Drug addiction is a very complex issue that should definitely not be underestimated. It can affect people of all ages and all social groups. Treatment of drug addiction is a difficult and complex process, and the consequences of abuse of psychoactive substances affect both addicts and their relatives. How to deal with drug addiction? How to fight an addiction? Is it possible to self-medicate drug addiction? Or maybe the help of an addiction treatment clinic is necessary? The most important information on this subject below.
What is drug addiction?
In order to understand what drug addiction treatment is, it is helpful to learn a bit about addiction itself. A drug addiction is a condition in which a chemical (drug) causes a physiological, mental and emotional response not only when taking it, but also when it is stopped. Drug craving occurs most often: a person addicted to drugs, after a long time of using them, feels compelled to get and take them at any cost.
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Symptoms also include changes in physical appearance, depressive states, negative mood, difficulties in social contacts, problems with functioning, and in a later stage also physical exhaustion of the body. Long-term drug use can lead to permanent damage to the kidneys, liver, heart and brain; in addition, the risk of mental illnesses increases: depression, personality disorders and psychoses. So the sooner drug addicts start treatment, the better! How to cure drug addiction?
Drug addiction – what is the treatment like?
When it comes to drug addiction in Chicago, treatment involves detox as well as therapeutic work and must be tailored to the individual patient. When drugs are the abused substance, addiction may develop at a different rate – depending on what psychoactive drug is used by the addicted person. Detox, i.e. drug detoxification, allows you to remove toxins from drugs from the body and at the same time nourishes the body and restores its biochemical balance. Only when the patient is “clean” can the therapeutic work in the addiction treatment center begin, the aim of which is complete abstinence from drugs.
Can you heal yourself of addiction or go to an addiction treatment center?
In films, literature and reports on the Internet you can find many stories of people struggling with addiction on their own. The main character usually suffers in his own apartment, and after a few days he returns to his duties. The reality is not that rosy, however: the withdrawal syndrome can be very violent and include nausea, high blood pressure, pain and cramps, attacks of aggression, hallucinations, anxiety and insomnia, and in extreme cases it can even lead to drug epilepsy and collapse.
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For this reason, it is so important to carry out detoxification under the supervision of a doctor who, thanks to pharmacological agents, will minimize the occurrence of complications and will assess the patient’s condition on an ongoing basis. The detox itself is not everything either: after the stage of fighting physical addiction, you should start therapeutic work on treating psychological addiction. Otherwise, you have a high probability of relapse into addiction.