Drug addiction, or substance use disorder (SUD), is when someone continues using a drug despite its harmful consequences to their daily functioning, relationships, or health. Using drugs can change brain structure and functioning, particularly in areas involved in reward, stress, and self-control. These changes make it harder for people to stop using drugs even when they really want to.
Drug addiction is dangerous because it becomes all-consuming and disrupts the normal functioning of your brain and body. When a person is addicted, they prioritize using the drug or drugs over their wellbeing. This can have severe consequences, including increased tolerance to the substance, withdrawal effects (different for each drug), and social problems.
Recovering from SUD is possible, but it takes time, patience, and empathy. A person may need to try quitting more than once before maintaining any length of sobriety.
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Commit to Change
Committing to change includes stages of precontemplation and contemplation where a person considers changing, cutting down, moderating, or quitting the addictive behavior. Afterward, committing to change can look like working with a professional in identifying specific goals, coming up with a specific plan to create change, following through with that plan, and revising goals as necessary.
Surround Yourself With Support
Enlisting positive support can help hold you accountable to goals. Research explains that family and friends who are supportive of recovery can help someone change because they can reinforce new behaviors and provide positive incentives to continue with treatment. Get closer to friends that have nothing to do with drugs.
Eliminate Triggers
Triggers can be any person, place, or thing that sparks the craving for using. Common triggers include places you’ve done drugs, friends you’ve used with, and anything else that brings up memories of your drug use.
You may not be able to eliminate every trigger, but in the early stages of recovery it’s best to avoid triggers to help prevent cravings and relapse.
Find healthier ways to cope with stress
Stress is a known risk factor or trigger for drug use. Managing stress in healthy ways means finding new ways of coping that don’t involve drug use.You may resort to pick up some lessons or take part in activities that will keep you busy and also keep your memory away from drugs. The gym can also play a part here.
Cope with withdrawal
Coping with withdrawal may require hospitalization or inpatient care to ensure adequate supervision and medical intervention as necessary. This isn’t always the case, though, because different drugs have different withdrawal symptoms. The severity of use also plays a role, so knowing what to expect and when to seek emergency help is important.
For example, a person withdrawing from alcohol can experience tremors (involuntary rhythmic shaking), dehydration, and increased heart rate and blood pressure. On the more extreme end, they can experience seizures (sudden involuntary electrical disturbance in the brain), hallucination (seeing, hearing, smelling, or tasting things that do not actually exist outside the mind), and delirium (confusion and reduced awareness of one’s environment).
Deal With Cravings
Learning to deal with cravings is a skill that takes practice. While there are several approaches to resisting cravings, the smart recovery programs suggest the DEADS method:
. Delay use because urges disappear over time.
. Escape triggering situations.
. Accept that these feelings are normal and will pass.
. Dispute your irrational “need” for the drug.
. Substitute or find new ways of coping instead of using.
Avoid Relapse
The relapse rate for substance use disorders is similar to other illnesses and estimated to be between 40%–60%. The most effective way to avoid relapse and to cope with relapse is to stick with treatment for an adequate amount of time (no less than 90 days). Longer treatment is associated with more positive outcomes. Still, relapse can happen and should be addressed by revising the treatment plan as needed with medical and mental health professionals.
Consider the above mentioned remedies to deliver yourself from drug addiction, it is very dangerous to your health.
