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WHAT IS ADDICTION?

All addictive drugs have two things in common: They produce an initial pleasurable effect, followed by a rebound unpleasant effect; and they create a chemical imbalance that results in a physical demand for the drug.

Alcohol and other drugs produce a positive feeling at first, but when the effect wears off, it leaves a person with opposite feelings of depression and irritability. The body's normal production of chemicals in the brain, which ordinarily produce feelings of pleasure, are suppressed, sending the brain into a state of depression. It physically demands more of the drug to go back to "normal'' and feel good again. This pleasure/tension cycle leads to physical loss of control over the use of alcohol and other drugs - which subsequently leads to addiction.

Figure 1 is a simplified way of looking at the brain's Normal Reward System. On the left we see the various drives and needs of the body, such as hunger, sex, thirst and friendship. When these drives are satisfied, or when pain is relieved, a signal is sent to a certain type of brain cell that manufactures a chemical substance that can signal reward. When these monitoring cells have been stimulated, a signal is sent to the tip where a small amount of this reward chemical is released. The chemical (or neurotransmitter) reaches and stimulates the reward center, causing a feeling of well-being.

Figure 2 shows the effects that alcohol and drugs have on the brain's reward system. Alcohol and other drugs produce an artificial feeling of pleasure. Most addictive drugs are able to produce pleasurable effects by chemically mimicking certain normal brain messenger chemicals, which produce positive feelings in response to signals from the brain.

For example, a narcotic drug that mimics endorphin (body's natural pain reliever) directly stimulates the reward center. This short-circuits the survival mechanisms because the reward center cell can't identify between the drug and the natural chemical messenger. The result is dependence on the immediate, fast, predictable drug, which at the same time is short-circuiting the body's interest in, and motivation to make, life's normal rewards work.

When the alcohol or drug molecules enter the blood stream, they cause the artificial release of chemical messengers for positive feelings. What happens is a feeling of satisfaction, well-being and relief. The system automatically sends a signal of positive reward to the memory of this activity, implanting the first of many pleasure hooks into the memory. Alcohol and other drugs lie to the Reward Center and the Monitor Cell. The cell adapts to the excess stimulating effect of the alcohol or drug by shutting down production of the brains’s natural chemicals to try to keep a balance.

The first association with alcohol or other drugs is locked in the subconscious memory. The subconscious learns through immediate association (i.e., using cocaine gives almost immediate pleasure). The subconscious remembers that first initial ''high" and actually forces you to want to recapture it. The chemically dependent begins to use more and has to work harder to get less and less pleasurable effect, ultimately crashing. As tolerance develops to the euphoric effects, higher and higher doses of alcohol or drugs are needed to get pleasurable effects.

The longer the addictive substance is used, the more the body's normal chemistry is suppressed. Eventually, natural reward messenger chemical production is almost completely shut down. As shown in Figure 3, if the substance is removed at this time, there will be feelings of panic. This extreme state of irritability, tension and anxiety is part of the withdrawal symptoms. During this time, attempts at meeting the normal survival needs don't register satisfaction in the brain's reward system because the messenger for satisfaction has been suppressed by the addictive substance. Instead, the central survival mechanism sends out a panic signal to the body is in extreme distress.

The severity and length of withdrawal symptoms will vary depending on the amount of damage to the normal reward system. The most common symptoms are craving, irritability, loss of energy, depression, fearfulness, need for sleep, difficulty sleeping, shaking, nausea, palpitations, sweating, hyperventilation and increased appetite. These symptoms can last for several weeks. However with medical treatment, these symptoms can be handled and eliminated much more quickly.

Alcohol and other addictive drugs are able to short-circuit your survival system by artificially stimulating the reward center, or pleasure areas, in your brain without anything beneficial happening to your body. As this happens, the dependence leads to increased confidence in the addictive substance and less confidence in the normal rewards of life. This first happens on a physical level before the person affected you psychologically. More and more confidence is placed in the alcohol or drug while other survival feelings are ignored and bypassed. The result is a lack of concern for, and confidence in, other areas of life. People, places and activities involved with using alcohol or drugs become more important. While people, places and activities that worked through your normal reward system, before using alcohol or other drugs, become less important to you. In fact, after awhile, the alcoholic or heavy drug user will actually resent people, places and activities which do not fit in with their alcohol or drug use. It is at this point that physical dependence settles in.

