Jan 13 2014
Per Wickstrom Best Drug Rehab founder
There are many types of addictions, but it has been found that addictions to physical substances wind up being the most harmful. When substances such as illegal drugs cross the blood-brain barrier, what ends up happening is that the body’s entire chemical balance is altered, and the brain ends up craving the very drugs that caused the altering. If the body doesn’t get the drugs it craves, what ends up happening is symptoms of withdrawal, which can cause a lot of physical misery. Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and body tremors.
Non-addicts are probably bewildered at the thought of people willingly ingesting chemicals that would cause such horrible side effects, but you have to remember that in small doses, the drugs do not generally trigger these symptoms – not initially, anyway. And the craving for more is often satisfied before the chance to experience any withdrawal occurs. However, there are plenty of drug users that ultimately end up hooked not so much for the pleasure the drug causes, but for the relief it brings in terms of warding off the symptoms of withdrawal.
Breaking the cycle of drug addiction is not easy, but with the property resources and support from family, friends, and qualified medical professionals, it is possible. Breaking a drug addiction begins with acknowledging that drugs do in fact cause physical addiction. How do you know if your drug use is more than a simple habit? Well, a habit is something that is done by choice, and you can choose to stop it at any time, without any physical or psychological consequences. But an addiction is almost impossible to stop on your own, and there can be many physical and psychological side effects that can happen if you abruptly stop taking the drugs your body is used to having.
What causes some people to become addicted to drugs or even legal substances like tobacco and alcohol, while others can try it once or even ten times and experience no addictive tendencies? This is something that is still not fully understood. Some experts, such as Per Wickstrom Best Drug Rehab founder, believe that there are people who are simply born with addictive personalities, and it wouldn’t take much to trigger an addiction. Others feel that it’s more about a person’s upbringing: if people grow up around addicts, they too will become an addict, simply because it’s a learned behavior. Others blame the drugs themselves, and the body’s tendency to become addicted to certain chemicals.
But the bottom line is, addiction can happen to anyone, and when it does, it takes a lot more than simple willpower to break the cycle. Often the assistance of a professional rehabilitation facility and/or the use of outpatient services will be required. Breaking a drug addiction is not an easy feat, but if you persevere and use the many services available from drug rehab centers, you can break free. Surround yourself with supportive family members and friends, and break ties with any fellow drug addicts, in order to have the best chance at success.
Apr 27 2015
Do You Have Substance Abuse Issues? How to Get Help
Substance abuse issues affect hundreds of thousands of people each year in the United States and all over the globe. Whether you are addicted to alcohol, prescription drugs or illegal drugs, substance abuse can be life threatening and problematic to your professional and personal life.
If you feel like you are finally ready to get help, either because you have suffered a near-death experience or you just realize you have a problem you have already taken the first step on the road to recovery. However, the journey is only beginning, and if you want to get clean and sober, you have got some work ahead of you.
Use this guide to help you begin the process of kicking substance abuse. You will live a happier, healthier and longer life if you do.
Break Your Patterns
Many people who suffer from substance abuse do so because they are in a pattern of behavior that is hard to break. These patterns often involve something as simple as having a drink after they get home from work. That one drink could lead to another and then another, resulting in a person drinking all night or calling in sick the next morning.
Other patterns of behavior include simply going out with friends to let loose once in a while, like on a Friday night. While this might not seem like a bad thing – and it isn’t if letting loose is a slice of pizza and some time with friends – people with substance abuse issues tend to get drunk or high when out just having fun.
Whatever your pattern is, you are going to need to recognize it and begin to break it if you want to get clean and sober and stay that way.
Talk with Friends and Family
When you have a substance abuse probably you have likely spent a great deal of time hiding it from your friends and family. In fact, having to hide your use of alcohol or drugs out of embarrassment or fear of what others might think is a common sign that you actually have a substance abuse problem.
However, talking with your friends and family about wanting to get clean and sober requires honesty. While it can be a difficult talk to have with the people you love, they can help provide you with support while you are on the road to recovery. If they don’t know you are suffering they can’t help you with anything at all, and they may even encourage bad behavior without knowing it.
It’s your responsibility to change, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone.
Avoid Triggers
Triggers are things, events or places that can cause a person to abuse a substance or use a substance that they are addicted to for a variety of reasons. Some of these triggers are obvious – like a regular bar for an alcoholic. However, others are a little bit harder to determine.
One example of a trigger might even be a person. Perhaps somebody you have often drank or done drugs with in the past. While they may not have a substance abuse problem, they are somebody who has been around when you have developed a problem. Another example might be a restaurant where you go to have a celebratory dinner and drink that leads to problem drinking.
Stressful situations, particularly with friends and family are also triggers in many people’s lives because alcohol and substances can help to ease irritation, anger and sadness when something goes wrong. Avoiding these triggers is particularly important when you are trying to get clean and sober and kick substance abuse for good.
Get Help
Getting clean isn’t something most people are able to do on their own, especially if their addiction or substance abuse has lasted for years and years. However, there are some ways that you can get help without going into a medical detox program, or if you simply need additional support after exiting a medical detox program.
If you simply need outpatient help to stay clean and fight addiction and substance abuse, a Boca Raton IOP Center can be your best bet. You will find the support you need to stay sober without having to check into a medical facility that can mean giving up your work and family for an extended period of time.
Not everybody needs that kind of help, especially if they have received it in the past. For some individuals, outpatient care is the best method for dealing with addiction and substance abuse in a productive manner.
By admin • Drug Abuse • • Tags: addiction, alcohol, Avoid Triggers, care, love, period of time, prescription drugs, sadness, suffering, United States