Addiction Guide

Addiction is often a byproduct of substance abuse or overuse of addictive drugs. Though most substance use disorders are caused by drug abuse, there are some prescription medications can lead to physical dependence after normal use like benzodiazepines and potent opioids. The majority of substance use disorders begin by recreationally using prescription of illicit drugs. According to NIDA, as much as 75 percent of people who are addicted to heroin started by abusing prescription opioids. No one starts using drugs expecting to become addicted; it’s often a consequence of drug abuse.

Addiction can affect people differently. Two people can use the same drug, and the same dose and frequency, and one will develop a substance use disorder while the other doesn’t it’s difficult to point to any one definitive cause for addiction. 

Instead, it’s usually a combination of causes like childhood trauma, early exposure to drugs, heredity, and development. Addiction can also cause a number of issues from legal troubles to medical issues.

Because addiction is so complex, treatment is highly personalized. For treatment to be effective, no two treatment plans should be identical.

Addiction is a chronic disease that is difficult to overcome on your own. However, it is treatable, and it’s possible to live a life free from the disease. Spotting the signs and seeking help are the first steps toward a long-lasting recovery.

Learn more about alcohol and drug addiction and how it can be effectively treated.

What Is Drug Addiction?

Drug addiction is a disease that primarily affects the brain, but it has wide-reaching effects in a person’s life. Addiction is diagnosed as a severe substance use disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). A substance use disorder becomes an addiction when it becomes difficult to control. Someone with an addiction may use compulsively, despite serious consequences.

Reuptake would normally remove excess dopamine from your system, but cocaine causes it to remain to bind to more receptors.

The Signs of Addiction

Though addiction is a serious disease, it often comes after several signs and symptoms. Substance use disorders usually start with periods of abuse and chemical dependence before becoming an addiction. Learning to recognize these symptoms can help you or someone you love avoid some of the serious consequences that come with addiction. Though, it’s important to note that even severe substance abuse disorders can be treated successfully, even if you’ve relapsed before.

Tolerance

Substance use becomes a disorder when you start using drugs illegally, without a prescription, or when you use more than directed. One of the first signs that abuse or overuse is becoming a problem is a growing tolerance. Tolerance is when your body starts to get used to the drug you are using. It may feel like your normal dose is less potent than it used to be. In reality, your brain is starting to counteract the drug with its own chemicals to balance brain chemistry.

You can start to develop a tolerance to certain drugs even with normal prescribed use, particularly if you use benzodiazepines for several weeks. If you start to feel a growing tolerance, speak to your doctor about switching medications or cutting back.

If you stop using, you may experience symptoms of withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms vary based on the drug you use, and they can range from uncomfortable to life-threatening, especially if you’ve used benzodiazepines, alcohol, or barbiturates. If you start to feel withdrawal symptoms, speak to a medical professional before quitting depressant sleep aids cold turkey.

Addiction

Addiction is characterized by compulsive used that gets out of control. In some cases, a person may realize their drug use has become a problem and still can’t stop using. In other cases, an addict may be in denial that consequences are related to their drug use. Either way, a severe substance use disorder can be hidden at first, but it will slowly start to take over multiple aspects of your life.

If you are worried about a friend or loved one who’s using, you might notice a few signs and symptoms from an outside perspective. If you notice that a loved one might be struggling, you might be able to help get them the treatment they need. It can be difficult to encourage someone to make a change, but the first step is recognizing the signs, which can include:

While there is no known cure for addiction, it can be treated with personalized therapy and help from professionals. Addiction, like other diseases, can often result in relapse. In fact, it has similar relapse rates to other chronic illnesses like hypertension and asthma, at 40 percent to 60 percent.

However, successful treatment is possible, even after one or more relapse. For that reason, a good portion of treatment is devoted to preparing relapse prevention strategies. But a relapse doesn’t mean that treatment failed; it just means that your strategies have to be revisited. Just like asthma, you wouldn’t stop treating a disease after a relapse. Learning to recognize the signs is the first step in preventing and addressing a substance use disorder. The faster you treat yourself, the more likely you are to avoid some of the most severe consequences like infectious diseases, legal issues, and overdose.

The Addiction Epidemic

The problems of addiction and overdose have been steadily increasing over the last 20 years. Between 1999 and 2016, 350,000 people were killed in overdoses. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 66 percent of the overdose deaths in 2016 involved opioids. The epidemic in the United States is primarily centered around the opioid crisis, but other drugs also pose a threat. In fact, many people who struggle with a substance use disorder use multiple drugs at once. Polydrug use can make abuse even more dangerous.

For instance, mixing opioids and central nervous system depressants can increase your risk of experiencing fatal overdose symptoms like respiratory depression. According to NIDA, more than 60 percent of opioid overdoses also involved benzodiazepines.

There are two main sources for the rise in opioid use and addiction in the U.S. First, pharmaceutical companies started to prescribe more and more opioids, even though Americans were not statistically reporting more pain. Excessive pain pills are placed in medicine cabinets within reach of other people in the house, or they are given to family and friends. The number one source for opioid prescription abusers was from friends and acquaintances.

Opioids also come into the U.S. through the black market. Specifically, from transnational criminal organizations like Mexican cartels. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the availability of heroin has significantly increased because of the influx of black market drugs.

The prevalence of prescriptions opioids and the influx of cheaper heroin, has led to a path to addiction that starts with prescription abuse and often ends with an overdose on illicit substances.

How Drug Addiction Treatment Works

Addiction is a complicated disease and treating it requires a complex response. Each person who enters addiction treatment comes with a unique set of underlying issues. It’s difficult to point to any one cause of addiction, and it’s usually a combination of biological, environmental, and developmental factors. Addiction can also cause a variety of consequences that also have to be addressed. Addiction as the tendency to slowly take over different parts of your life like your health, finances, relationships, and it can even lead to legal issues. If left untreated or unaddressed, these issues can lead to a relapse, limiting the effectiveness of treatment.

For these reasons, treatment needs to be tailored to your individual needs. When you first enter treatment, you will go through an intake and assessment process that’s designed to place you in a level of care that’s ideal for your needs. Clinicians use a tool called the ASAM Criteria to help determine the level of care that’s appropriate for any given individual. The Criteria involve six dimensions that need to be considered, which include:

The Levels of Care

Your initial assessment is designed to help clinicians determine the best level of care for your specific needs. There are four main levels of care in addiction treatment, and a few have sublevels that help to pinpoint your needs better. You may start in one level of care, but as you progress, you will advance to new levels, generally lowering the intensiveness of your treatment. This process is called the continuum of care.

Here are four main levels of care:

After treatment is completed, it’s important to maintain a commitment to recovery, even outside of formal clinical services. Treatment centers often have aftercare programs that are designed to connect you to community resources after treatment. Services like career centers, 12-step meetings, and other resources can help you safeguard your recovery for years to come. People can relapse for a variety of reasons, but it’s often because they disconnected from their recovery efforts.

Start Recovery Today

Addiction is a chronic disease that’s difficult to get over, especially on your own. However, with help, addiction can be treatable, and the right therapies and professionals can lead you to long-lasting recovery and sobriety. To learn more about how treatment can lead you to a life free of active addiction, speak to an addiction treatment specialist at Serenity at Summit.