Addiction is not a new phenomenon. It’s happening every day and the effects on our children are just awful.  It’s high time we talk about it. It is the responsibility of every parent or guardian to ensure that they keep track of their children’s health. In this article, we are going to learn more about addiction in children, how it starts, the effects, treatment and everything else you need to know about the topic.

What Is Addiction In Children?

When we talk about addiction, whether in adults or children, we simply refer to the situation where the victim finds it hard to control their alcohol or drug use. Actually, they reach a point where they lack control on whether or not to use the drugs and they feel like the only thing they want is to have the drug.

How Does Addiction Start In Children?

It starts first when a child starts using drugs. This is what we call substance abuse. Children can be addicted to a wide variety of drugs. The more the child uses the drugs, the more they end up losing control over the substance use. Their whole body system gets used to drugs circulation in the blood stream and they reach a point where they can’t do without it.

Are You A Parent Or A Partner Who Is Addicted To Drugs?

If you are a parent or partner struggling with issues of addiction, are you aware of the severe impacts your addiction has on your children?

Not many parents or guardians know how their drugs or alcohol addiction affects their children. According to various research carried out, it is quite evident that children coming from families with drug addiction history become prone to addiction at a very early stage in life.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than 8.3 million children aged 18 years and below live in families where either one or both parents are addicted to drugs or alcohol. Addiction poses a major threat on the child’s emotional and mental health as well as their lifestyle and future developments.

Therefore, parents using drugs ought to be aware of how their choices affect their children since some of these effects are permanent and can mess the life of their children for good.

Addiction hurts everyone around and children are not spared either. The user and the family are all in agony because they all suffer in one way or the other. Little children who depend on their parents for every aspect of their lives –physical, emotional and social support are the ones who are greatly affected. Such children are most likely to indulge in substance abuse at an early stage.

Are You Troubled With Drug Addiction In Your Child?

If you have just found out that your child is addicted to drugs or alcohol, it is quite normal for you to feel devastated and confused, just because you care and you never imagined your child in addiction.

Always know that you are not alone. Millions of parents across the world are also going through the same experience. It is actually not easy for you to help your child out of addiction on your own. The best thing you can do is to find help from medical professionals near you.

Which Substances Are Children Addicted To?

Children can become addicted to a wide variety of things. These includes drugs, whether legal or illegal or alcohol and tobacco smoking. Children can also become addicted to some medications and inhalants such as sniffing glue. All these substance can affects a child’s health badly.

Signs Of Addiction In Children

As a caring parent or guardian, it is good you know the signs to look at for you to tell when your child is addicted to drugs or alcohol. Whether you are addicted to such substances or not, your child can become a drug or alcohol addict without you knowing and the effects might bring some adverse effects on your child.

Remember, it might be a bit tricky for you to notice when your adolescent child is involved in drugs since the child will try the best to make sure that you do not notice their change in behaviors.

This therefore calls for vigilance and patience for you to learn your child’s behavior. The moment you notice that your child is addicted to drugs or alcohol, you need to act with a lot of love and patience and offer the child every support you can afford to help him/her come out of addiction.

The following are some of the common signs to show that your child is suffering from addiction.

• A child loses interest in something that they used to be greatly interested in
• A child shows some unusual ways of getting away from problems or relaxing
• Changes in eating habits – the child eats too much or too little or change eating times
• The child looks sickly or shaky
• Nausea, vomiting
• Slurred / inaudible speech
• Poor balance
• Redness of eyes or face
• The child get anxious, upset or looks greatly depressed
• The child starts isolating himself or herself from family members or friends
• The child starts complaining about workload whether school or home chores and often gets behind workload.
• He/she sells their stuff or steals from you or other members of the family or friends
• Rapid weight gain or weight loss
• The child becomes rude
• The child has problems with sleeping and at times gets out of bed
• The child spends most of the time on computer games to avoid spending time with other people
• Profuse sweating even in a cold season
• Blackouts or Loss of consciousness
• Withdrawal symptoms when the child fails to consume the drugs
• Hallucinations
• Seizures

What Should You Do When You Find Out That Your Child Is Addicted To Drugs?

The way a parent or a guardian reacts when they notice addiction in children greatly determines how fast or easily the child is likely to come out of addiction. It is therefore very important that every caring parent knows the best steps to follow immediately they notice addiction in children.

• Let your child know that you care about him and that his condition is worrying you
• Share your concerns with a person you can trust
• Take your time for personal research on addiction on children and let your child know what you have found out. This will help you become aware of the whole scenario and you can now handle it from a point of understanding.
• Talk to your child and find out if he will open up and tell you about their addiction problems. Be careful to notice any positive changes to tell whether the situation is changing or whether you need to find more help for your child.
• Encourage your child to join other children in play and other social activities.
• Find help from a professional doctor immediately

What You Should Not Do When You Find Out That Your Child Is Addicted To Drugs

As a caring parent or partner, I know you can do everything possible to help your child come out of addiction. True? It is therefore very important to be cautious as you go about this issue for your personal safety and well being. This is especially if you are dealing with a grown up child.

• If the child is smoking, advise him/her not to smoke near you
• Be careful being around an alcohol addicted child because he might not react normally as they used to. The child might become violent and hurt you.
• Do not try whatever drugs your child is taking
• Be in company of another person if you feel unsafe staying along an addicted child
• Ask your other children not to hang out with the addicted child and his friends

Need Help With Addiction In Children?

