Drug addiction can happen to anyone

We’ve probably all looked at someone with a drug addiction problem and said to ourselves, “That will never be me”. The truth of the matter is that drug addiction can strike anyone at any time, regardless of age, race, financial standing, educational background or any other factor. A cross section of those in drug addiction treatment will reveal no real discernible combination of factors that makes someone more likely to fall victim to drug addiction.

Yes, there are certain factors that increase the likelihood that one might end up battling drug or alcohol addiction (poor economic standing, living in a bad neighbourhood, etc.) but not falling into those categories does not insulate one from the risk of becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Drug addiction is the result of continuous and sustained abuse of drugs. Typically, most people start out by using small amounts of drugs occasionally (a teen smoking marijuana at a party, for example) and eventually begin to use more and different drugs more frequently. Soon, they become dependent on the drug to function. That is addiction.

What is the treatment for drug addiction? The truth is, there isn’t just one treatment. Because drug addiction can take on my different forms in each person, different approaches are necessary. Because the root of the addiction is different for each person, effective treatment should treat not only the symptoms of the addiction itself but also the causes underlying the addictive behavior.

For many people, the best course of addiction treatment (such as to treat the effects of Xanax abuse) is through medication. Professionally administered, certain medications can help with the symptoms of withdrawal (which can be severe) as well as with actually treating the addiction. These medications suppress the nasty and negative effects that can occur when the detoxification process begins. These medications help to restore the brain to normal functioning, which will gradually eliminate the brain’s cravings for the drug.

It’s important to continue drug or alcohol addiction treatment after the withdrawal stage has been completed. Without following up with more medications to treat the addiction itself, there is a real possibility that the addiction will rear its head once again.

Another approach for treating drug addiction is through behavior modification. In this method, a patient’s attitude toward the use of drugs is modified and replaced with healthy lifestyle changes. In practice, this can look like either outpatient drug counselling in a clinic or residential treatment, which is typically reserved for those with serious addiction issues. In that scenario, the person lives in-house in treatment center designed for this purpose. In these types of situations, the victim is offered a combination of behavioral therapy and medication treatment.

Drug addiction treatment is not a one-size-fits-all solution to addiction. Just as each person’s reasons for addiction are different, the best course of treatment needs to be individualized to meet each person’s needs. With the right combination of treatment, many people can successfully come through their addictions to the other side. Drug addiction doesn’t have to be a life sentence. It’s important to acknowledge that you have a problem and take the steps to get the help you need.