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What To Know About Drug Use Disorder And Addiction

November 08, 2024

No one ever anticipates developing a drug use disorder, but this complex disease impacts millions of Americans every year. Drug use disorders change your brain and body and can devastate your life. Thankfully, there is help for individuals dealing with drug use. Expert drug addiction treatment is available in the Boston area and can empower you to regain control of your life. Continue reading to discover more about drug use disorders and addiction and how individuals and families can conquer these conditions with professional guidance.

What Is A Drug Use Disorder?

Many people take illicit drugs for social reasons or potent prescription drugs to treat health conditions. But when does drug use transform into a life-altering disorder?

Generally, drug use develops into a disorder when a person exhibits troubling patterns of drug use and loses control of their use. Drug use disorders are mental illnesses that range from mild to severe. These conditions disrupt your life and adversely affect your health.

There are distinct facets of drug use disorders:

Dependence occurs when your body becomes so accustomed to a drug that it struggles to perform without it. You will endure distressing withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking the drug.

Addiction is a psychological dependency. Addictive drugs alter your brain chemistry so that you constantly crave those substances and feel driven to take them increasingly. You are no longer in control of your mind and conduct. Addiction is the most extreme element of drug use disorders.

All degrees of drug use disorder are damaging to your relationships, mind, body, and wellbeing. If you suspect you or a person you love has a drug use disorder, seek skilled treatment for recovery. Everybody has a right to help.

What Drugs Are Habit-forming?

Dependency-causing drugs include powerful chemicals that modify your brain. Some are threatening enough to be prohibited by law. Others are approved prescription drugs but can become unsafe when used improperly or overused. Below are some of the most common addictive drugs in the U.S.:

Narcotics dull the senses, which makes them effective pain relievers. Even so, people also take them to decrease other uncomfortable feelings and can become addicted rapidly. Narcotics can be grouped as opiates or opioids. Opiates are plant-sourced substances. Opioids are synthetic. Heroin is a well-known unlawful narcotic. Legal drugs like Vicodin, Percocet, OxyContin, morphine, and fentanyl have pharmaceutical uses but are addictive and often used improperly.

Benzodiazepines are mood-changing drugs frequently prescribed for mental disorders. Even so, they can turn addictive when not taken correctly. Their tranquilizing qualities produce a feeling of being relaxed. Xanax and Valium are widely recognized benzos.

Stimulants encompass medications like Ritalin and Adderall, as well as illicit drugs like methamphetamines and cocaine. They energize your central nervous system, making you feel invigorated, aware, and euphoric. Excessive use of stimulants can be fatal.

Each of these kinds of drugs can develop into a drug use disorder. They all possess the potential to derail your life and trigger dangerous medical conditions. Find support for yourself or someone close to you at the earliest indication of dependency.

How Does Drug Addiction Start?

There are many reasons why people start using dependency-causing drugs. Numerous do so for enjoyment because they relish in the feelings those chemicals generate. Some people develop dependency with medications they're taking for medical treatment. Another group of people initiate the use of drugs to self-treat undiagnosed mental illnesses and find short-term relief.

Regardless of the primary factor for first trying these substances, the progression to addiction is usually the same. Your body starts to be reliant on the drug, and you become sick when you don't take it. You take more just to get by. You may slowly need larger doses for the drug to be effective. You like how its effect feels. You feel miserable without it and persist in using it. Ultimately, those chemicals dominate the pleasure center of your brain, and you can no longer feel good unless that drug is in your system.

When you're addicted, obtaining a consistent supply of the drug is the only thing that matters. Multiple people experience medical issues, destroy relationships, lose jobs, and take significant risks due to drug addiction. Your addiction dominates you and every part of your life, and you are powerless to quit without specialized support.

What Are Some Signals Of Drug Addiction?

You might surmise that a drug use disorder would be apparent. But, these disorders can appear differently among individuals, and loved ones will often try to hide their drug use from you. If you are uncertain if you or a loved one have a drug use disorder, consider the following signs:

Experiencing an uncontrollable urge to consume the drug

Unsuccessful tries to cut back on or stop using the drug

Allocating a great deal of time getting the drug, using it, or dealing with its effects

Consuming a prescribed drug for longer periods or in larger amounts than prescribed

Unable to fulfill obligations due to drug use

Abandoning favorite pursuits to take drugs

Continuing to use the drug even though it affects relationships

Continued use of the drug even when it negatively impacts your physical and psychological health

Having to take more of the drug to attain its effects

Enduring withdrawal when attempting to quit

Putting yourself at risk to get or ingest the drug

Drug use disorders can look different between people. If you or a loved one are showing any signals of drug addiction near Boston, speak with an area doctor or addiction treatment expert.

Where To Obtain Drug Addiction Treatment In Boston

Drug use disorder treatment is a multi-faceted process. Most people will slip up and need to return to certain steps more than once. You won’t be “cured” of drug use disorder, but countless patients acheive recovery and implement what they explore during treatment to live a fulfilling, substance-free life. The answer is locating specialized, proven treatment that matches your needs.

Each person’s recovery journey will be unique. Even so, treatment usually consists of the these steps at accredited treatment facilities:

Drug detox is the process of letting your body cleanse itself of substances. Your system will do this automatically if you abstain from taking more drugs. Unfortunately, if you have a drug dependence, your system will go into withdrawal without using. To complete detox in a safe manner, you should check into an inpatient detox center that offers round-the-clock medical support and takes measures to keep you comfortable.

Drug rehab programs also provide inpatient treatment. Throughout rehab, you’ll keep living at a treatment facility and get access to clinical support for any lingering withdrawal symptoms. Daily, you attend different types of psychotherapy with the aim of grasping your addiction, cultivating new beneficial habits, and managing any underlying mental disorders. You should remain in rehab until you feel physically and psychologically stable enough to exit that sober environment.

When you depart rehab, you should continue to receive specialized addiction support. Outpatient addiction and mental health therapy will help you navigate your life without drugs. These programs offer regular therapy and medication management. To start, you might attend outpatient care each day and return home in the evenings. Eventually, you’ll require less care and might only attend therapy once a week or less.

Everyone has a right to expert, caring addiction treatment. No matter how serious your addiction may be, recovery is achievable. Getting the right therapy at a licensed facility is necessary for your future. You don’t have to battle addiction on your own. There are multiple choices for drug addiction treatment near Boston.

How Can Families Help A Loved One Grappling With Drug Addiction Near Boston?

Individuals with a drug use disorder need all the help they can get. Friends and family can play critical roles in addiction recovery. If you love someone with a drug use disorder, here are some ways you may support them:

Help them get into a treatment program

Help them make payments for treatment

Go to family counseling with them

Take part in aftercare planning

Give them a safe, sober environment to live

Don’t pass judgment

Set ground rules around their drug use

Help them get to outpatient treatment appointments

Get Help For Drug Use Disorders Near Boston Today

No individual should confront drug use disorders alone. If you or a family member are struggling with drug addiction, there is hope. Turn to Sunrise Detox Millbury at 508-506-8940 or complete our contact form below. A member of our team will respond right away to explore treatment. All communications are free and secure. We respond at all hours, 365 days a year. Help is available now. We are standing by for you.