Drugs and alcohol abuse in children can be treated. If you are struggling with your addicted child, seek intervention from a professional doctor. This is the safest and fastest way to bring your child back to sobriety and live a drug – free life.

How To Help Your Child Come Out Of Addiction

In most cases, children in addiction are in denial and won’t easily give in to the fact that they are in addiction. For your plans to help your child out of addiction to be successful, the child must be willing to be helped. He must admit that he is in a big mess and declare that he needs help to come out of the nasty addiction. With this, the rest part of recovery process becomes far much simpler and faster.

At times, it might be hard for an addicted child to open up to the parents and talk about their addiction story due to fear and shame. You can therefore find a mature friend that you can trust and have him or her talk to your child about the substance abuse concerns you have noticed.

The child needs to be taken through several counseling sessions but in a very loving and understanding manner. Avoid becoming mad about your child’s addiction since the child might become more rebellious and it might be hard for you to get his attention back.

The early you notice of your child’s drug abuse the better. This is because you can help him come out of the mess before the substance abuse reaches extreme levels that might be a bit difficult to recover.

Therefore, parents, teachers and guardians need to be very keen and act with speed immediately they notice unusual change of behaviors in their teenage children.

Drug Addiction Treatment In Children Below 18 Years

Drug addiction in children is a chronic mental illness that calls for immediate treatment. This treatment should only be handled by a professional practitioner who is highly experienced in treating addiction in children.

Drug addiction recovery in children is a medical process that usually involves three medical stages. These are the detoxification, rehabilitation and maintenance.

Detoxification

This is the most difficult drug or alcohol addiction treatment stage due to the serious withdrawal symptoms witnessed. Since the withdrawal symptoms might be life-threatening, the child should be kept under medical supervision throughout the process.

This stage involves flushing out all the toxic drug and alcohol substances in the body. The processes puts the victim in great pain. It is at this stage where most people give up in addiction treatment if they are not put under proper medication or do not get the right support from family and friends.

Rehabilitation

After a successful detoxification process, the child is then taken through the rehabilitation process. This involves scheduled counseling sessions and support group. Depending on the nature and extent of the addiction, the doctor decides whether to put the child into a rehab center or the child to receive treatment while still at home and only see the doctor on scheduled appointment.

Maintenance

Gaining sobriety cannot be achieved in a day or two. It is a process. Upon a successful detoxification and rehabilitation process, the child is then put into a maintenance stage to help him gain sobriety and bring his life back on track.

What Is The Role Of The Parent In Addiction Treatment In Children?

Your child’s health is your number one priority. No matter how worse your child’s addiction case is, just own up the mess and be ready to offer your child all the mental, physical and financial support required in drug recovery. Never mind what your friends talk about your child’s addiction case. Just handle your child with a lot of love and patience, coupled with a lot of understanding.

Stop! Did You Find The Root Cause Of Addiction In Your Child?

There has been some recurring cases whereby a teenager goes through the entire drug recovery process and gets back into addiction again. Why? Nothing was done about the root cause.

It is therefore of great importance that parents and teachers identify the root causes of addiction in children and thoroughly address the situation. Drug and alcohol use and addiction awareness should be done to sensitize the society about the dangers of drug addiction in children. At school, there should be scheduled guidance and counseling sessions to create awareness on substance abuse among students.

Are You A Teenager Fighting Addiction?

If you are a teenager reading this content and you are troubled with your addiction problem and could be you have had several attempts to stop drug abuse with no success, do not give up. There is help for you and know that you are not alone in this.

I know you really want to bring your life back on track. Healing begins with you. First, you must admit that you are in a mess and you need help to get out of the mess. Do not fight this battle alone. Do not feel ashamed about your condition. Speak out and seek help.

Talk to your parent(s) or a close person to whom you can confide in and share your problems with them for you to find help.

Child, drugs are bad. Taking drugs is wrong and drugs will only make you glad for a short while and regret follows soon after. So, if you want a happy life, stay a drugs-free life.

Looking For The Best Rehab Centers For Teens?

For you to get help with your teenager addiction treatment, find a youth friendly rehab center near you. Don’t wait until it’s too late. The best time to find the best rehabilitation center for your child is immediately you notice that your child is on drugs. The more your child stays on drugs, the longer the recovery process and treatment might be a bit expensive for you.

How Long Is Addiction Recovery In Children?

Addiction is a chronic mental disorder where teenagers and adolescents find it difficult to control their substance use. Treatment duration varies depending on the extent of the addiction in children. Parents who notice addiction in early stages in their children and finds immediate treatment helps their children go through a shorter drug recovery process.

How Expensive Is Addiction Recovery Treatment In Teenagers And Adolescents?

It all depends of the addiction recovery facility you take your child to. There is no standard amount that is charged on addiction recovery. If your child has been on drugs for many years, the treatment process might be more expensive. Talk to your insurance providers to find out if they cover addiction treatment to help you cut out on medication cost.

Effects Of Addiction In Children

Every parent wishes that their children grow up in the right manner and enjoy a bright future. On the same note, every child has his/her unique dreams and aspirations in life and they all look forward to living a better life in days to come. The issue of drugs addiction at an early stage in life greatly affects brain development in children, affecting their studies and therefore a child might fail to achieve their career goals.

