Because of the serious health risks involved with drug addiction, it is understandable that many people will seek help with drug addiction recovery as soon as they decide to turn to drugs or alcohol. The problem is that a majority of those who are trying to quit drugs or alcohol are not sure what they should expect during the process. Some people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol are not even aware that they have a problem. This is because there are various ways to self-medicate for certain addictions, such as morphine addiction, whether it be through alcohol or prescription medications.
Drug addiction recovery requires both personal and institutional help. The addict will need extensive therapy and will be required to stay away from drugs while they are in recovery. The addict will likely need medication for some time during the recovery process. Some drugs, such as methamphetamines or crystal meth, will be hard to kick at first, making it difficult for an addict to stop using them. Other harder drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and crack cocaine, will require a more serious effort on the part of the addict to quit using.
Classes of Drugs
Drugs are divided into classes and there are many classes. For example, there are analgesics, anti-anxiety medications, antidepressants, drugs for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, cancer drugs, and others. A drug class is basically a group of compounds and other substances that all have the same intended chemical structures, a similar mechanism of action, an effective mode of action, or are employed to treat the very same disease.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established the following five classes of drugs according to the United States Pharmacopoeia. These are: Analgesics, Antidepressants, Carbamazepine, Cyprindiol, and Tricyclic Antidepressants. These classes are further divided into two additional classes, namely, Tolerable Drug Substances or TDSS and Manual Control Substances or MCS. The main difference between these two classes of drugs is that MCSs can be recommended for children while TDSS is recommended for adults.
Addiction Recovery Programs
Most programs that concentrate on drug or alcohol rehabilitation focus on the effects of drug addiction on family members first. As such, if you are an individual seeking to recover from an addiction to a substance abuse, it is important that you work on rebuilding trust between you and your family. If you can show your family that you are sincerely trying to work on being clean and breaking free of your drug or alcohol addiction, you can begin the process of reconciling with them.
While there are many different methods of addiction treatment, many professionals believe that the most successful method of treatment is a residential treatment. If you are searching for the most effective way to cure your substance use disorder, then you should look into going to a drug rehab center. Drug rehab centers are able to treat various types of addictions. An addiction to alcohol is one of the most difficult to conquer, but there are countless other types of addictions that have been successfully treated at drug rehab centers throughout the United States. Alcohol addiction treatment outcomes vary, depending upon the severity of the addiction. Most successful drug addiction treatment outcomes are achieved when the addict has achieved a certain level of stability and sobriety.
Here are Some of the Commonly Treated Addictions
Benzodiazepine
Benzodiazepine is an antidepressant that is given to treat depression and is sometimes given in combination with mood stabilizers. It works by fooling your brain into thinking you are not depressed. This trickery gives you a false sense of security so that you will be less likely to feel depressed. Unfortunately, because your body has become dependent on these mood-stabilizing agents, it can become difficult to get off of them for long periods of time.
Once a person becomes addicted to benzodiazepine, it is very difficult to stop using the drug without going through withdrawal. This is because your body has been so reliant on the drug for its mood-stabilizing effects that you will have to go through with the withdrawal process if you want to permanently remove the drugs from your system. Because the drug is so addictive, people who try to quit often have horrible withdrawal symptoms that are very hard to live with. Most of the time they are not able to last even a few hours without using the drug, and at times it can be even more dangerous to them than being depressed.
Cocaine
Cocaine is a highly addictive cathinone alkaloid and powerful stimulant, mainly obtained from the leaves of two cocoa species. It is most popularly used as a euphoric and recreational stimulant. Cocaine acts at the central nervous system to release neurotransmitters such as nor epinephrine and dopamine, both of which are widely used in the body for a range of functions, including movement, mood, anxiety, memory and alertness. These neurotransmitters act at synapses in the brain, allowing nerves in the body to communicate with other neurons, and ultimately to provide pleasure. Cocaine acts at the monosynaptic sites, which are involved in the transmission of impulses along the line of afferent nerves, with other synapses forming secondary ones at visceral areas, insular regions and reticular areas. It has been estimated that cocaine use leads to the formation of at least six times more synaptic connections than would be normal in normal physiology.
There are two major health effects resulting from continued use of cocaine, which both increase with increased usage and intensity. The first is increased blood pressure and heart rate; this is coupled with feelings of paranoia, anxiety and irritability. The second is profound mental delusion which may result in hallucinations such as hearing voices and seeing things that aren’t actually present. As these levels of paranoia increase, so does the risk of delirium tremens (falls in which patients suffer uncontrollable shaking and sweating).
Amphetamines
One of the most difficult addictions to break is that of amphetamine abuse or amphetamines addiction. This is because of the fact that amphetamines make the brain work much harder than it normally does, which can ultimately lead to the user’s inability to focus and to remember things. The side effects of this drug include speed, a euphoric high, and the feeling of being full for a longer period of time than normal. This can make it very hard to maintain the motivation needed in order to stop using that as a result can contribute to their becoming addict. It is these things along with the fact that amphetamines actually do have a lot of medical benefits that makes people continue to use them despite the serious side effects that come with them.
One of the things that make amphetamines so addictive is that they affect the reward system in the brain. The reward system is where the brain sends signals telling us that something good has happened if we continue to perform a certain action. For example, when we go to the gym and perform some form of exercise we are rewarding ourselves for our performance. The dopamine that is released into our bodies increases and this causes us to crave the reward that is being offered.
Opiates
Opiates are chemical substances which act directly on opioid receptors to produce opiate-like euphoric effects. Medically they are most commonly used for chronic pain, particularly for severe pain, as well as acute pain. In fact, many of today’s prescription pain killers can be considered opiates, because they react in a similar way to opiates. An opioid is a chemical substance that causes the body to release opiates, or opiates.
Doctors classify opiates into two groups: synthetic and natural. Synthetic opioids are considered quite dangerous because of their ability to cause addiction and dependency. This type of substance often mimics other chemicals in the body, so the person taking it may experience an assortment of different side effects. Conversely, natural opiates are not considered to be as dangerous because they occur in natural quantities in certain plants and herbs. Although there are synthetic varieties of these substances available over the counter, they usually come in dosages far too large to be effective.
Alcohol
Alcohol addiction is one of the most misunderstood addictions. It’s easy to see why, as alcohol abuse is the worst form of physical dependence. People start out with alcohol as a social drink, maybe at a party or a friend’s house. Over time, however, they begin to realize that they can’t function without it, and their lives become unmanageable.
The first step to recovery from alcohol addiction is to seek help. Alcoholism rehab centers are the best way for people who have an alcohol addiction to recover. The staff takes the issue of addiction seriously and will do whatever they can to help the recovering addict achieve success. They treat the problem holistically, encouraging patients to make positive lifestyle changes in the area of alcohol abuse while helping them reclaim their life. The more people who receive treatment for alcoholism and drug addiction, the fewer people there will be who continue to suffer and die due to the disease.
Get Help
With proper treatment, most adult drug addicts can lead normal lives that involve close relationships and involvement in social and work life activities. Inpatient drug addiction recovery treatment centers provide the necessary inpatient facilities to successfully treat adults. Regardless of the treatment method used, the primary goal of successful drug addiction recovery should be to help the person feel healthy and satisfied with his or her life, and to help him or her develop the necessary skills to avoid drug relapse.
If you or someone you know may be suffering from any type of addiction, then you need to seek out professional help. There is help available for many people who suffer from substance addictions. Drug rehab centers are the place you need to turn if you or someone you know needs help with substance abuse issues. There is no reason to feel ashamed or embarrassed about seeking help with any type of addictions. The more you accept responsibility for your problems, the better off you will be.