Thread: Chemically Dependent

I don't think its as simple as saying that anyone who has negative effects from substance use and continues using it is dependant. Is a coffee drinker a dependant because his teeth turned yellow? Same goes for a smoker.

It has a lot more to do with your ability to lead a normal life, whatever that may mean to you. If you lose your job, your home, or your family, and those things were important to you, but you continue to use the drug that caused it, then you're dependant.

However, if you can still show up to work on time, still take care of your family, pay your bills, then your just a drug user, not a drug dependant.

Simply saying it's "street drugs" is narrowing it down by a lot. Perhaps not even in the 10% range.

Technically, we are all breathing, and therefore chemically dependent. By breathing we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. We need to breath to live day to day.

Our bodies are wired to be chemically dependent even before we escape the womb. If our entire basis of existence is built on chemicals, then who;s to say we aren't all dependent?

@zorn
I agree with your first point, because to a degree, anything and everything can have a negative consequence. And just because you experience that doesn't mean you need to discontinue use.

What if you felt like you could not go to work on time (ect.) without said drug... then are you dependant?

@ noedeath
I agree.
Which is why I find that emphasizing the danger or the immorality of street drugs over other (sometimes just as dangerous) chemicals is a faulty practice.

actually now Pm tablets are considered drugs, since its been found most people are using perscription or over the counter drugs to get high. As others use it to make meth labs.

but considering people in general our whole beings are produced from chemical dependices to function.
it really all depends on what type of chemical your taking and if your using it to the point that its hurting your body. What the thing is though what is the chemical thats used? it could be a good thing for someone because it keeps them going to keep their life in a normal order, while for others their whole life shuts down and just revolves around that drug if and when it gets to that point.

for me i am in both catagories i need bi-polar and depressant pills to keep my balances correct to go the day and be basically normal.
But for the last year and a half ive been going in and out of coke addictions that have made my life worse than it should ever be and rehad which has made my life alot harder because i became dependent on it to run my life.

I usually see it as being dependent on a substance when you're suffering from withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking the said substance.

Originally Posted by Peach_follows

How do you define chemical dependency?

From my understanding, there is many ways in which chemical dependancy can be defined.

I'd take this and run with it. xD I think it sums it all up in two sentences.
Kindof like the questionning answering the question. xD

That quote also sums up my entire view on the thing as well. <3

Wow, never noticed this topic. I'm totally late.

Originally Posted by Peach_follows

How do you define chemical dependency?

I live in Minnesota. Land of 10,000 lakes. And 10,000 drug treatment facilities.
From my understanding, there is many ways in which chemical dependancy can be defined.

Some people say to be chemically dependant is continued use of a any substance despite negative consequences.

By this definition, if you over-eat, and gain to an unhealthy weight, aren't you chemically dependent? Food is a substance. How about smoking? If you continue smoking despite the negative consequence of it ABSOLUTELY deteriorating your health... Aren't you chemically dependent? (Funny thing, many AA groups have smokers meetings. Also there is a designated place both to smoke and keep your cigarettes in inpatient Drug Treatment facilities. My current out patient Chem. Dep. Treatment takes a "smoke break" during groups).

Another definition I have heard for Chemical Dependency Is the feeling or belief that you can not function or handle daily living without a substance... in other words... you feel you need it.

Many people view only street drugs in this light.

If you feel you can not function without your daily cup of coffee. Or your anti-depressant or other prescribed drug... Aren't you Chemically Dependent? Cant sleep without your tylenol PM? Why don't they have treatment facilities that address these issues?

In simple words: YES.

I do agree with you that there are many things that could be considered chemically dependent, including the ones you stated.
Since every consumable item is made out of chemicals, we could state that most foods are a lower-case drug. Everything our body can intake could be considered a drug.

Afterall, every single item we breathe, eat, drink, swallow, etc - all those things affect our body - causing a reaction. That reaction could be physical, mental, emotional, a combination, or all of the above.
That reaction, whether good or bad, is still considered influential.

Now what matters is how much does it affect you?

Smoking affects you heavily, as the signs are quite obvious.
But then again, so does consuming junk food.
So does eating a lotta' pot roast.

All of those affect you, but how negative are the effects?

Almost everything your body can intake has a negative affect - but it can be balanced out.
In nature, all carnivores don't just eat meat all day - they also require other foods to help the digestion process. Some even have specific "rituals" in order to balance everything.

So in that sense, though everything can have a negative affect, there's also a balancing item that equalizes your body to a "normal state".
...nutritionists DEMAND that you keep your body well-balanced.

...but not everything is as obvious as it seems... some people believe that by putting a lot of veggies on their burger, they're balancing out the affects of the meat... no, they're just adding more stuff for the body to digest. It'll definitely have left-overs that turn into fat.

Ah, but I'm getting off-topic.

What about "major drugs"? Can't we balance them out?
.......yes, but it takes a lot to balance them out. We're pushing it already by taking those substances. Caffeine included.

The body doesn't require to be a vegetarian to be healthy, it requires a healthy balance - and most extreme things are just too hard for the body to balance. Even if you could balance it, it creates a lot of stress for the body - making your lifespan shorter anyways.
Either way, it's bad for you.

So in my definition, Chemically Dependent is being dependent on certain chemicals, or on certain combinations of several chemicals. And it doesn't have to be a "major drug".

-some people can be dependent on smoking tobacco, some just are obsessed over Whoppers.