How to Overcome a Drug Addiction

When you’re trying to overcome an addiction, keeping sober can feel like an impossible task. Still, it’s important to remember that complete recovery is never out of reach regardless of how hopeless your situation seems. With the right support and treatment, and by addressing the cause of your addiction, change can be achieved. 

Step 1: Deciding to make that change 

The biggest challenge for people with an addiction is to decide to make a change. You will feel conflicted about giving up your habit even if you know the problems it’s causing, but that’s okay. Change is never easy, and recovery is a long process that requires time, motivation, commitment, and support. 

Step 2: Know your options 

Once you’ve made the decision, the next step is to explore possible treatment options. As you evaluate each one, it’s important to keep in mind that there’s no single treatment that works for everyone. Everyone’s needs are different, that’s why a drug addiction treatment needs to be customized to your specific needs and situation. You need to find a program that feels right. 

Step 3: Reach out for support 

Never try to tackle a drug addiction problem alone. Whichever mode of treatment you choose, it’s important to have a solid support system behind you. The more people influencing you to do better in treatment, the better your chances of recovery.

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Understanding Alcohol Addiction

St. Louis, Missouri is the location of Anheuser-Busch brewery, the nation's largest beer producing plant, and thus it comes as no surprise that the city has an extremely active bar scene. Locals frequent these bars to relax after a hard day's work or celebrate a loved one's special occasion. There are also times when some people head out to bars for no reason other than to satisfy their alcohol craving. 

 These people usually end up becoming bar fixtures, such that you can often see them at the bar with a drink on hand—sometimes during odd times in the day. People in a particular situation is likely to have a drinking problem. Fortunately, alcoholism is something that can be treated at an alcohol rehab facility through inpatient programs. 

Several methods are used to treat a drinking problem, but most inpatient treatment programs in alcohol rehab centers start off with detox. Here, patients are given medications to suppress their cravings for alcoholic substances and inhibit the euphoric effects derived from such substances. This is also the opportunity for them to cleanse their systems of the toxins introduced by the drugs. Patients are also asked to attend therapy sessions, either individually or as a group. 

Recovery from alcoholism doesn't end with detox and therapy sessions, though. Patients are encouraged to transfer to intensive outpatient treatment to avoid relapsing. Outpatient treatment programs typically include sessions within a support group where former patients can share and learn from each other's experiences.

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Real Health Risks of Alcohol Dependence

If you know that your loved one is already suffering from alcohol dependence in a way that he can no longer willfully stop drinking without serious physical or mental repercussions, it might be time to get him into a reliable rehabilitation center that you can trust. Alcohol abuse is a serious problem that, when left unchecked, could wreak havoc in the body in so many ways. 

Anemia 

Alcohol can deplete the body’s stock of red blood cells or erythrocytes, and because it is these cells that transport oxygen throughout your body, it can cause conditions like lightheadedness, shortness of breath and even constant fatigue. 

Cirrhosis 

One of the graver risks of alcohol overconsumption is liver problem. It might even lead up to cirrhosis, a condition marked by cell degeneration and inflammation. This illness essentially makes the liver unable to bear the burden of cleaning up after the sufferer’s constant supply of toxic chemicals in the body, like alcohol. 

Cancer 

Many recent studies have shown that alcohol abuse might eventually lead to cancer, particularly when the human body transforms the alcohol into a form of carcinogen called acetaldehyde. Common cancers linked to alcohol consumption are mouth, throat, liver, breast and even the larynx. Alcoholic Neuropathy 

Alcohol isn’t just toxic to the liver, it could even affect your nervous system through a condition known as alcoholic neuropathy. This condition may lead to muscle weakness, incontinence, constipation, etc.

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How Drug Rehab Can Help Addicts Recover

Drug addiction is a killer condition that can ruin lives. Like a severe illness, it slowly creeps into the addict’s mentality, moral understanding and healthy practices until his actions and behavior become harmful not only to himself but also to other people. Fortunately, with the help of trusted rehabilitation centers, this condition can be reversed. 

The first thing drug rehab can do is to safely prevent a user from using drugs of any kind anymore. A drug rehab facility understands the danger of immediate cessation, which is why they employ programs that can effectively keep drugs at bay from their patients’ routines. They do this by making the patients’ new environment drug-free. 

Secondly, the patients will be provided with tools that can help them deal with their craving for drugs. These tools include counseling programs that enable the patient to regain some clarity of his thought to help him weigh the repercussions of his addiction. Programs like this let the drug user understand better how destructive drugs are to his life. Psychological approaches offer a sustainable solution to addiction by creating fear of suffering its consequences. 

Lastly, drug rehabs teach the patients to incorporate what they’ve learned into everyday life once they get out of the facility. Following through is always the hardest challenge, but armed with the proper tools, he should be able to resist the temptation to fall back into trying drugs again. The family, meanwhile, will be oriented about the support system the patient needs upon reintegration.

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On Drug Rehabilitation for Juvenile Delinquents

It’s alarming to note that while the rates of juvenile delinquency have dropped in recent times in America, the figures are still considerably high. It can be distressing enough to find out that your child has associated himself or herself with bad company, and is committing illegal behavior wantonly. It becomes even worse when parents stumble upon their children abusing drugs at a very young age. 

Drug addiction, especially among teens, can undoubtedly strain the relationships and dynamics in the family. The parents, being in charge of the welfare of the underage children, have the option of admitting the drug-dependent child to rehabilitation centers. Typically, drug dependents need to give their full consent before being admitted to such centers, but in the case of minors, they can be permitted to the program through their parents. 

Rehabilitation centers offer their guidance and counsel to those admitted, as well as help the patients repair damaged relationships with their families. There will be cases when the intended patient will refuse rehabilitation, yet parents and families should remain steadfast, difficult as it may be to make this decision; it is for the patient’s own good, after all. Still, families need to be compassionate towards the plight of the patient, realizing that their judgment is impaired because of the addiction. A strong support system, therefore, just might be able to convince the patient to get the help he needs since the family will be there for him throughout the whole recovery process, anyway.

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Helping a Loved One in Fight against Drugs

People use drugs for a variety of reasons. Some do so because of peer pressure, while others do so out of curiosity. However, an alarming situation is when users become dependent on the drugs to the point that getting a score is the only way they can function in their daily life. 

Admitting to having a drug problem, though, is not easy. Oftentimes, people who use drugs are in denial that they have indeed grown dependent on drugs. In other instances, these people only realize that they have an issue with drugs when their loved ones have staged an intervention. 

An intervention by the family is actually an indication that their lives are now also being affected by the user’s drug dependency. Usually, this is the time when the option of rehabilitation for their loved one is raised. A person who's asked to go to a rehab facility will likely act defensively. 

At this point, friends and family should avoid nagging and criticizing, and instead, work to gain the trust of the user so that they will at least be more open to entering a rehab facility when asked. It’s going to be tough, balancing one’s support for the user, while at the same time putting the foot down to get the user to make the right choice regarding rehabilitation. It’s not going to be an easy battle, but for sure, saving the life of your loved one from the death grip of drug use will be all worth it.

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