The movie Losing Isaiah tells the story of a young woman who is addicted to cocaine. Khaila is the mother of a newborn son, Isaiah, who she struggles to care for and support due to her addiction. Her addiction makes her irresponsible and desperate, which causes her to make the wrong decisions concerning her son. One night, Khaila leaves her son at trash can with the hopes that she will find him there in the morning. However, when she came back to check on him the following morning, she finds that he is missing and assumes that he died. Later Isaiah is adopted by a caring family, and Khaila received was signed into a rehabilitation center which ultimately helped her get clean and saved her life. In this paper, the addictive behaviors and treatment approach for cocaine addicts will be explored.
Additive Behavior and its Causes among Cocaine Addicts
Addictive behaviors are actions that are repeatedly displayed by an individual who depends on a substance to function. Thus, a person with an addiction problem does not have conscious control of their thoughts or actions and are often compelled to seek the assistance of a specific substance to go about their day. Their obsession affects their relationship with others, health and career. According to Nephew and Febo (2012), cocaine use among mothers is linked to mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. Thus, the adverse effects of the drugs on the mother can be seen on their maternal behavior. In Khaila's case, her cocaine addiction interfered with her responsibilities as an adult and mother. Although she was aware of her duties as Isaiah's mother, Khaila could not control her obsession with cocaine, which made her less responsive to her son. Her irresponsible behaviors eventually put her son at risk of neglect.
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Cocaine dependence individuals have a compulsive nature of acting out if they do not get a dose of the drug. The compulsion drives them to continuously use the drug irrespective of its negative impacts in their lives. Individuals that are addicted to cocaine thrive in the psychological relief they get when they are under the influence of the drug. When a cocaine addict is high, they lose control of their behaviors as the substance controls them. For instance, when Khaila was in desperate need of getting high, she did not care about the safety and well-being of her child or herself; thus, she would do anything to get a shot of cocaine to satisfy her craving. Even though she was making bad choices regarding her son's safety, Khaila did not seek professional help and instead would seek consolation from the drug. When she found that her son was missing from the trash can, Khaila does not go to the authorities to report, but desperately gets high on cocaine.
Additive behavior of cocaine addicts also stealing. Since addicts cannot maintain a steady job, they may begin stealing to fund their addiction or feed themselves. In Khaila's case, after she could not find her son at the trash can, she gets high and is arrested for shoplifting. According to Nephew and Febo (2012), individuals that are dependent on a substance, do not feel normal and will often act out character. The psychological dependence of cocaine forces the addict to seek activities that please them, therefore, while Khaila was under the influence of the drug she considered shoplifting as an act that would fulfill her either emotionally, psychologically or physically. Due to the irrational behaviors of addicts, they often get in trouble with law enforcement for public disruption or illegal activities.
Treatment Approaches for Cocaine Addiction
Cocaine addiction is treatable, and the addict can achieve total remission. It is advisable for individuals with an addiction to seek medical help at rehabilitation centers. When Khaila was arrested, she was sent to a rehabilitation facility where she got sober and began working as a housekeeper. The recovery process for a cocaine addict is long-term and requires a lot of effort to ensure that one does not relapse. However, relapse is considered as part of the recovery process, and appropriate treatment regimens are provided to the patients to ensure that they can prevent and manage the re-current use. Moreover, since recovery is not expected to occur instantly, any moderate improvements are acknowledged as important symptoms of progress.
There are numerous programs designed to assist addicts in recovering from their addictive behaviors, by replacing them with positive acts that enable them to overcome the urge to use a drug. Psychological intervention programs for cocaine addiction include cognitive behavioral therapy, counseling and relapse treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy enables the recovering addict to understand that negative behaviors and actions are not rational. Therapists assist patients in recognizing the causes of such behaviors and feelings from their past experiences or surroundings. When an addict understands why they are inclined to use a substance, and the emotions and feelings elicited by the substance – they are better informed on how to overcome the addiction.
Through therapy, Khaila was able to recognize her negative behaviors and thoughts, and why she used cocaine to numb these feelings. Her addictive behaviors were elicited by the impulse to numb the negative emotions of fear and guilt that she internalized. Therefore, she used cocaine as a form of "medication" to health the painful feelings that she had within her. Counseling programs help addicts to understand how their addiction affects the different areas of their lives. For instance, Khaila could recognize how her cocaine addiction had affected her relationship with others and her parental responsibilities. Through counseling, addicts become aware of how substance abuse has disrupted their role in the society, including their work skills, mental health and familial roles.
Relapse prevention is an effective treatment program since the patient is regularly monitored to ensure that they are making improvements towards recovery. According to Nephew and Febo (2012), cocaine addiction is associated with chronic and mild relapsing; thus, pharmacological agents have been introduced to treat clients. Therefore, individuals with a cocaine dependence problem may be put under medication to mitigate their desire to use the drug and prevent them from relapsing while under the treatment program. Moreover medication used to treat addiction mainly targets re-current disorders such as anxiety and depression, which may inspire a person to abuse drugs. Group therapy and peer support programs also help an addict to recover and prevent them from re-using the drug when faced with emotional or psychological challenges. Additionally, family therapies are also useful as they assist the recovering addict to repair relationships that may have been damaged due to their addiction.
Conclusion
The movie Losing Isaiah is informative as it educates the audience on the addictive behaviors associated with cocaine addiction. By concentrating on the life of Khaila, the movie provides explicit information on how cocaine addicts behave and the factors that make one develop an addiction. Cocaine addiction is associated with mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, which may cause a person to be dependent on the drug. When evaluating Khaila's life, one can understand some of the additive behaviors displayed by a cocaine addict include irrational behavior and risk activities. Khaila neglected her responsibilities as a mother by abandoning Isaiah at a trash can and also broke the law by shoplifting. Her action did not only endanger her mental and physical well-being but threatened her son's life, who would have died if he was not rescued on time.
Reference
Gyllenhaal, S. (1995). Losing Isaiah . Los Angels
Nephew, B. C., & Febo, M. (2012). Effects of cocaine on maternal behavior and neurochemistry. Current Neuropharmacology , 10 (1), 53–63. doi:10.2174/157015912799362760