Addiction in children also exposes teenagers to severe health conditions like heart problems, liver diseases, stroke, stomach disorders and many more. In most severe cases of addiction, death might result.

Drug and alcohol addiction also exposes children to premature sex which might result to sexual assault, unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Children under drugs influence might engage themselves in violence and this might result to bad injuries. Also, teenagers who drink while driving might cause bad accidents both to themselves and other drivers as well as the pedestrians.

The issue of drug addiction brings a great urge for the child to drink more, since young people who are mostly schooling do not have a stable source of income do not have money to buy enough drugs to sustain their urge, they end up stealing. There have been many reported cases where children steal assets from parents and friends, they sell the items at a throw a way price to get quick money to buy more drugs. This actually destroys a child’s morals and the stealing habit might become uncontrollable putting the child at risk of being put to the juvenile.

How To Deal With Smoking Or Alcohol Addiction In Children

Cigarette, tobacco and marijuana are very common among teenagers. There are many reasons why teenagers get involved in substance abuse. It could be due to family addiction history, peer influence, fun, rebellion or even the fear to face a certain reality in life.

What begins just as a single puff becomes a life’s threatening problem in children and adults alike. The rate of cigarette smoking among high school students is increasing a very alarming rate. Regardless of the continued drug awareness campaigns in schools, the issue of illegal drugs and alcohol use among students still leaves a lot to be deserved.

It is therefore the role of the parents to keep track on their children behaviors and notice when their children start substance abuse at the early stages.

Why Wait Till It’s Too Late? Seek Help Today

Cigarette smoking puts children into serious medical problems like gum diseases, respiratory problems, lung diseases and general poor health and fitness. The early you notice your child’s smoking habits the better. Don’t wait till it’s too late. Call a professional doctor now and talk about your child’s addiction situation for help.

Your Child’s Life Is Important. Guard It!

Addiction in children affects the way your child looks, smells and behaves. Alcohol and cigarette smoking produces bad breath, stains in both teeth and fingers and the general outlook of your teenage child is affected. Friends and members of the family might abandon your child. The child feels rejected and isolated.

Therefore. Your constant assurance of love and care to your child is what brings hope to the child when all others fail. Be patient, it might take longer than you expect to bring your child’s life back on track but don’t lose hope. Your child’s life is important and a caring parent should guard it at all cost.

Need Help?

Addiction in children can be very stressful. You don’t have to walk through it all alone when you can find help. Call a professional doctor now. This could be the beginning of your great relief if you never knew. Someone is waiting to help your child come out of that nasty addiction. Do not feel ashamed about it. Speak up.

Do you indulge in substance abuse? Drug use has negative impacts on your life in very many ways. Anyone is capable of becoming an addict as long as he or she is exposed to a prescribed medication or illegal drugs that are habit-forming. Some people are predisposed to develop addictive behavior when introduced to various drugs.

This read will shed light on all the aspects of life that are negatively affected by drug use.

1. Law
Most of the drugs that are commonly abused are illegal, which means that when a person supplies, cultivates, manufactures, uses, or possesses an illegal drug. This gives rise to a drug offense that will result in a criminal record. Depending on the state you are in, you could be fined, imprisoned, or both. Additionally, this could affect your ability to secure a job, good credit score, or even get a visa to travel out of the country. This will affect your financial well being, which will affect your mental, social, and emotional state due to issues such as depression and anxiety.

The state will order you to undergo a drug test to ascertain the drug you used in order to prove their case. These tests search for small amounts of the substance in the body. The types of tests that you could be subjected to include:

• Saliva test: This testing method is reliable, accurate and quick. It is mainly used to detect the presence of the following rugs in the body MDMA (‘ecstasy’), methyl amphetamine, and THC. It takes about five minutes to carry out this test. If the results come back positive, the person is required to take a confirmatory test. This is usually done on the blood. The second test takes about half an hour to complete.
• Blood test: This detects the recent use of a substance. Recent in this case means a few hours before the test is carried out. This test is expensive. The blood sample is drawn from a prick on the finger or arm vein. The sample is tested in a laboratory that is accredited.
• Urine test: This is the most common form of a drug test. It detects the long-term use of a drug. It is very accurate and easy to do. It entails urinating in a container and having the urine tested using a dipstick. This is common in the workplace.
• Hair test: This test provides drug use history. Most people do not know this but drug substance residues accumulate in the hair. It detects drug use for as far back as more than three months from the date when the test is taken. It is very expensive to carry out because of its accuracy. The history is determined from the length of your hair, which takes about forty to fifty strands of your hair.

2. Driving
Drinking under the influence is very risky. You are likely to cause an accident and even lose your own life. Various rugs have varied effects on the body’s state when a person is driving. Below are some of these common effects.

• Stimulant: This gives the driver a false sense of confidence, which increases the likelihood of the driver to take risks. For example, the driver could driver at an abnormal speed while overtaking. Take note that stimulants do not increase the focus, ability, or coordination of the driver.
• Depressants: This drug slows the reaction rate of the driver, which makes the driver react after the lapse of some time. For example, the driver could delay slowing down the vehicle and hit someone or bump into someone else’s car. This means that the drug increases the possibility of a car crash.
• Hallucinogens: This drug affects the driver’s visual sense. This makes it difficult for the driver to judge perceptions such as distance, which increases the possibility of them crashing into something or hitting someone. Additionally, it reduces the driver’s ability to coordinate the required reaction when they drive.

