Drug Addiction

Drug addiction impacts millions of Americans. Drug addiction does not discriminate: it impacts the young, and the old; the rich and the poor; people of all races and backgrounds. No one starts taking drugs with the hope of becoming addicted. Drug abuse starts “innocently” enough, as a way to fit in with peers or feel better in stressful situations, or as a way to deal with pain, both emotional and physical.

Once a person begins to take addictive drugs a series of changes occurs in the brain – the drug impacts neurotransmitters, the chemicals in the brain that impact how we feel and how we perceive the world.  Over time, these changes become the norm, and the person begins to crave the drug when it is not taken.  For most people, this is the beginning of a cycle of drug use, drug abuse, withdrawal, then drug use again in response to the withdrawal symptoms.

For many drug addiction starts with a prescription drug legitimately prescribed by their doctor. Most people take prescription drugs as prescribed, and stop taking them when the pain or issue is gone.  However, a certain segment of the population is vulnerable to addiction and will begin to abuse these drugs.  As their dependence on the drug grows, the abuser must take more of the drug to get the same effect.

Once a full-blown addiction is in place, the person’s behavior changes dramatically: the number one priority becomes access to sufficient quantities of the addictive drug to stave off withdrawal. This quantities, over time, can become shockingly large – far greater than a normal and safe therapeutic dose.

Of those who suffer drug addiction, only a small percent actually aggressively seek treatment. Often the abuser will seek outpatient treatment, individual therapy, or community-based programs.  If those fail,  and if they continually relapse, they have two choices: continue using drugs until they kill them, or recognize that they need to learn how to live life without drugs or alcohol and seek more extensive help. Drug rehab offers a safe place to address drug addiction through assessment, treatment, and therapy.