Notice in the beginning, the pleasure impressions in the memory were quite small. But as the natural chemistry becomes more and more suppressed, the survival mechanism receives a greater and greater feeling of pleasure through the use of the drug. Furthermore, as the drug starts to relieve the withdrawal, the addicted person feels, "I needed that.'' And so the subconscious memory is learning through the body that the drug is not only something that is pleasurable, but something that is needed just to make it through the day.

The memory works like a CD or DVD storage device and stores all that the body experiences. At some time later, when "signaled," physical experiences stored in the memory can be played back. Repetition strengthens memory. Through repetition, the pleasant effects of alcohol and other drugs and the relief of painful withdrawal become strongly programmed into the survival mechanism.

Schick Shadel's unique treatment for alcoholism and drug addiction is designed to help the memory with the training it needs to break the hold of past pleasurable memories. The program uses aversion therapy, which dovetails negative memory experiences with the sight, smell and taste of alcohol or other drugs. This process helps create a negative response to the addictive substance and encourages the redevelopment of a natural reward system. After the Schick Program, new associations recorded in the subconscious memory are able to block previous associations with alcohol and/or other drugs.

Schick Shadel has over 70 years experience treating addiction. Schick's #1 Success Rated* program for alcohol addiction is the basis for the Schick treatment for other drug addictions. Treatment usually consists of 10 days of inpatient medical treatment and two follow-ups scheduled approximately 30 days and 90days after discharge. In addition, there is an ongoing continue care support available. Our alcohol rehab and drug rehab programs consistently produce success rates over 70%.

Schick has studied habit formation and addiction through medical research. Our research found that aversion therapy (retraining the memory against the pleasurable aspects of using alcohol or drugs) has produced excellent results. The key to the treatment program is our caring, compassionate staff combined with a program based on sound medical principles.

The Schick alcohol rehab and drug rehab program consists of alternating days of aversion therapy treatment under medical supervision and relaxing sleep therapy. Intensive educational meetings are held for patients and family members, and patients receive individual counseling and group counseling. Our alcohol treatment program is among the best, and our success rates prove this.

Positive feedback from staff and fellow patient helps compound a positive attitude towards self and life. Treatment includes restoring the natural reward system with nutrition, exercise and rest. After medical treatment, a positive future is mapped by development of a continuing care plan. Our patients are helped to refocus on true friends, develop habits of reacting through supportive people, and when feeling bad and avoid people, places and activities that were strongly associated with alcohol/drug use. New, positive associations with people, places and activities that were not connected to alcohol/drug use are encouraged. The course is now set for learning to overcome denial by no longer blaming yourself, or others, for problems caused by alcohol or drug use.

Treatment involves retraining the alcoholic or addict against the alcohol/drug and toward a non-drinking/non-drug lifestyle. A short period of hospitalization is primarily necessary to assure that the addict's craving and drive to use have been neutralized safely and effectively. Schick Shadel's version of alcohol rehab and drug rehab targets the receptors which cause an individual to use chemicals in a dysfunctional manner.

The memory remains programmed to use unless something changes it. At Schick Shadel Hospital, the change can occur in a matter of days. A carefully timed and controlled program of alternating days of mild aversion therapy and minimal sedation assisted interview therapy helps relieve the desire to use. Gradually, the subconscious memory is reprogrammed to link drug/alcohol use with discomfort, and gradually the compulsion for the substance is relieved.

At the same time, the patient and family has learned about this disease and necessity to keep free of the drug's hold. A systematic plan for the patient's recovery extending for two years after discharge has been developed. The patient is now ready to make use of the support resources available in the community. Our alcohol rehab and drug rehab programs give you the support you need to make it through the rough patches of sobriety.

Aversion therapy does not make it impossible to use — it makes it possible not to use. Aversion therapy restores your free will. The stronghold of the craving is broken. Our alcohol treatment program is one of the top alcohol treatment programs in the country.

*Based on results of a verified, independent survey of former patients success being measured as total abstinence for one year and assessed by self-evaluation, as against published success rates from verified, comparable studies of other medical institutions.