DE-ADDICTION THROUGH RAJYOGA MEDITATION

Addiction is a complex problem, affecting not only the physical and mental health of individuals, but also their families and social environment. There are a lot of misconceptions and a fair bit of uncertainty about the nature addictions, they're of how caused, what course they follow and how best to treat them. This section/page will shine some light on the key issues. Addiction is a chronic disorder proposed to be precipitated by a combination of genetic, biological or pharmacological, and social factors. Addiction is characterized by the repeated use of substances or behaviors despite clear evidence of morbidity secondary to such use. There is a lack of consensus as to what may properly be termed 'addiction.' Some within the medical community maintain a rigid definition of addiction and contend that the term is only applicable to a process of escalating drug or alcohol use as a result of repeated exposure. However, addiction is often applied to compulsive behaviors other than drug use, such as overeating, sex or gambling. In all cases, the term addiction describes a chronic pattern of behavior that continues and is perceived to be hard or impossible to quit at any time. It is quite common for an addict to express the desire to stop the behavior, but find himself or herself unable to cease. Addiction is often characterized by an ongoing effort to use more (drug or behavior), tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms in the absence of the stimulus. Many drugs and behaviors that provide either pleasure or relief from pain pose a risk of addiction or dependency. If you ask anyone what an addiction is, they'll probably say it's being unable to stop using a substance, for example an illegal drug such as heroin, or maybe alcohol. Perhaps the best example is cigarette smoking. Anyone who has ever smoked will recognize the strong sense of compulsion to light up, particularly in situations where this is not allowed, such as in an aero-plane. These aspects of addiction have a physiological basis related to how the substance acts on the brain and a psychological aspect relating to the reasons for taking the substance (such as smoking to improve concentration). The medical community now makes a careful theoretical distinction between physical dependence (characterized by symptoms of withdrawal) and psychological dependence (or simply addiction). Most addictions take time to develop and almost no one deliberately sets out to become addicted to a substance. What happens is a person's consumption progresses through several stages. Following initiation - maybe to experiment to see what the substance is like - a person may go on to use the substance again, and perhaps begin to use on an occasional then regular basis. Meanwhile, the amount that's consumed may also begin to increase. For some substances, the body rapidly becomes tolerant of a dose taken and the user will increase the amount to achieve a desired effect.