3. Relationships
Taking drugs heightens and changes our personalities. This is why most introverts and conservative people become more outspoken and active when they are under the influence. For occasional users, this is just fun and games. However, for avid users, they can sometimes turn to become more militant and mean. This makes them directly approach relationship issues in an agitating manner. This is a clear warning sign of addiction. This is because the person is allowing their drug use to get in the way of their relationships and friendships and they keep doing it even though they are aware that they keep hurting their loved ones. They stop being reachable and avoid making plans with their close friends and family. Most of the time, this happens because they know that their close friends and family would be able to tell that they are not okay. They are trying to cover up their new habit.

4. Health
An addict wholly depends on their chosen drug. They rarely eat any food nor drink water. Their diet slowly changes to accommodate drug intake only. Thus, the immunity of such a person is bound to deteriorate with time and so does their health. The person easily contracts diseases and takes longer to heal from them. Their physical well-being also deteriorates with time. Most drug users tend to lose weight and develop skin issues because of the unhealthy nature of their diet. Take note that the state of their health depends on the drug they use. Below are some of the examples of health issues that a person is likely to encounter when they indulge in the use of certain drugs.

• Legal highs: When a person uses this drug, he or she tends to experience the following health issues detachment, amnesia, and extreme relaxation, decreased appetite, prolonged periods of wakefulness, blackouts, feelings of paranoia, aggressive behavior, panic attacks, hallucinations, and feelings of exhilaration. Moreover, they could experience slurred speech, seizures, blood pressure, death, or even coma
• Synthetic hallucinogens: When a person uses this drug, he or she tends to experience the following health issues Gastrointestinal issues, Facial stiffness, Blurred vision, Tremors, Headaches, Seizures and convulsions, Respiratory distress, and Cardiac issues (such as heart rate and increased blood pressure). Additionally, they could experience Hallucinations, Paranoia, panic, and anxiety, impaired decision-making, Motor impairment, Disorientation and confusion, and Death caused by the secondary and primary effects.
• Khat: When a person uses this drug, he or she tends to experience the following health issues irritability, anxiety, anorexia and insomnia, serious damage of the liver, worsening the pre-existing psychiatric conditions, myocardial infarction, irregular heartbeat, stomach inflammation, ulcers, periodontal disease, and tooth decay.
• Amphetamines: When a person uses this drug, he or she tends to experience the following health issues decreased appetite, jaw clamping, dilated pupils, increased blood pressure, and an increased heart rate and breathing rate, Flush or pale skin (Skin disorders), Vitamin deficiency, Mental illness, and Malnutrition. Additionally, the person could experience Repetitive motor activity, unusual tiredness or weakness, Mood or mental change, Physiological and behavioral disorders, and Toxic psychosis. Take note that the following effects also apply blood vessels in the brain might burst, collapse, strokes, heart failure, high fever, seizures, loss of coordination, tremors, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, blurred vision, headaches, sweating and even a fever.
• Anabolic steroids: When a person uses this drug, he or she tends to experience the following health issues Signs of agitations such as restlessness, Libido suppression, Insomnia, Irritability, Aggression, Impulsivity, Paranoia, and Nervousness. Apart from this, the person could also suffer from any of the following effects Cysts, Yellow eyes and skin, Acne, Liver disease, Greasy hair, Greasy skin, Shrunken testicles in men, Liver cancer, Breast growth in men, Erectile dysfunction in men. In addition to this the person could go through Decreased breast size in women, heart disease and heart attack, Internal bleeding, Irregular periods in women, Deep voice in women, Facial hair growth in women, hair thinning, premature ageing of bones, male pattern baldness, diseases that are associated with the transmission of needles such as Hepatitis B&C and HIV/AIDS.
• Antidepressants: When a person uses this drug, he or she tends to experience the following health issues mild agitation, mild lethargy, dry mouth and nausea, suicidal thinking, profound lethargy, agitation, stomach upset, tics, rashes, mood swings, and sexual side effects.
• Barbiturates: When a person uses this drug, he or she tends to experience the following health issues drowsiness, lack of inhibition, mild euphoria, irritability, impaired judgment, dilated pupils, and lack of coordination, disorientation, fatigue, sluggishness, slurred speech, breathing disorders (shallow breathing), sexual dysfunction, slowed reflexes, dizziness, vision problems, and chronic tiredness.
• Benzodiazepines: When a person uses this drug, he or she tends to experience the following health issues Aggressive behavior, Mood swings, Memory loss, Difficulty breathing, Lack of coordination, Slurred speech, Poor decision making, Poor judgment, Weakness, Blurred vision, Dizziness, Confusion, Drowsiness, Death caused by respiratory system issues, and Coma.

