Welcome to Drug and Alcohol Treatment
Drug Addiction Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Drug Addiction. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Addiction Treatment and Drug Rehabilitation
from:
by Jerry Goldfarb
Just what is addiction, you asked? Addiction is a physiological dependence on something, and is both physical and psychological in nature. When a person is addicted they literally need to feed that addiction constantly. Addiction is a traitor it sneaks up on you. People who are addicted often do not recognize that they have a problem, they think that the problem is with everyone. Addiction is different from abuse, a person can abuse drugs and not be addicted. The two most vital factors in determining addiction are tolerance and physical dependency. Addiction is very destructive, and most of the time people who are suffering from it end up hurting themselves and their love ones. It is hard to overcome but once the person began to see addiction as a problem in their life they can immediately seek alcoholism treatment or addiction treatment. Teens partying late at night and imbibing drugs and alcohol for added fun, often dominated the silver screen. Quite a pretty picture isn't it? Oftentimes teens see it as an epitome. Although Hollywood does its part to show a different side of alcohol and drug addiction with movies like "Trainspotting" and "Girl Interrupted", the character still ended up being glamorous and ideal in nature and often overshadows the dark side of addiction. It is important to look at this depiction with a cynic eye. Movies are after all for entertainment purposes only, and there is nothing remotely entertaining about the reality of alcohol abuse and drug addiction. Addiction can be hell on earth and life in an Alcohol rehab and Drug Rehab can be a nightmare.Illegal drugs and alcohol are addicting. Records show that the younger you are when you experiment with illegal drugs or alcohol you are more prone to become an addict in the future. Addiction often runs in families; you do not choose addiction, addiction chooses you. Experimenting with drugs and alcohol is a gamble, and the stake is your life, your personality, and your future. Individuals often hide their drinking or deny that the fact that they have a problem. Signs of a possible alcoholism include having friends or relatives express concern, being irritated when people comment on their drinking, feeling guilty about their excessive alcohol consumption and thinking that they should moderate it but finds themselves unable to do so, or needs a morning drink to steady their nerves or relieve a hangover.On the other hand, drug dependence often begins with the misuse of legal drugs like prescription drugs and inhalants. Inhalants are legal substances that becomes illegal when use in a manner that causes a person to get high. These also include aerosol cleaners, gasoline, cleaning fluids, butane, and acetone. These things are legal to sell or buy however, they are not controlled substances and they are relatively cheap when compared with drugs. People with addiction work hard to resolve them, and with the support of family members and friends they are able to recover on their own. However in most cases, people they usually cannot stop drinking or using drugs by willpower alone. A lot of them require outside help, mostly from Alcohol Rehab or Drug Rehab. Alcoholism treatment and addiction treatment may need medically supervised detoxification to avoid possible life-threatening withdrawal symptoms such as seizures and convulsion. Once they are stabilized, they need help resolving psychological issues associated with their problem drinking.
There are numerous methods available for treating alcohol problems and substance abuse. However not one approach is guaranteed to be successful for all individuals. For a free professional consultation to get help for yourself or a loved one call 800-559-9503 anytime day or night. Or you can visit these sites for more information on substance abuseand drug and alcohol rehab centers:Drug RehabAddiction TreatmentDual DiagnosisDrug Detox
Related Articles for Drug Addiction
Alcohol & Drug Addiction: Why the "Detox-Rehab Cycle" Doesn't Work
(Patricia is a 30 year old woman who started using methamphetamine in her last year in college. She found that it gave her "an edge" in studying and on tests. The problem was that she soon found that if she did not have any "meth", she couldn't function at all. She tried many times to shake the habit, and even went through "rehab" three times. However, after a while no matter what she tried, the depression and lethargy was too much to take and she would relapse. At her lowest point, Patricia weighed 80 pounds, was unemployed, and her health was failing. She finally moved in with her parents and sought help and support.This story describes the lives of many addicted persons in our society. They are not "Bowery Bums." They are middle and upper class folks, who suffer from a deadly condition that is resistant to treatment. In fact, about 15% of the population suffers from some type of substance dependency or abuse (not counting smoking). The typical detox/rehab system that John experienced has a success rate of less than 15%. Yet the response to failure is to put people through the same process again and again. Repeating something over and over, and expecting a different outcome has been described as a form of insanity.What's wrong with the Detox/Rehab Cycle?The current predominant system of treatment stresses the social aspects of this all-encompassing problem. The usual treatment is to "go to "rehab". While this is differs from place to place and program to program, what usually happens is that after medical "detox", the affected person is sent to a residential program of varying length and luxury or is sent home to a relatively brief outpatient program. After this, the person is released to their previous life and lifestyle to be supported by local 12 step programs, like Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous (AA and NA). This assumes that once an addicted person gets through the first few weeks off their drug they eventually return to normal. This is a fallacy. The withdrawal symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, fatigue, and muscle aches, and can go on and on, sometimes indefinitely. (This is a HUGE problem with methamphetamine use). This condition is called the Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAW). In addition, there are psychologic triggers for cravings that can themselves cause the return of these physical symptoms. Eventually, almost all of these people succumb and restart using. Here's why..Top 7 Reasons Why the Detox-Rehab Cycle Doesn't Work1. It fails to recognize and treat the brain disease that causes drug cravings using amazing new medical advances, including the Prometa protocol and buprenorphine (Suboxone)2. Most detox-rehab programs don't diagnose and treat underlying psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, and even bipolar disorder. The usual medications used to treat these problems may not help addicts and may actually make the problem much worse.3. It fails to analyze each person's individual situation and to work with him or her to realize the extent of his or her problem. Addiction counselors should use tools like the Readiness to Change Quadrant Evaluation and then follow up with advanced counseling techniques such as motivational interviewing.4. Most detox-rehab programs do not effectively evaluate and treat the nutritional aspects of substance abuse using a variety of supplements that vary from person to person.5. The current detox-rehab cycle does not include treating alcohol and drug addictions on an ongoing and personal basis for at least a year using the Recovery Maintenance Model.6. Current detox-rehab programs allow addicted persons to return back to their homes and lifestyles after the acute treatment is completed without modifying their environment.7. The treatment is for "Substance Abuse" and everyone gets basically the same treatment regimen. The person must admit that they are an addict and submit to the program's mandates, even if they do not buy into the process. Many folks do what Patricia in the story did. She "shined it on" until she could get out. Others check out early and return to using very quickly. Abstinence based programs that keep patients in residence for a specific period and then have them go back to their prior lifestyles are doomed to fail.
)
Drug Addiction Specific links
Drug Addiction News
No relevant info was found on this topic.
