Understanding Drug Addiction

People who do not abuse substances often cannot comprehend why other individuals abuse drugs or alcohol. Therefore, individuals who do not have addictive personalities often find it hard to understand why people who are abusers are not “stronger willed.” However, drug addiction or drug abuse is not a condition that occurs from a lack of willpower or morals.

Rather, compulsive drug use or drug addiction is a chronic and frequently relapsing disease of the brain. So, while compulsion fuels the desire to take drugs, the decision to take the substances is voluntary. Chemical changes in the brain challenge a user’s resistance or self-control.

With that being said, it is good to know that certain treatments are available that can counter addictive behavior and the disruption it causes in a user’s life. For instance, scientific findings concur that behavioral therapy, when combined with certain treatment medications, can provide a successful outcome for patients who enter drug rehab facilities.

Treatment methods are tailored to individual patterns of drug abuse and to a patient’s specific social, psychiatric or medical issues during therapy. Using this approach can lead a user to conducting a life of sustained recovery.

You might compare drug addiction then to other kinds of relapsing or chronic health issues, including diabetes, heart disease or asthma, each of which can be successfully managed by a continuum of care.

Just like people who suffer from the aforementioned illnesses, the drug abuser can relapse and succumb to his condition as well. Therefore, a relapse is not indicative of failure with respect to therapy. Rather, it is a sign that either an alternative treatment plan must be administered or that the recommended therapy needs to be adjusted or reinstated.

If you are addicted or know of someone who has an addiction problem, then your first priority is to seek medical intervention without delay. The ramifications associated with drug abuse are far-reaching, costing people their jobs as well as their lives.

Drug addiction destroys personal relationships and leads to lost opportunities, academic failure, child abuse and patterns of domestic violence. Illicit drugs, tobacco and alcohol also cost the public sector billions of dollars each year in the areas of public health and workplace productivity.

Needless to say, if you or someone you know is addicted to drugs or alcohol, you need to talk to a trained counselor at a drug addiction treatment center or drug rehab facility. Again, treatment is typically individualized and tailored to the patient’s needs. Therefore, to overcome any addiction problem, it is necessary to seek help through a facility that can help you or someone you love with your specialized concerns.