Anybody that you see around you can face problems with drug use irrespective of social factors such as age, background, race and of course the reason that made them start using drugs. There are some people who start by using a drug just for recreation and feel that they just want to do it once. Some may do it to get away from anxiety, stress or emotional problems and the others may just follow their friends.
You will be surprised to know that apart from illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine, some of the prescribed drugs such as specific painkillers can cause addiction and abuse if taken more than needed. In the USA, reports have suggested that marijuana is leading the list and following it are regular opioid painkillers. The death rate due to drug abuse in the whole country is more than that due to accidents and illness. You will find a lot of people who enjoy illegal as well as legal drugs without causing any harm to their health. On the other hand, there are the ones who get destructed emotional, physically and socially by the use of such drugs.
Drug addiction is not much about how much you are into it or at what intervals you crave for it. It is more about the kind of drug you are using and how vulnerable you are against the drug. If you are realizing that your recreational usage of drugs is leading to a problem in your relationships, family, workplace and wherever you involve yourself, you are already addicted and you need immediate help.
What Can You Do?
If you have a friend or a loved one in trouble and is not being able to pull out of addiction, you should know how to deal with it. It is majorly important that the person affected realizes the problem or else there can never be a solution. Facing such problems can be very critical and overwhelming at the same time. However, there are ways of recovery and you can definitely lead a healthy, drug-free, normal life if you receive the correct treatment.
Drug treatment by some of the best institutes can help addicts control compulsive cravings and usage. The practice of NAD therapy alternative drug addiction treatment can help cure people who want to come out of such pathetic situations of addiction and drug abuse. Anti-addiction treatment can be of various types and can be performed in different places. They can also vary in time depending on the level of criticality. Most of the time, a patient can relapse within a short time and so a one-time treatment may not be enough in a lot of cases. It needs regular monitoring and multiple interventions.
As said, treatments can be of various types, symptoms of addiction can also be of different types. This is why treatment can include medications, behavioral treatment or even a combination of both. This mainly depends on a particular patient’s symptoms, requirements and the type of drug that was used. The treatment for illegal drugs is not different from those of prescribed drugs. The reason being, they affect the same nerves and cells of the body and require to be treated in the same way.
Common Problems That May Lead to Addiction
As said, anyone around you can develop symptoms of drug abuse. However, some people are more vulnerable and therefore at a higher risk of getting affected. Everything starting from your genes, social and family environment, mental health as well as other factors can be reasons for your addiction. The most common risk factors include:
• Addiction history in the family
• Injecting drugs or smoking can be methods of potential administration
• Negligence, abuse or similar traumas
• Use of drugs from an early age
• Disorders such as anxiety and depression
Common Myths and Facts about Drug Addiction
There are always people talking about incidents without knowing 100% of the subject. We tend to become over-judgmental at the time and so we should know these myths and facts.
1. It is Not So Easy
You will hear a lot of people comment that if a person has willpower, coming out of addiction is like walking on a bed of roses. However, the truth is that prolonged drug abuse results in a kind of brain damage and gives way to compulsive disorders including cravings. It becomes very difficult for a person to come out of such situations or quit.
2. Nothing Is 100% Safe
It is not true that using opioid painkillers that are prescribed by doctors is completely safe. It is true that consuming such painkillers can reduce severe pains within a short time but they can lead to addiction. Moreover, overdosage, using any random painkiller can even prove to be deadly.
3. It is a disease
People do not get addicted because they aim to be so. 99% of the addicts have accepted the fact that they fell into the trap while they were only trying to be recreational or use a drug for a short-term. Addiction leads to alteration in the brain and associated disorders which are mostly curable. You just need proper treatment and medication just like any other disease.
4. Anti-addiction Treatment is Not Torture
People think that addicts in a rehab or help center are made to slog and go through excessive pain. It is absolutely not true and the easier the treatment process is if you can help someone at an early stage. The treatment becomes a little more difficult if an addict has been through prolonged exposure.
5. You Need to Volunteer
Please do not say that addicts cannot be treated if they themselves do not realize the problem and ask for help. Try to volunteer and intervene during such situations and help whoever you think needs your help. It is not necessary that they need to reach out to you for help first. A person will be benefitted irrespective of the fact that he had been dragged into treatment or he wanted it himself.
6. Repeated Treatments are Required
It is a myth that if an addict does not recover at once, he will never ever be able to lead a clean life. The truth is anti-addiction procedures are usually long and longer in some special cases. Every treatment has its own setbacks and an addict has relapsed does not mean that he cannot be treated again. It is rather the time, that you realize that the patient needs more help this time. You should take him to a better place or approach experts to try another form of treatment.
Conclusion
Drug abuse usually develops when a drug starts fulfilling the need of peace or recreating that you are longing for. It is a common tendency of people who are not very social and feel lonely. They try to adapt even the bad habits such as doing drugs to befriend people. They feel following friends is a way to please them. Do not forget that although the initial symptoms may not bother you much, but not realizing things at an early stage may lead to heavy damage. Now you already know the truth about drug abuse and how it can be treated. Try to help people around you even if their well-being does not matter to you directly.