5. Children
Parents are not aware that such an environment can influence and shape their future of their children forever. These vulnerable beings are affected in the highest degree and it may reflect in their interactions and behavior. The child may exhibit any or all of the following signs:

• A child who has been exposed to a drug use environment from birth may have no recollection of a normal life in terms of family relationships. This makes them unable to differentiate between bad and good role models making their lives doomed from the start.
• Children who are exposed to such environments at a tender age tend to judge themselves severely. They do not feel enough and are likely to suffer from low self-esteem self-worth, and even depression. They develop feelings of inadequacy as they feel like they do not deserve to have anything in life.
• A child who has been bred in a drug use environment tends to be its own worst critic. This often leads to anxiety and depression.
• For one to have a successful intimate relationship, they have to be able to find a partner who fulfills their needs, open to emotional attachment, and interdependent. Since they have harbored self-esteem and trust issues from their childhood, they may not be able to let their guard down.
• After being exposed to a childhood of secrets, lying, and denial, trust-issues are a sure result. All those broken promises and disappointments culminate into a pit of distrust that infects all their relationships.
• Since their parents failed to be available physically and emotionally during their development stage, they tend to be horrified of abandonment when they become adults. This makes them hold onto relationships that do not add value such as abusive ones.
• Since they judge themselves very harshly, they tend to seek approval from the society. This makes them not have an opinion about anything, making them go with the opinion of the majority. It makes them susceptible to peer pressure.
• These children become perfectionists. They strive to be better than their childhood forms and tend to become workaholics and perfectionists as adults.
• A child who has grown up seeing their parent or both their parents engaging in substance abuse tends to view this as normal. They end up indulging in it at their adolescents and this affects their health, development, and school life.
• Children are observant beings. Thus, if a child makes a mistake and their parent seeks the help of their bottle to help calm their nerves, the child will likely perceive that he or she is the cause of their parent(s) drinking.
• When a child is constantly exposed to the negative effects of drug use, they tend to develop anxiety because they are not aware of what their parent(s) will do under the influence.

6. Treatment
The treatment method for drug abuse is very complicated. It touches on both the psychological and mental health of the individual. It aims to help the person in other aspects of their health such as religion, social relationships, emotional health, and physical health. The prolonged treatment strives to make the person disciplined enough to stay sober and not relapse when the opportunity presents itself. Thus, the treatment could last for as long as the person stays dependent on the drug. If the person develops mental issues such as schizophrenia, the treatment process becomes complicated even further.

As you visit a rehabilitation center to help you or your loved one with a drug addiction, make sure that you familiarize yourself with the system of the rehabilitation center. Most rehabilitation centers have varying treatment plans, but this read will provide a standard treatment plan that most rehabilitation centers follow. This will provide some insight. Take note that it is not conclusive and definite. You might miss some steps or have more.

• Physical examination or assessment: At the beginning of the rehab process, you will meet a physician. You will spend some time with him or her to examine your addiction status and map out a detoxification plan. This plan will vary depending on the drugs you were using during the addiction phase. Therefore, it is mandatory that you are very honest at this stage. Giving the wrong information will not help you get through your rehabilitation efficiently. You might also be asked to identify the recent drugs that you ingested. This could be prescribed or not. Thus, you might want to acquaint yourself with the names of those drugs. At this stage, you will be given various legal documents such as consent forms to fill. This stage takes a few hours, but it could spread out through a couple of days.
• Psychological examination/evaluation/assessment: A psychiatrist who has experience and expertise on addiction will examine various issues such as bipolar, depression, anxiety, or any other psychological or emotional issues. The first examination you do will not be conclusive. This is because you are still under the influence of drugs and at the peak of your addiction. This may taint the results significantly. A good example is some people exhibit schizophrenic properties when they are under the influence and after they are done with their rehabilitation, these symptoms end.
• Detoxification: This is the part of the program that addicts hate most. However, if you check in to a high-end rehabilitation center it might be extremely comfortable for you. Withdrawal symptoms are inevitable. They will use medication like valium and suboxone to ease your pain. Since they do not want to create a dependency to this drug, they will only use it when necessary and for a short period. The aim of using them is to make sure that the addict is completely free from mood-altering drugs. The potential side effects include decreased appetite, amnesia, blackouts, and feelings of paranoia, aggressive behavior, panic attacks, tremors, blurred vision, gastrointestinal issues, headaches, seizures, convulsions, respiratory issues, high blood pressure, motor impairment, and even dilated pupils. A doctor will definitely be on standby to help you get through all these side effects. The side effects you experience are dependent on the drugs you used. Thus, make sure you inquire so that you do not go into shock ones the side effects start showing. Mental preparation goes a long way when it comes to this form of treatment.
• Therapy: The most effective form of therapy is done in a group setting. This does not single out individual therapy. It is still effective. Additionally, some people prefer to have individual counseling because of their status or other personal reservations. By talking and connecting with other people who feel the same way you do, you develop techniques that help you stay free from drug consumption.
• Fitness: Drugs make the body system deteriorate. It derails all health aspects making it hard to get through the addiction. Thus, through fitness, you can uplift your mind, soul and body. This is essential for their healing process. Exercise helps the addict get through the withdrawal symptoms since it helps the body produce endorphins that make the body feel good. You might need the help of a trainer to get through this stage. The rehabilitation center could provide one unless you have reservations about a specific one and want to hire your own personal trainer.
• Good nutrition: Dieting goes hand-in-hand with fitness. In order to recover, you have to feel good and eat right. If you eat too much-processed carbohydrates, you will feel sleepy and sluggish. On the other hand, too much sugar will affect your moods. Thus, you will need to consult your nutritionist to plan your balanced diet and help you get in better shape.
• Alternative treatments: Many rehabilitation centers offer numerous alternative treatments. These treatments have been shown to help ease the withdrawal symptoms and make the addicts’ rehabilitation life more comfortable. These include acupuncture, equine therapy, yoga, massage, and meditation among others.
• Planning for aftercare: What is your plan after you leave the rehabilitation center? How are you planning to stay on track with the treatment? How will you plan your home regimen to keep up with the treatment? What will you do if you get the urge to use drugs? All these questions are catered for under this part of the treatment. The plan caters for all the strategies that you need o address to remedy any situation you phase and the various relationships you are likely to phase when you get back home.
• Discharge from treatment: Your treatment is complete and you are at about thirty days free from drug use. This day could be terrifying, joyous, or exciting. Follow the aftercare plan and all the tips and advice that you have received from the specialists. If you stay away from the triggers, you will have a better chance of long-term recovery.

