Drug Addiction Treatment

Addiction is a complex disorder characterized by compulsive drug use. People who are addicted feel an overwhelming, uncontrollable need for drugs or alcohol, even in the face of negative consequences. This self-destructive behavior can be hard to understand. Why continue doing something that's hurting you? Why is it so hard to stop? The answer lies in the brain. Repeated drug use alters the brain-causing long-lasting changes to the way it looks and functions. These brain changes interfere with your ability to think clearly, exercise good judgment, control your behavior, and feel normal without drugs. These changes are also responsible, in large part, for the drug cravings and compulsion to use that make addiction so powerful, that it is almost impossible for a person to stop using without the support of a drug treatment program.

The path to drug addiction starts with experimentation and in the best case scenarios ends with successful drug treatment. In the worst case scenarios, drug addiction ends with a deadly overdose. You or your loved one may have tried drugs out of curiosity, because friends were doing it, or in an effort to erase another problem. At first, the substance seems to solve the problem or make life better, so you use the drug more and more. But as the addiction progresses, getting and using the drug becomes more and more important and your ability to stop using is compromised. What begins as a voluntary choice turns into a physical and psychological need. The good news is that there is treatment for drug addiction .It takes courage and strength to face up to drug addiction, and admit that you need the support of a drug treatment program. When you're bogged down in drug abuse and drug addiction, sobriety can seem like an impossible goal. But recovery through drug addiction treatment is never out of reach, no matter how hopeless your current situation seems. Change is possible with the right drug addiction treatment. Sometimes in the throes of addiction, it is difficult for the addict to access the level of the substance abuse problem, and denial takes root. Below are several questions, when answered honestly by the individual caught up in substance abuse, can help to determine if drug treatment is necessary:

Do you feel like you can't stop, even if you wanted to?
Do you ever feel bad or guilty about your drug use?
Do you need to use drugs to relax or feel better?
Do your friends or family members complain or worry about your drug use?
Do you hide or lie about your drug use?
Have you ever done anything illegal in order to obtain drugs?
Do you ever use more than one recreational drug at a time?

If the above questions are answered truthfully, the individual abusing drugs can face their addiction, and admit to needing drug treatment. Recognizing that you have a problem is the first step on the road to treatment and recovery. It is at this point, that the addict should reach out for the support of family members and close friends. Recovering from drug addiction and obtaining treatment is much easier when the addict has people he can lean on for encouragement and help in obtaining treatment. When an individual admits they need treatment, this is not a time when they should try to do it alone; it would be all too easy for them to become discouraged and rationalize "just one more" hit or pill. With a support system in place, the success rate for long term drug treatment increases dramatically.

Addiction is a complex problem that affects every aspect of your life negatively. Overcoming it requires drug treatment and making major changes to the way you live, deal with problems, and relate to others. With treatment and support, you can counteract the disruptive effects of addiction and regain control of your life. The consequences of not obtaining treatment include a host of negative side effects from the drug of choice, the worst one being addiction. In many instances, the costs of avoiding drug treatment has been too high, this being death from an overdose.

The good news is that you or your loved one can get better. There is hope-no matter how bad the substance abuse problem and no matter how hopeless you feel.