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Drug Addiction

Individuals who struggle with drug addiction do not set out to destroy themselves and everyone and everything in their path—rather, these cataclysmic consequences are the effect of the vicious cycle of addiction. Drug use and abuse may seem to avert emotional and physical pain by providing the user with a temporary and illusionary escape from or way to cope with life's realities. In fact, more problems—serious ones—are created by using drugs. Over time, a person's ability to choose not to take drugs can become compromised. Soon enough, the person rationalizes the need to use consistently and will do anything to get high.

Drug addiction is complex. It's characterized by compulsive—at times uncontrollable—drug craving, seeking, and use that persists even in the face of extremely negative consequences. For many people, drug addiction becomes chronic, with relapses possible even after long periods of abstinence. Essentially, drugs are a pain killer. They may seem to avert emotional and physical pain by providing the user with a temporary and illusionary escape from or way to cope with life's realities. In fact, more problems—serious ones—are created by using and abusing drugs.

Over time, a person's ability to choose not to take drugs can become compromised—soon enough the person rationalizes the need to use consistently and will do anything to get high. They are now caught in the vicious cycle of using to alleviate pain and creating more pain by using... They now display the physiological symptoms of addiction. They become difficult to communicate with, are withdrawn, and begin to exhibit other strange behaviorisms associated with addiction.

Individualized Treatment for Drug Addiction

Because addiction has so many dimensions and disrupts so many aspects of an individual's life, treatment for this illness is never simple. Drug treatment must help the individual stop using drugs and maintain a drug-free lifestyle, while achieving productive functioning in the family, at work, and in society. Effective drug abuse and addiction treatment programs typically incorporate many components, each directed to a particular aspect of the illness and its consequences.

There are a variety of effective approaches to drug addiction treatment. Extensive data document that drug addiction treatment is as effective as are treatments for most other similarly chronic medical conditions. In spite of scientific evidence that establishes the effectiveness of drug abuse treatment, many people believe that treatment is ineffective. In part, this is because of unrealistic expectations. Many people equate addiction with simply using drugs and therefore expect that addiction should be cured quickly, and if it is not, treatment is a failure. In reality, because addiction is a chronic disorder, the ultimate goal of long-term abstinence often requires sustained and repeated treatment.

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse

If you or a loved one are having a difficult time with alcohol, drugs, or behavior disorders, please give us a call at 877.235.6131. Our treatment specialists are available to discuss your concerns and answer your questions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.