Drug Abuse & Mental Health

There is a correlation between drug abuse and mental health. When an individual consumes a drug for the first time, they may experience pleasure. The addictive chemicals in a drug create a physical sense of happiness, and this is a wonderful feeling for those who are incapable of feeling happy due to depression, anxiety, or another mental disorder.

However, that wonderful feeling does not last. An individual who has a mental disorder may quickly become dependent on this drug, or the feeling the drug creates, and will not be able to function properly without abusing drugs. The problem worsens when the mental immunity to those chemicals strengthens.

An individual will then need to use a drug more frequently, and in larger doses, to achieve the same level of pleasure. Aside from the risk of overdose, there are more problems that arise.
Rather than feeling a genuine sense of happiness, an individual is feeling false pleasure. The difference is that when that “high” is gone, one will feel lower than before. For this reason, an individual is dependent on the drug both physically, and mentally. Once drug addiction begins, it only snowballs into something worse.

Luckily, drug abuse treatment centers understand the relationship between drug abuse and mental health. This is why the only way to fully recover from an alcohol addiction is to seek treatment at a rehab center where personalized attention is given to treat each of the individual contributing factors.

Many rehabilitation centers have psychiatrists who first analyze the patient and find reasons behind their addiction. They also see that whether the patient is mentally prepared to quit drug addiction. Accordingly, they suggest a program and treatment for the patient.
For more information on the correlation between drug abuse and mental health, consult a health or a drug treatment center near you.