Research Research and More Research (Addiction to Drugs and Alcohol)

The second part of my post is on both addictions I'm covering.

Alcohol and drug abuse, dependency affect 27% of the U.S. population. Alcoholism and drug addiction are both referred to as diseases. This is because of the affect addiction has on the entire body, and the addicted person's inability to stop using the substance. Drugs are usually highly addictive, but alcohol is addictive based on the persons body. Because of this mental illnesses and alcoholism go and in hand. Many families with alcoholism believe that mental illness proceeds addictions. This does not mean that all addicts are mentally ill though. It is understandable that most addicts would rather be called "junkies" than "crazy".

Addiction makes family life very hard. Families with addictions tend to wall themselves off from the rest of the world and present a very false front.

Secunda, Victoria. When Madness Comes Home: Help and Hope for Families of the Mentally Ill. New York: Hyperion, 1998. Print.