The Protective Highs

Last time I ended the post on the Acceptance Highs, (after quoting my two examples who both said, "I'll quit if it gets worse,") with the negative assurance that it gets worse. Which brings us to this posting on what I call the "Protective Highs." Before talking about them it might be good to look back at Maslow's Pyramid. The highs we have been looking at so far (Arrogant Highs, Performance Highs and Acceptance Highs) correspond to the three upper levels of Maslow's Pyramid (Belonging, Esteem and Self Actualization Needs). So far we have looked at how drug or alcohol induced highs replace these needs. The addict is no longer meeting his Self Actualization, Esteem or Belonging Needs. This is bad but, the next two levels of needs on Maslow's Pyramid are survival needs. The highs we are going to look at now displace survival needs. When the addict uses to get these highs she begins to ignore her survival needs in favor of getting high. This does not mean that the person using for an Arrogant High cannot accidentally overdose himself or crash his car into tree. That kind of stuff happens a lot. What it does mean is that now the addict's use routinely interferes with her ability to meet her survival needs.

The Protective Highs correspond to the Safety and Shelter Needs on Maslow's Pyramid. The addict pursues these highs at the expense of meeting his Safety and Shelter Needs. The Protective High gives a feeling of safety while in reality placing the addict in greater danger. Is it safer to be drunk or to be sober? Is it safer to be high or to not be high? The alcoholic feels safer when she's drunk but she's really at more risk. I once worked with a guy who used to say that when he got home from work he was going to open a bottle of Scotch and "turn into another lump in the sofa." When a person drinks to get that drunk they are using to reach a state of oblivion. When I taught the repeat offenders class to people with multiple DWI's every single one of them had thought everything was going to be okay when they again drove drunk, they were oblivious to the danger. Oblivion is a Protective High. It is the type of Protective High that comes from using sedative drugs like alcohol, tranquilizers, narcotics or even marijuana. There is whole other type of Protective High which comes from using stimulants like crack, cocaine or methamphetamine.

The Protective High in stimulants has to do with sustaining the high. Once the crack addict is high she is afraid of coming down and she keeps on using to Protect herself from coming down. She starts out by going to her ATM withdrawing enough money to buy a "rock" of cocaine. Then she drives to meet her crack dealer and buys a rock. Then she goes back to her apartment and smokes it. She decides that rock wan't enough. She goes back to the ATM, back to the crack man, back to her apartment, smokes it, back to her ATM, back to the crack man, back home, smokes it, back to the ATM.... On and on it goes all night long on an eighth of a tank of gas until her bank account is empty! Why? Because she is afraid of coming down!

I once worked with a homeless man who had been expelled from the only shelter available to him on Galveston Island. He told me that if he had to spend the night on the streets of downtown Galveston he was going to get drunk. I asked him if he was more likely to get rolled (robbed while passed out) drunk or sober? He replied, "drunk." I asked him if he was more likely to be severely beaten by one of youth gangs looking for victims if drunk or if sober? He replied, "drunk." I asked him if did not make more sense to stay sober than it did to get drunk? He replied, "I can't face it out there sober!" adding "If I got to spend the night on the street I am getting drunk." In other words he would prefer the illusion of safety provided by a Protective High to actual safety!

During the Protective Highs stage of addiction the Safety and Shelter Needs are neglected. They fall by the wayside. The addict smokes up his rent money. The alcoholic drinks up her insurance payment. Taking care of Safety and Shelter Needs is ignored in favor of the desperate search for a Protective High. Family and friends often enable the addict by lending him money to pay bills or rent. The addict gets high instead. The addict's parents let her move back home, now she does not have to even consider her Safety and Shelter Needs and can spend all of her and all of their money on getting loaded!

Ask the person using for Protective High about their drug or alcohol use and he might blow his stack! She might cuss you out! The alcoholic does this because he feels threatened by the query. She knows that sooner or later something terrible is bound to happen if she does not stop! On the other hand the very thought of stopping scares him to death! He needs to quit before it's too late but he can't face life without it. The addict is a scared, angry and confused mess at this point in her addiction. More and more he alienates all those around him. She resents people butting into her affairs but is desperately lonely and afraid.

Still this is the next to last stage of addiction not the last, when it comes to addiction things can always get worse. We will see how much worse next time.








Russell P. Mai, LCDC, AAC