Drug Abuse
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Life-changing drug addiction treatment
Drug addiction is a chronic disease that, without medical intervention and treatment, has the opportunity to rip not only the addict but the entire family apart. Drug addiction is characterized by repeatedly taking or administering drugs to an extent in which you become psychologically and physically dependent; this includes illicit and prescription medication.
9.7 million or 96.6% of opioid misusers use prescription pain relievers.
70% of users who try an illegal drug before age 13 develop a substance abuse disorder within the next 7 years
8.1 million of 25.4% of illegal drug users have a drug disorder.
Causes of drug addictions
An addiction, specifically involving drugs, will develop due to a psychological process known as ‘Positive reinforcement”. Positive reinforcement will further encourage a particular pattern of behavior by offering a reward for that behavior. Various drugs will cause the individual to have a ‘positive experience’ regarding drug addiction. This positive experience will portray itself as:
- Confidence
- Euphoric feeling
- Relaxation
- High energy
- Intensely happy
When you feel something so intensely, and it makes you feel good, you will go out of your way to have the opportunity to have these feelings once again, which is what results in individuals repetitively consuming drugs. The individual then becomes stuck in a continuous negative cycle of consuming more drugs to experience the same positive feelings, inevitably developing into harmful drug addiction.
Additionally to the impact of positive reinforcement, research has also stated that several factors may further increase an individual likelihood of developing a drug addiction. This can be seen to include:
- Genetic
- Childhood exposure
- Traumatic events
- Existing mental health conditions
- Life events
The drug addiction treatment available here at Park Addiction Treatment San Diego is evidence-based. Each treatment is tailored to your specific needs, goals in life, and circumstances. Within our drug addiction treatment plan, you will be given the options to be involved in activities such as:
- Family and couple therapy
- Individual 1:1 therapy and structured group therapy programs
- Access to both on and off-site 12-Step support groups, specifically tailored to your unique drug addiction
- Assisted medically with withdrawal detoxification if required
- Guidance on our tried and tested treatment options
- Family support and care
- Vital life skill sets
If you have a close family member such as a parent of sibling who has suffered or is suffering from drug addiction, your likelihood increases.
Early childhood exposure to drug addiction or individuals who self-medicate increases the chance of that child developing a drug addiction later on in life.
Being a victim or exposed to a traumatic situation, can increase the chance of an individual turning to drug abuse to cope with intense feelings.
If you are already struggling with an untreated mental health issue, you are at greater risk of developing an addiction.
Experiencing an intensely stressful life such as financial difficulties or losing a job have all been linked to increasing the likelihood of turning to drugs to self-medicate.
Breaking the cycle with addiction can be a daunting process to go through, not because the withdrawal process can be challenging. Still, addicts are often unable to see a life where they survive and live happily without the use of drugs.
There are many individuals in the United States and all over the work who are currently living with drug addiction, convincing themselves that they do need medical intervention and that they can overcome this by themselves. Unfortunately, the chance of someone overcoming drug abuse without the help of medical professionals is almost slim to none.
Addiction is a persistent illness and often goes much deeper than substance abuse. Therefore simply detoxing is not enough. Addiction is often associated with an array of mental health issues. Failing to address the self-destructive psychological behaviors will significantly increase your chances of relapse.
We have listed a range of subtle signs that a loved one or even yourself may need to seek help for drug addiction:
Your health is suffering:
The mental and physical consequences of drug abuse can wreak havoc on your body. Physically the results can range from mild to fatal; this is all determined by a range of factors. Mentally, drug addiction can change your brain functions and how you behave. Manifesting itself more profound into your brain causes signs such as depression, anxiety, agitation, and even psychosis.
You are taking excessive amounts:
The more you abuse drugs, the more you have to continuously take to feel the same positive reactions you first felt. Over time your body will begin to build and grow its tolerance which results in you having to up your dosage, frequency and often promotes mixing additional substances to achieve that ‘high’ feeling.
You are experiencing intense desires:
When your body begins craving the harmful substance, you need to get yourself or your loved one checked in to receive medical help. At the beginning of your drug abuse, your body would not have cared either way if you consumed the drug again. However, when your drug addiction becomes severe, addicts can begin craving more before the ‘high’ from the last batch has completely worn off.
