What is addiction?

Drug or alcohol addiction is an unhealthy relationship in which you use more of a substance than you would like to use and continue to use despite negative consequences. A very realistic perspective of heroin addiction is portrayed in the brilliant 1996 film Trainspotting with Ewan McGregor. However, this is just one picture of drug addiction.

Alcohol dependency is often overlooked as an addiction because it is legally and socially acceptable, something most of us indulge in from time to time. According to a survey of adults who have used one or more illicit drugs in the last year, cannabis is the drug most likely to be used, followed by powdered cocaine, but it seems that all the attention and treatment is focused on opioids and it is important to consider the other side of the addiction coin.

Signs and symptoms of addiction

The medical definition of an addiction is classified by the DSMIV and the World Health Organization ICD10. You must meet three or more of the following criteria to be classified as a dependent:

1) Tolerance – the need to use more over time to get the same desired effect.

2) Withdrawal: Experiencing physical or emotional withdrawals. Shakes, sweats, low moods, irritable.

3) Limited Control – Using more than you intended for longer periods of time.

4) Desire to reduce: Attempts to reduce or stop are unsuccessful.

5) Significant time or energy spent using: A large amount of time spent thinking about using, obtaining, planning, and concealing your drug or alcohol use.

6) Neglected Activities: Work, family or recreational activities are neglected to consume drugs or alcohol.

7) Negative consequences: physical or mental health is negatively affected, but consumption continues.

Who is affected by addiction?

It is estimated that about 10% of any population is addicted to drugs or alcohol. Addiction is more common than diabetes and crosses all socioeconomic boundaries. Teachers, plumbers, and CEOs suffer from addiction. It is not limited to only the poorest or least educated sections of society. There are a growing number of full-time employed professionals juggling a full-time career. with his hidden addiction.

The daily struggles a person will face in battling the chronically relapsing qualities of addiction that fluctuate between hope and setbacks should not be underestimated. Much of the work consists of exploring with people their fears of giving up and sharing tools to survive the darkest moments of their addiction. I have worked for years supporting people with addictions through an emotional roller coaster of despair and celebration. Some achieve sobriety and feel absolutely fine when they have completed treatment, for others abstinence will not be their goal but to stay alive, become more aware, and make healthier choices. Taking back control of your life is enough to turn sadness into laughter.

consequences of addiction

People can often overlook the destruction they cause to their home, work or business in exchange for stimulating the pleasure center in the brain which also provides temporary relief from any painful memories. Adverse consequences caused by addiction are often the focus of addiction treatment, but the reality is that there is a feel-good factor that can act as a reward for negative consequences.

The short- and long-term consequences to your health of addiction can be heart attack, respiratory failure, coma, high blood pressure, dizziness, impotence, blurred vision, paranoia, psychosis, nausea, hangover, depression, lung damage, and damage in the veins adverse health effects of addiction do not discriminate none of these can affect your health even if you are only a recreational user.

drug addiction treatment

Opioid treatment remains the main drug for which people receive treatment, accounting for 49% of all treatment in the UK. The bulk of the UK drug treatment budget is spent on surrogate prescription, a cost-effective medical model of providing one-size-fits-all treatment for all the masses. It involves going to your local drug service every other week to get a prescription for methadone after a 15-minute intervention on your drug use, which you then collect daily if you have supervised use or perhaps weekly if you are not supervised by your local pharmacy. Either way, it can be a very public and humiliating process that is extremely inconvenient if you have a full-time job.

If you can take a meaningful break from your job at a residential rehab clinic where you can also receive detox if needed and more structured support can be helpful for a breather and a kick start in fighting addiction. The power of being supported by someone who has survived an addiction is a very powerful tool in overcoming addiction. Peer-led or mutual aid 12-step models such as Narcotics Anonymous NA, Alcoholics Anonymous AA, and Cocaine Anonymous CA are well established and have daily meetings that you can drop in and out of at your convenience.

Family and friends can provide much-needed emotional, physical, and financial support, they are the people who often provide the extra support outside of work hours that is so vital to overcoming addiction, in addition to taking on the burden of caring for others. your loved ones. one when the treatment no longer works. These are the people who should be best prepared to deal with addiction, but are often overlooked and forgotten in addiction treatment.

New but increasingly popular for drug addiction treatment is recovery training. A form of strength-based support for people in active addiction or already in recovery. A recovery coach helps you make decisions about what to do with your life and the role addiction or recovery plays. You are action oriented with an emphasis on improving your present life and achieving goals for the future. So no matter where you are in your addiction, you can still get the help and support you need.