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A myth is a traditional story containing ideas or beliefs not founded on fact. A misconception is a wrong interpretation. There are many myths and misconceptions about substance abuse. Physicians who don't specialize in the treatment of drug dependency may not fully understand the process. It is a disease that families try to hide and neighbors never mention.
Medical schools are spending more time educating the physician, and treatment centers are available. Because so many celebrities have come forward and admitted they have a problem, everyone is more enlightened. Let's explore some of the myths and misconceptions that have been part of our society and culture.
Misconception: Cold Showers Will Make a Person Sober
Some people are of the mistaken belief that a cold shower or coffee will make a person sober. This is not true. The alcohol has to be absorbed throughout the system, and the rate of absorption depends upon the weight and age of the person and how much alcohol was consumed. Only time takes care of that.
Myth: Drugs Will Enhance Sexual Functioning
This is not true. Alcohol disturbs the physiological capacity for sex. Shakespeare said it best, "Alcohol provokes the desire, but takes away the performance." Inhibitions may disappear, but alcohol interferes with a male's erection.
Misconception: Substance Abusers Are Untreatable
Some health care practitioners do not want to treat substance abusers. They have the attitude, "he could stop this habit if he wanted to." They do not understand addiction is a disease and requires treatment and support.
Myth: Alcohol Is Mainly a Sedative
Taken in small quantities, alcohol is a stimulant. In large quantities, it is a sedative. In all amounts, alcohol has a high calorie count.
Myth: All Substance Abusers Have Problems
All humans have problems, this is a fact of life. These problems will be aggravated by drugs. Addicts can suffer deep guilt, confusion and low self-esteem. Because of the substance abuser's inherited biological and physiological makeup, he reacts to situations in an exaggerated way, compounding the problems.
Myth: A Person Has to Hit Bottom Before He Can Be Helped
This is not true. Most substance abusers are incapable of stopping and cannot think rationally. Most recovered substance abusers are forced into treatment either by their family or by the law. Self-motivation occurs during the treatment.
Myth: A Recovered Alcoholic Can Drink Normally
This is not true. An alcoholic can never safely return to drinking in any amount, because the addiction can be triggered.
Misconception: Recreational Drug Use Is Not Dangerous
Recreational drug use is very dangerous, because of impure, untested ingredients in the drug. It only has to happen once!
Myth: When a Person Ages, He Becomes Mentally Incompetent
This is not true. Everyone ages on a different time frame. Usually physical strength deteriorates before cognitive ability. Many people stay bright and alert when they are one hundred years of age.
Myth: Talking About Depression Only Makes It Worse
This is not true. Talking over problems with a friend clarifies the situation. Being able to express feelings may help attain new insight. If friends cannot help, they may encourage the addict to obtain professional help. Concern and uncritical support bolster a person.
Myth: People Who Talk About Suicide Don't Commit Suicide
This is not true. Many people who commit suicide have given several warnings to family and friends. Some people even talk about a plan for suicide. Take all these signs seriously. Tell a responsible person about what you have heard.
Myth: Teenagers Don't Suffer From Real Depression
False. Depression can affect people at any age or of any race, ethnic or economic group.
Myth: Reporting to a Responsible Person About Suicide Threats Is Betraying a Trust
This is not true. Depression saps energy and self-esteem and interferes with a person's ability or wish to get help. Hopelessness overpowers him. He needs the help of a concerned person.
Myth: Alcoholism Is Caused by Social Conditions
People do not become alcoholics because of poverty, unemployment, homelessness or other poor social conditions. It is the result of addiction. Social conditions and social class may create differences in attitudes and behavior, but poor social conditions play absolutely no role in the cause of addiction.
Myth: He Can't Be an Alcoholic, He Never Gets Nauseated
This is not true. His tolerance is high, so he doesn't have hangovers or get nauseated. This indicates he is at high risk for substance abuse.
Misconception: Advertising Doesn't Influence Substance Abuse
The beer, wine and alcohol business is big business and successful advertising campaigns add to their profits. Their goal is to plant images in America's mind that will make a person think that if he drinks, he, too, will get the role, win the girl, or be successful in a career.
Myth: Substance Abuse Makes Weak, Ineffective Members of Society
Actually, the reverse is true, namely, the addict uses drugs as a coping method. Because of the individual personality structure, some people learn to deal with problems with the use of drugs. It is the long-time use and physical changes to the body that make a person ineffective.
Myth: Narcotics Destroy Morality
The morals of the addict do not change from those he learned as a child. However, a person may use rationalization and steal for money to support his habit.
Myth: Women Who Drink Live in the Slums
This is not true. Part of the folklore that surrounded that myth was the picture of the alcoholic woman with unkempt hair and a dirty bathrobe. Her house is a mess. That image changed when women celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minelli and Kitty Dukakis went public with the news of their addiction to alcohol and pain pills.
Myth: Drunk Drivers Don't Get Hurt in Accidents
Some people think that alcohol limbers up a person and protects him from serious harm. The opposite is true. The drinker's injuries are likely to be worse than the nondrinker's, and head injuries are more likely to be fatal because alcohol makes brain tissue swell, adding insult to injury. Surprisingly, drinkers tend to sustain severe injuries even in low-speed, low-damage crashes, which suggests that the mere presence of alcohol in the blood enhances the degree of any injury that occurs.
Myth: Addiction Is Contagious
Addiction in and of itself is not contagious. However, if you associate with people who take drugs, you may tend to also. "Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are."
Myth: Once an Addict, Always an Addict
Many addicts who receive treatment and support are curable.
Myth: Alcoholism Causes Dehydration
It is commonly believed that alcoholism causes dehydration. It does not. If anything, heavy drinkers may be slightly over hydrated because of the large volume of fluid they consume. When a person has a dry mouth and thirst after drinking, it may be because of the astringent affect of alcohol on the mucous membrane of the mouth.