Drugs are something that most people if not all have tried at least once in their lives. This comes from curiosity for the most part, most in which just simply try the drug of choice and move on with their lives and others who fall into the “rush” the addiction of this drug. Most who fall into the addiction never recover from it, causing psychological disorders, becoming violent, anxiety etc.
Now although these individuals are sick both mentally and physically there are those who reach out and seek professional help to be able to beat their addiction by the use of counseling, and determining how to use the shown symptoms by the individuals to find a way for them to be able to recover without relapsing. Drugs are something that for so long have been used in the medical field as a form to cure people, whether it’s a flu, cold, headaches, other major diseases that have people going to the doctor. But over the years people have taken those prescribed drugs and turned them into a drug that not only has that prescribed drug but also is mixed with other substances not intended to be consumed by people (i.e. Methamphetamine, cocaine, LSD, etc.).
Other drugs are even grown and nowadays it is even grown in people’s own backyard, (i.e. Marijuana) although in some states it is legal to consume this drug it still has its own addictive traits and can cause some type of psychological disorder. Now in my own opinion I think that everyone at least once in their lives try some sort of drug even if said otherwise. Those who try it just to try it out of curiosity normally just try them and move on with their lives. Then there’s the other half of people who try it and liked the rush they felt keep doing the same drug and eventually progress to something else something more strong, this is when people fall into that addiction state. Chronic drug use as stated above has its consequences within the psychological disorders point (mental health).
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People who fall into the addiction often suffer from schizophrenia, anxiety, hallucinations. All of these are just examples of what happens to a person when they become addicted. This all stems from the brain of that individual, these recreational drugs truly do affect the brain of someone in such ways that if people knew before falling to the addiction they probably would reconsider their choices. Another type of addiction that people suffer from, alcohol addiction and just as drugs people abuse this substance.
People who abuse alcohol for their own pleasure usually fall into it because of personal problems at home, stressful environment at work, etc. What most people do not know is that chronic substance abuse can have a negative impact on people’s liver causing liver disease. In 2015, an estimated 43.4 million (17.9 percent) adults ages 18 and older experienced some form of mental illness (other than a developmental or substance use disorder). Of these, 8.1 million had both a substance use disorder and another mental illness. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2017). These addictions do not have a social status preference, anyone can fall into the addiction and abuse of a drug and/ or substance, But what causes an individual to become addicted?
In most cases for a lot of individuals the problem starts at home. How the environment is at home has a major role for a lot of people myself included family is a huge key factor to how one grows up to be. If there is good communication, family management and relationships then the individual will apply those same principles outside of home. There are people who do not have these variables at home. They usually experience personality traits that reflect a lack of social bonding; a history of low quality and consistency of family management, family communication, family relationships and parental role-modelling, a history of being abused or neglected.(Spooner C.,1999).
This is where the person feels as if they do not have a foundation at home or in life and feel as if abusing these addictions will numb away that lack of a home. The lack of a home feeling or family feeling is not the only factor that has a person fall into the abuse and addiction another factor that a person has been through is abuse. That being sexual abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse, etc. this trauma for the most is a big reason as to why they do drugs or become alcoholics.
Another form someone handles with the abuse is self medication and this is when the depressed individual who uses marijuana to numb the pain another factor is when the individual suffering from social anxiety who drinks to feel more comfortable in social situations, someone who struggles with panic attacks and takes benzodiazepines like Xanax or Valium in order to calm the symptoms or stop the attacks before they start, or someone with low energy and lack of motivation who takes Adderall, cocaine or crystal meth to increase their drive to get things done. (The Connection Between Mental Illness and Substance Abuse.,2020).
There does come a point where people do seek help to overcome the addiction, there are others who although do not seek help their loved ones seek the help out for them therefore setting up an intervention for the sick individual. This intervention consists of family members, friends, loved ones in general all gathering up to express their concerns and feelings for those individuals how that addiction is killing them and ruining their lives. They then ask the person to accept the help to go to a rehabilitation facility. These facilities usually consist of counseling meetings where the counselor and the now patient talk about the feelings of the individual and try to reach the core to their problems and what it is that caused their problems their addiction and abuse.
Treatment can include any of a number of components, which are often deployed in combination and are likely to change over the course of recovery: Detoxification, conducted under medical supervision, may be needed but is only the first stage of treatment, Motivational Interviewing, which is a short-term counseling process to help a person resolve ambivalence about treatment and find and hold onto incentives for change, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) can help a person recognize and cope with situations that trigger the desire to use substances, and Family therapy helps individuals repair any damage done to family relationships and to establish more supportive ones.(PsychologyToday.,2020).
References
- Waldorf, D. (1983). Natural recovery from addiction: some social-psychological processes of untreated recovery. Journal of Drug Issues, 13(2), 237-280.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse – https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/health-consequences-drug-misuse/mental-health-effects
- Spooner, C. (1999). Causes and correlates of adolescent drug abuse and implications for treatment. Drug and Alcohol Review, 18(4), 453-475.
- Jeff Johnson – https://casapalmera.com/blog/what-causes-drug-addiction/
- Addiction https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/addiction
- Anglin, M. D., & Hser, Y. I. (1990). Treatment of drug abuse. Crime and justice, 13, 393-460.
- The Connection Between Mental Illness and Substance Abuse
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/marriage-and-family-therapy
- https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/health-consequences-drug-misuse/mental-health-effects
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/addiction