7. Stigma
The society shuns people who use drugs and stigmatizes them even after they have gone through the rehabilitation process. Acceptance back to the society takes some time and people often end up having trust issues and very low expectations towards the person. This could affect the self-esteem and quality of life of the person, which is a great motivator for relapsing.

A normal person is bound to experience stress several times in his or her lifetime, since it is a normal human experience. The American Psychological Association conducted a study on the American people and stress and discovered that about 73% of the American population experiences the psychological symptoms of stress, while another 77% experience physical stress.

Due to such findings, it is important to define stress before venturing into its management during the addiction recovery period.

What Is Stress?

Stress is the normal and natural way that your body responds to certain demanding situations and triggers. Therefore, it is a result of certain internal and external factors. The internal factors may include health, lack of sleep and hunger, while the external factors are such as finances, work and relationships.

This means of response can either be helpful or harmful to you, depending on the reasons for its occurrence. For example, if you are stressed because you are unmotivated or because you might miss to hit a specific deadline, such stress could help you struggle to do as required in the shortest time possible.

Stress is helpful in this case due to the hormones and neurotransmitters that your body will produce, which will boost your emotional motivation and energy, causing you to react in a useful way. On the other hand, stress can also be harmful since it will drive you to seek comfort in all the wrong places while still harming your body.
This explains why it is a trigger for the majority of addictions. Since many people do not know how to deal with stress, they seek an escape through consuming drugs, gambling, abusing alcohol, eating too much and adapting unhealthy sexual behavior, among others. As these habits continue, they become addictions especially if you are not aware of the growing urge to do more of them.

Stress In Recovery

Alcohol and drug abuse and addiction destroy your life to the point of losing what you value most. You may lose a spouse, experience resentment from your family, friends and neighbors, lose your job as well and lack respect among your peers. However, after admission into a rehabilitation center, you tend to have hope that you will regain what you lost.

Therefore, the recovery period entails getting back to your life, to live a better life style through rebuilding you relationships and adopting healthy habits. It takes place after you have gone through the detoxification period and recovered from the withdrawal symptoms that caused you pain and even threatened your life.

Unfortunately, this recovery period is not an easy journey. It is a time whereby you must face the reality of things as a sober person and must acknowledge that whatever substance you abused and got addicted to change you into a bad person. It led to you causing a lot of pain and therefore, you must try to make up for all the harm you caused.

Consequently, it is a period where stress will be common. After all, it is not easy getting people to forgive you or convincing your former boss that you deserve your job again and will actually give good performance. Also, your family could be hurt to the point of no return, which will hurt you since acquiring their forgiveness and rebuilding your relationships matters so much to you in this period.

The frustrations that you experience in this recovery period will cause you stress and how you deal with such stress will determine the rest of your life. The medical specialists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse have reason to believe that stress in the recovery period is the leading cause of relapse into the addiction and substance abuse habits.

They reason that if you have ever abused a drug and actually landed in addiction, your brain is more hypersensitive to stress as compared to other people that have never abused substances. Due to this hypersensitivity, it is highly likely that you will return to abusing drugs just escape or relieve your stress.
However, it does not have to be this way. You need to be strong to avoid relapsing and acquire whatever healthy techniques that you can to manage the stress.

Signs And Symptoms Of Stress In Recovery

Despite that stress is normal in the life of a normal human being, its occurrence may go unnoticed. For you to be in a position to manage stress in recovery, you need to know the signs and symptoms to look out for as you determine the presence of stress.

* Emotional Symptoms

Various emotional symptoms will let you know that you are actually under stress, which then means that your sobriety in recovery could be jeopardized. If you start feeling moody all the time or frustrated and agitated easily, then it is possible that you have stress.

If you often feel the urge to stay alone and avoid others, you should ask yourself why. It could be that you feel worthless, depressed or have a low self-esteem, which all indicate the presence of some stress.
Additionally, if you constantly feel lonely even when around people, it could be that your mind is under stress whereby you feel that nobody understands you.

Also, the difficulty in quieting your mind or relaxing it may also mean that you are under stress. Other emotional symptoms are development of mental health problems and general unhappiness.

* Physical Symptoms

Physically, your body will also display some signs if you are under stress during the recovery period. If you feel that your muscles are tensed or aching for no particular reason such as lifting heavy objects, it is advisable to dig deeper to find the problem. This pain may also be accompanied by a rapid heartbeat and chest pain as well.

