Addiction is a chronic illness that lasts a lifetime. It cannot be "cured" in the traditional sense, but I can be treated and managed so that sobriety lasts. By far the best way to achieve this kind of healthy lifestyle after being addicted is to attend substance abuse rehab. Across the nation, rehab centers cater to hundreds of thousands of Americans eager to become healthy and happy once again.
Numbers of patients are rehab centers are hard to come by, but Alcoholics Anonymous, one of the most popular addiction treatment programs in history, caters to roughly 1.3 million people alone, with many other programs laying claim to similar numbers. With as many as 40 million people suffering from tobacco addiction and nearly 18 million regularly abusing alcohol, substance abuse rehab is becoming an essential part of healthcare in America today.
Call Drug Treatment Centers Danbury now for help finding treatment centers: (877) 804-1531.
Substance abuse is any consumption of addictive substances such as drugs or alcohol in a way that is harmful. This can include taking too many pills in one sitting, ingesting someone else's prescription medication, combining meds with alcohol, or taking medications in a way not recommended by the doctor, such as smashing them into powder and snorting them or dissolving them in liquid for drinking.
Substance abuse is extremely dangerous - it courts addiction and can exacerbate underlying mental health disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety or OCD. You also run the risk of organ failure, brain damage, or death when abusing substances.
Some commonly abused substances include stimulants like amphetamines, depressants like alcohol or sleeping pills, and illegal drugs like marijuana, which can have positive medical benefits if taken in small doses but can have deleterious effects on the lungs and brain if consumed too regularly.
Drug abuse generally begins with casual experimentation. Oftentimes, future addicts are going through rough patches in their lives, either with money troubles, career setbacks, or dysfunctional relationships leaving them in need of some escape. Another easy avenue towards drug abuse is to have friends who participate and encourage it in others.
Many drug rehab programs require addicts to take a good look at the people they consider friends, to try and determine if the behaviors these people engage in are really conducive to a healthy lifestyle. If someone cannot respect your decision to remain sober, they are not your friend.
If you suspect someone of abusing drugs, look for changes in personality, for sleeplessness, agitation, and dilated pupils. All of these can be signs that a person is abusing drugs. Drug abusers also have difficulty meeting their responsibilities, and tend to be consistently late or unable to focus.
Drug abuse gets worse over time. The human body naturally builds up a tolerance to addictive substances, meaning the user must take more and more their substance each time to achieve the same pleasurable effect. If the user begins requiring large amounts of their substance to feel "normal" again, a dependence has formed and addiction has officially set in.
It's important to curb this behavior before it reaches this point. Addiction cannot be cured, and many addicts sink into financial ruin or depression trying to maintain their habit. The most addictive kinds of drugs are cocaine and heroin, though addiction to legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco are far more common.
The primary method of treating substance abuse and addiction is rehab, a medical process through which the person detoxifies from drugs and alcohol, purging the addictive substance and undergoing withdrawal, before engaging in a series of group and private therapy sessions and a succession of medical tests to measure their progress.
Rehab programs usually involve skill-building exercises and workout routines to help put you back on the path to health. Without rehab, addiction is almost certain to progress. If you suspect a love one of abusing drugs or alcohol, please consider getting them to a rehab clinic at once. It isn't an easy process, but sobriety and health are worth any cost.
Call Drug Treatment Centers Danbury today to hear more options and information at (877) 804-1531.