Drug Addiction Treatment
What is Drug Addiction?
A drug addiction – which is also called a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) or chemical dependency – is a term that describes someone’s inability to control or moderate the use of substances.
Drugs affect both our brains and our behaviours and losing the ability to moderate the use of substances has, can, and will, unfortunately, take more away from us than it gives back.
Across the globe, drug use is a growing concern. In America, for example, drug overdose deaths have more than tripled since 1990, and only 10% of the population receive treatment for their addictions. In Europe, Spain has one of the highest substance abuse problems, with 35.5% of people attending rehab for alcohol addiction and 24.6% for cocaine use.
SUD affects the brain and our behaviours. It is defined as ‘an inability to control or moderate the use of a particular substance.’
Initially, with many addictions, use of the substance can be classified as recreational. However, with repeated use and chemical ‘rewards’ in the form of pleasurable sensations, mental obsession can be formidable.
Physically, the body becomes reliant on the substance over time. Tolerance to the chemical can develop, and the need to recreate that initial ‘high’ leads to an acceleration in use (both in terms of amount and frequency).
The speed at which a person descends into dependency depends on many factors, but no matter the substance, the consequences can be equally as damaging.
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What causes Drug Addiction?
More than 90% of people who have an addiction started to drink alcohol or use drugs before they were 18 years old.
As with many addictions, the use of substances can be classified as recreational. But what often starts as harmless ‘recreational’ fun at a younger age can quickly turn into something that we constantly feel we ‘need’ rather than ‘want’, and the younger we are when we’re introduced to drugs, the more likely we are to depend on them later in life.
There are many reasons people turn to drugs. Often, drugs are seen as a way out of the reality of life, and many people take them to avoid hardship and adversity.
Some other reasons a person might try drugs include:
- A lack of adult guidance or parental input at a young age
- Mixing with the wrong crowds
- Dealing with stress, anxiety or depression
- Peer pressure and toxic ‘office culture’ at work
There are, of course, any number of reasons someone might use substances and many numbers of ways they might do so, which span ingestion, injection and inhalation.
With such availability to drugs at almost every turn in life, it can be difficult to say no.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Drug Addiction?
Drug addiction affects different people in many different ways. Physically, the body inevitably becomes reliant upon a substance over time, and when you decide to take that substance away, you experience withdrawal symptoms.
In a less severe example, withdrawal symptoms from caffeine often include headaches and migraines.
But with something like heroin, it might include fevers, nausea, tremors and severe agitation.
With drugs, they say that no high is the same as the first high and that those addicted to substances are forever trying to chase that initial high. Because drugs contain chemicals that change the makeup of our brains, we can begin to build a tolerance to how much and how frequently we use, and to find a new level of high, it requires a higher and more consistent intake of the drug.
This, unfortunately, is how addiction begins to form, and after a while, the signs and symptoms of addiction show their true colours. These might include:
- Focusing more time on sourcing and using drugs
- Being deceitful and dishonest about how often and how much drugs you use
- Spending a large portion of your income on drugs
- Going into debt over drug use
- Showing signs of drug withdrawal-like agitation, sweating, restless sleep and illness
- Changing your circle of friends or becoming reclusive to hide your habits
- Finding new excuses to continue to self-medicate
- Intense cravings
- Realising that you’re building a tolerance and constantly trying to increase the dose or frequency you use
There are many other signs of addiction, and it affects each person differently.
Self-help Tips for Drug Addiction
If you find that you’re developing an addiction to drugs, there are some measures you can take to try to overcome the initial stages of addiction.
Admittedly, it’s not an easy thing to overcome an addiction alone, but if you’re looking for guidance on how to stop using, these steps might help.
Firstly:
- Admit to yourself that you have a problem with your drug use.
- Accept that the process of achieving sobriety will be difficult and expect to change your lifestyle to cater for this change.
- If you can, open up to your friends and family. They’ll be able to support you through addiction recovery.
Treatment for Drug Addiction
The greatest predictor for treatment success and sobriety from drugs is time spent in a structured environment. As with any addiction, there is no one-stop fix to drug addiction, and it’s not something to be ‘cured’. Treatment for drug addiction must be taken with a long-term viewpoint, one that comprises a multi-dimensional solution including:
- Medicine and Psychiatry
- Emotional, cognitive, trauma, behavioural and family therapy
- Holistic approach to wellbeing - spirituality, mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, sleep, relationships, sense of purpose, fun/play
There is no such thing as two of the same addiction. SUD affects each person uniquely.
Here at Camino Recovery, we look to provide highly individualised treatment that addresses specific needs.
That way, we can equip you with the toolkit needed to stay sober, long after your treatment programme has ended.
To find out more about drug addiction treatment at Camino Recovery, contact us.
What Types of Drug Addiction are Treated at Camino Recovery?
We treat a variety of substance use disorders, including:
- Alcohol addiction treatment
- Cannabis addiction treatment
- Prescription drug abuse
- Heroin addiction
- Cocaine addiction
- Ecstasy (or MDMA) addiction
- Ketamine addiction
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