Also, if you constantly experience headaches, low energy and insomnia, there is a very high possibility that you are under stress. Other symptoms that you could experience while under stress are such as diarrhea, nausea and constipation, difficulty in swallowing and dry mouth.

You may also suffer from infections and colds on a frequent basis since you are vulnerable to illnesses. Additionally, you may have grinding teeth and clenched jaw, accompanied by sweaty and cold hands, ringing in the ear, shaking and nervousness.

* Cognitive Symptoms

Your cognitive health may also be under attack as the stress levels continue to increase. Consequently, you may have racing thoughts that could cause constant worrying. Additionally, you may be unable to make good judgment.
With racing thoughts, is likely that you will be unable to focus of your duties, activities or studies. You may also experience forgetfulness, since your thoughts are disorganized. Regardless of the good things happening around you, you are likely to only think of the negative side of things.

* Behavioral Symptoms

Due to the above cognitive symptoms that affect your thinking and concentration, your behaviors will change as well since your thoughts tend to create habits and behavior. Lack of focus and disorganization will cause to develop bad habits such as avoiding responsibilities and procrastinating.

You could begin exhibiting nervous behaviors especially around others, which include pacing, fidgeting and nail biting. Due to changes in appetite, you may either eat much more than the usual or even very less.
If you do not confront your stress issues, it is highly likely that you will relapse, or begin abusing other drugs like cigarettes and alcohol.

Stress Effects On Your Body

As soon as you are under stress, your body reacts through producing the hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that are meant to defend your body. This means that stress affects every major organ or system in your body since your brain may not differentiate between physical and emotional threats.

The responses, which are mostly physiological, are helpful if you need to make a fast move to escape danger, such as escaping a dear that is running after you, or pulling somebody from harm’s way as fast as possible.
However, if these stress become chronic or severe, they do go out of control. This means that your body, behavior and mood will suffer dearly due to too much exposure to toxic hormones, which increase you vulnerability to diseases.

Effects On Your Body

Consequently, the stress effects on your body will include frequent episodes of body pains such as chest and muscle pains as well as muscle tension and headaches. Additionally, you could experience fatigue, stomach upset and sleeping problems. In other cases, your sex drive may change.

Effects On Your Mood

Since stress also affects you emotionally, you mood could be affected as well. Consequently, during this recovery period you will experience anxiety whereby you will be anxious most of the times, which could also cause you to feel overwhelmed.

You may become restless, and experience anger since you may become highly irritable. You may end up in depression or severe sadness, since you could feel less worthy if people do not welcome you back to the community with open arms. Consequently, you may lack focus or motivation to continue with the sobriety journey.

Effects On Your Behavior

The above stress effects on your body and mood during recovery will further affect your behavior. Since you are still a normal human being, you are prone to change your behaviors since your inside self is under attack.
You may start having angry outbursts, which will further lead you to withdraw from society since you are unable to handle your emotions and interact with people the way that you should. Overcoming the stresses may also encourage you to eat often, which could be overeating or make you lose your appetite and thus under eat.

If you continuously overeat, there are high chances that you will care less about your body and thus will not exercise. Lack of regular exercises after high consumption of food will result to gaining weight. If you are not careful during this period, you are likely to become obese in the long run. Additionally, your sobriety will be in jeopardy, therefore, you could end up abusing alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

Long Term Stress Consequences

There is the little stress that you can get over by relaxing, watching a movie or visiting a therapist. This kind of stress does not have long term consequences since it is manageable and not severe. However, there is that other type that becomes chronic and ongoing. It is quite unhealthy since it has multiple long-term consequences that may not heal at all.

* Reproductive System Problems

If you are a lady, your reproductive system may start having issues such as menstrual problems; alongside the change is sexual drive. If you are a man, you are likely to experience premature ejaculation. Whether you are a man or woman, continuous chronic stress may result to sexual dysfunction, which includes issues like impotence and loss of sexual desire.

* Mental Health Challenges

Your mental health could end up experiencing some challenges due to the anxiety and depression. Therefore, the depression may worsen to the point of causing suicidal thoughts. The anxiety as well may also proceed. What is worse is the personality disorders that you may end up developing as the stress continues to be chronic.

* Cardiovascular Diseases

Your heart will hardly survive the high stress levels that you may experience over a lengthy period of time. Therefore, you could begin having high blood pressure, which highly triggers heart disease due to the loads of pressure that your heart will experience. Additionally, you could suffer from a stroke or heart attacks. Also, your heart rhythms may become abnormal as time passes by.

* Obesity

As mentioned earlier, it is possible that you will eat excessive amounts of food as you try to make yourself feel better. What’s more, the foods that you consume will often have high amounts of sugars, and which are known to have high levels of cholesterol and fats.

As soon as these components enter your body, they will settle in your blood vessels and fat storage areas like the lower abdomen. You will begin to gain weight slowly and later end up in obesity. This consumption of food may also result to eating disorders that you can hardly control.

* Gastrointestinal Problems

Other issues that may arise as chronic stress progresses include gastrointestinal problems. Such issues will attack your system in the form of gastritis, irritable colon, GERD or ulcerative colitis.