You have tried to quit but have been unsuccessful:
Addiction is complicated; relapse if part of the recovery program. Relapsing does not mean you have failed, and it most certainly does not mean you should not try again. If you have been attempting to stop using drugs and have been unsuccessful, this is a sign that you will most likely need to go to a treatment facility. Therefore you can have the structure, safety, medical attention, stability, and therapy to manage your addiction.
Constant problems:
Drug abuse is notorious for causing an array of different problems with an individual’s life and their extended family’s lives. If you find yourself constantly picking fights with loved ones or work colleagues, have become rather argumentative, or have started avoiding people and isolating yourself away. We would advise you to check yourself into an addiction treatment facility.
Addicts at their absolute core do not believe that they are worth caring for. These feelings usually drove them into an unsafe environment in which they started abusing. Poor self-care has been heavily linked to an emotionally relapsing recovery from drug addiction.
Treating yourself or allowing loved ones to take care of you, even if for only an hour, will let you begin feeling comfortable in your skin and successfully set you up on a path that makes you less likely to relapse. It can be not easy and, at times, overwhelming to know where to start when it comes to self-care. This is why we have written a couple of pointers that have helped our clients in the past:
- Try and get out to exercise. Science has stated that exercise will boost the dopamine levels within your brain, which is ultimately responsible for your happy hormones. Get out, breathe some fresh air in, and let yourself be free. Try some running, yoga, swimming, tennis, absolutely anything that will get your heart rate up and blood pumping.
- Detoxify and heal yourself from the inside out with nutritious foods. Your diet is a factor that affects your brain chemistry. Drug abuse can severely strip your body of vital minerals and vitamins; therefore, we advise eating healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, nuts, dark chocolate, and more.
- Ensure you are getting enough sleep. Sleep is a critical factor in maintaining physical and mental functionality while clearing all harmful toxins from our brains. If you can, create a sleep schedule when you have a wind-down session before going to bed to ensure you are getting a quality night's sleep.
Bespoke treatment designed for you
Consistently use evidence-based approach
Seen by an experienced psychiatric provider
Reliable long-term aftercare and social support to help maintain your abstinence
Safe and proven medical detox treatment options
Decades of research and tests
Ready to get you and your family’s lives back on track?
Being addicted to any illicit or prescribed drug can completely tear your life apart. Here at Park Mental Health, we have a range of therapies, rehab programs, and medication to help get you back onto the road to recovery.
Family therapy is a branch of psychology that works with families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It tends to view change in terms of interaction systems between family members.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a talking therapy that can help manage your problems by changing the way you think & behave. Commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for other mental & physical health problems.
Dialectical behavioral therapy is evidence-based psychotherapy. There is evidence that DBT can help treat mood disorders, suicidal ideation, and change in behavioral patterns such as self-harm and substance use.
EMDR is a form of psychotherapy in which the person being treated is asked to recall distressing images; the therapist then directs the patient in one type of bilateral stimulation, such as side-to-side eye rapid movement.
Here at Park Mental Health in San Diego, we have a range of therapy treatments available to suit you and your family’s specific needs.
You have come to the right place if you are ready to deal with your drug problems. We have various expert teams ready and waiting to take you on a journey of a lifetime and get you back to the beautiful drug-free life you once lived. The medical professional here at Park Drug Addiction San Diego can help you with:
- Coping with your cravings
- Learn vital skill sets to identify trigger situations and successfully navigate your way out of them
- Overcome your drug abuse disorder
- Learn crucial communication skills
- Work with you to get to the root of the cause as to why you initially began abusing
- Help your cope and treat any existing mental health disorders
Admitting to yourself that you need help and actively going out of your way to get yourself help is the hardest part of your journey. Once you have contacted a member of our team, you will never again be alone in your journey to recovery. Alongside your loved ones, you will have either a therapist or a psychiatrist by your side every step of the way. Besides emotionally supporting you when you find the treatment challenging, they will continually assess your progress to ensure that your treatment does not need altering to ensure that you receive the most effective treatment.
Let’s break the cycle and get you back to thriving in life once again.
Read through our previous patient’s reviews of their treatment plans and experience at Park Mental Health Treatment San Diego to empower you to make the change.