict, and the non-functioning addict. The latter two are just a bit removed from each other, as crossing the line between keeping it under control/somewhat hidden and going on a binge is frighteningly easy to do.