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Living With Drug Addiction
Drug Addiction“Drugs hijack...basic biological systems and redirect their focus to the drug itself. From a biological perspective, it is an orderly process leading to compulsive and harmful behavior. From a human perspective, it is a disastrous interaction with a powerful substance that alters brain chemistry.” (source: Jack E. Henningfield et al., Addiction Treatment: Science and Policy for the Twenty-first Century,2007, p 126) Some 47% of Americans will use illicit drugs at some point in their lives. Drugs affect our ability to carry out everyday activities, from hurting productivity at work to harming our relationships with family. The impact of substance use on our society is enormous. It carries great health risks as well; the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reported that last year, 1.4 million people visited the emergency room due to drug-related issues. Drug addiction infects every racial, social, and economic stratum. Furthermore, a recent government study found that substance use disorders impact the cost of doing business, family mental health, crime, preventable accidents, and premature deaths. A 2005 study found that the cost of alcohol and drug abuse to society is over $300 billion every year. (source: SAMHSA, http://partnersforrecovery.samhsa.gov/docs/Briefing_Substance_Use_Treatment.pdf) Recovering from Drug AddictionThe most effective treatment for drug addiction is a comprehensive approach, including detox, treatment, aftercare, family therapy, and self-help groups. Studies have consistently held that individuals have the best chance at maintaining long-term sobriety when they complete treatment and follow it with comprehensive aftercare: life-skills training, job training, family therapy, 12-step groups (AA, NA, CA), psychiatric visits, a sober living environment, and more. Sobriety takes work, commitment, and a willingness to change. Treatment modalities are the same for alcoholism and drug addiction. The nature of addiction is what needs to be addressed in the recovering person’s life. There are also complementary and alternative therapies as well. Some of these methods have been studied more than others. It is highly unlikely that any one therapy will be successful. Individuals generally require a comprehensive effort based on an honest and careful examination of his or her history.
Abstinence from Drugs is a Way of Life There is a saying in 12-step rooms about change: “The only thing you have to change in recovery is everything.”
What does that change mean? For people who became addicted to drugs there are reasons, there are rationales, and there are excuses. But the end result was addiction. One's fundamental thinking must be altered; it is work that requires personal responsibility and a desire to take control of one’s life. The idea is to “reshape the addict’s motivational system -- to change the addict as a person. In some cases this may go to the root of his or her being.” There are many psychological theories as to why people engage in change. But underlying them all is motivation. People addicted to drugs will go through detox and withdrawal. That will be followed by months of the drugs’ influence and a clearing of the mind. During these months, a person must be working on a reorganization of their thought process, perspectives, and values. The Trans-theoretical Model of Change
The trans-theoretical offers a model of change that provides addicts with an easy way to understand the phenomenon of change.
A view of how change might look in the activities of an individual recovering from drug addiction is illustrated in this series of charts:
(source: Roadmap for Recovery, Kap.samhsa.gov/products/manuals…/roadmap_for_recovery.ppt) |
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