Addiction

Drug Abuse and Addiction – WhiteSands Treatment

Some addicts are confused as to how and why they became a drug addict while others use drugs as a coping mechanism in order to cover up negative past experiences. While many individuals believe that one can simply stop using one day if they had enough willpower, this simply isn’t the case. Addiction is classified as a mental disease and just as other brains and bodily diseases require treatment in order to overcome, so does addiction.

Drug use has the capacity to alter the chemical makeup of the brain, hindering the individual’s perception and ability to have a sound train of thought. In turn, it makes it difficult for them to accept that they require help for their addiction. Luckily there are proven addiction treatments that can help addicts recover from drug abuse so that they can carry on living meaningful and content lives.

Long-term drug abuse can affect a person in many areas such as:

• Memory
• Judgment
• Learning
• Decision making
• Behavior

Addiction is an extremely compulsive chronic disease that has inherently harmful repercussions. Many of the most addictive drugs available act on the reward circuit of the brain, flooding it with dopamine which gives the user a sensation of pleasure and happiness. This is what is called a ‘high’. Over time and with prolonged drug use, the brain adapts to the constant flow of dopamine and requires that high amount in order to simply feel ‘normal’. In turn, when the user is not high, dopamine levels are so low that the individual becomes depressed, irritable, and agitated until they can get high again and bring those dopamine levels up.

Drug use typically begins with a voluntary decision to try a certain drug or alcoholic beverage. This could be by virtue of peer pressure or simply choosing to use drugs in hopes that it will make one fit in a social crowd. That use can quickly turn into abuse when the individual starts craving the substance more and more often until their body and their mind become dependent on it. Once an individual is reliant on a substance in order to make it through the day, they are addicted.

Drug addiction is considered a ‘relapsing disease’. This is because drug abuse can change the brain permanently, causing the person to always crave that drug that they were so heavily reliant on. Even if one has not used in years, they are still susceptible to falling back into the stronghold of addiction.

Addiction is by no means your fault. If you or someone you know is going through addiction and is ready to seek help, contact WhiteSands Treatment today to discuss treatment options.