A Look at Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is a complicated disorder which may involve practically every aspect of an individual’s life in the family, at work, and amongst friends. It is actually a brain disease as the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and the functioning of the individual’s brain. Drug addiction costs taxpayers millions of dollars each year and is a major public health concern for all of us, as it is a chronic relapsing disorder, which means that it lasts a long time and individuals who are trying to quit are apt to start using drugs again.

Addiction

Drug abuse causes changes in the brain, which then leads to certain behaviour, like taking the drug compulsively, but drug addicts can learn to change their behaviour. This addiction is influenced by a range of factors which involve one’s genes, environment, and the age of the person when drugs were first used. Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a vicious cycle that can destroy lives, families, friendships, and anything else it comes into contact with, and the individual can become addicted to many drugs, not just so called street drugs like heroin. It should be understood as a chronic recurring illness.

Treatment

Drug addiction treatment is for people who find themselves not able to cope with life without drugs or alcohol and can be described as the therapeutic and educational process of initiating recovery. When it comes to prescription drug addiction, one of the main problems is that it is a hidden disorder. The treatment of drug addiction can vary widely according to the sort of drugs used, amount of drugs involved, duration of the drug addiction and any medical complications that occur.

Any treatment also has to take into account the needs of the individual concerned. Treatment for drug addiction is administered in many different settings, employing a selection of behavioural and pharmacological approaches and can be tailored to each patient’s drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems they may have. This can then hopefully lead to sustained recovery and a life without drugs. Treatment medications, such as LAAM, methadone, and naltrexone, are available for any patient who is addicted to opiates.

Conclusion

It’s a sad fact that drug addiction along with alcohol addiction is the number one cause of death among young people. The good news is that although breaking a drug addiction can be extremely difficult, it is by no means impossible. Obtaining the correct treatment is absolutely vital in an effort to end this compulsive behaviour.