* Hair And Skin Problems

Your hair and skin are delicate parts of your body as well. Therefore, they are prone to suffer from some long term problems if the chronic stress that you suffer from during the recovery period does not come down. You may begin loosing hair, which will eventually become permanent hair loss. Your skin as well could suffer from eczema, acne and psoriasis.

Managing Stress In Recovery

Since the recovery period is quite important in living a sober lifestyle after the treatment period, it is very important that you learn how to manage your stress. Incorporation of the multiple stress management techniques will not only keep you sober, but also save you from suffering from deeper issues in the future.

By managing your stress effectively in the recovery period, you are in a better position to convince your loved ones that you deserve another chance in their lives. Additionally, you will be able to focus and give good performance at work or in school. Without the angry outbursts you will rebuild your relationships and have better people by your side.

The following are stress management techniques that you can adopt as you strive to live a very sober and healthy lifestyle in recovery, and also achieve self-growth and development.

* Prepare For The Recovery Process

When you have some knowledge about what to expect in the recovery period, you are in a better position to be ready to face it. Being organized and understanding the process can go a long way in helping you reduce your stress levels.

This preparation may include learning the stress symptoms and effects mentioned above, so that you identify the presence of stress as soon as it beings. You may also carry things that motivate you to focus on recovery such as gifts and photos of loved ones, and anything that gives you good memories.

* Healthy Diet

The food substances that you consume will determine the chemical reactions that will take place in your body. Some foods are good at reducing stress, while others will cause more issues like nervousness and agitation. Foods that bust stress include fish, spinach, oranges and oatmeal.

In recovery, fish is highly advised since it contains omega-3 fatty acids that are good at managing stress hormones and suppressing depression. Water and black tea also help since you stay hydrated and feel calmer. You should avoid caffeinated drinks and high sugar liquids.

* Regular Exercise

Exercise causes the release of good endorphins that promote happiness thus suppress stressful thoughts. Therefore, it is advisable to join an exercise program while in recovery, since you will keep your body active. The best exercises include swimming, running, yoga, and weight lifting.

* Keep Positive Company

The people you surround yourself with will affect your thoughts and possibilities of experiencing stress. Therefore, it is good to keep positive company since they will encourage you to have positive thoughts and deal with issues from a positive angle, which hardly entertains stress. You can get this positivity from support groups, friends and multiple types of therapies.

* Keep A Journal

Bottling up your feelings and emotions will only promote stress and frustrations. It is highly advisable that you let them out by writing them down in a journal. As soon as you write down your thoughts, emotions and lessons learned every day, you are likely to go to bed feeling relieved.

A journal will also help you in identifying any unhealthy patterns of behavior that you may be developing. This stress management technique is most effective if you do not have people to talk to or want your experiences to stay private to avoid judgments.

* Proper Time Management

As you begin the recovery period, it is important to keep yourself busy by managing your time appropriately. Ensure that you do not put too many activities in one day, yet some can be postponed to another.
Proper time management will help you in conducting your activities well, and promote success. Otherwise, constant failure due to wrong appropriation of time will increase your chances of becoming stressed.

* Get Ample Sleep

The more sleep you get, they more you stay relaxed and energized as you conduct daily recovery activities. After all, your body takes advantage of that solid slumber to restore itself. Hence, ensure that you sleep for about seven to eight hours.

The more you sleep, the less stress you will have. On the other hand, stress can cause you to lack sleep. Therefore, ensure that you escape stress at all costs.

* Be Increasing Mindful

Being mindful means focusing on the present moment, without worrying about the past or future. It helps you to focus more on your current activities, thus improve your performance. Whenever you are mindful, you tend to create good memories since you ensure that your actions are right.

Therefore, mindfulness reduces the possibilities of having stress, and reduces your cravings since you are able to escape the triggers. In conclusion, stress management during the addiction recovery period is quite helpful in living a better life and avoiding relapse. First you need to acknowledge the occurrence of stress even before you enter the recovery process.

By educating yourself on what happens if stress creeps in, you equip yourself with know-how on how to deal with it. As soon as you notice that you are stressed, you should not ignore it. Discover its source and if you cannot get professional help, from a therapist. Deal with the stress until it disappears. As soon as you are good and stress free again, apply the above techniques of stress management to prevent its occurrence again.

Choosing to live a sober and clean life free from drug abuse is a lifetime choice and it’s a way of life and a goal capable of being achieved by anyone regardless of their level of addiction. The idea of living while clean and sober might seem easy to anyone who has never experienced alcohol or drug dependency, but for an addict, this reality may seem almost unattainable. Regardless, anyone can eliminate addiction from his or her life along with the damage it causes all with the assistance of addiction treatment programs and centers available.

If you want to live a life without alcohol or drug abuse, you first need to make the choice that you want to live a clean and sober lifestyle. After making this choice, you have to resolve not to return to your previous alcohol or drug dependent lifestyle. It is crucial that you put your drug-dependent past behind you as it was an unhealthy way to live and it was detrimental to your life and your future. There is nothing associated with drug or alcohol abuse that is worth you messing up your life for or even reminiscing about.

The next step in the journey towards a life without drug or alcohol abuse is to become sober. After making the choice to change your life, it is crucial that you look for a rehabilitation center for alcohol and drugs to help you achieve sobriety and maintain this state. Facilities you will gain access to while in rehabilitation include professional therapy, counseling, and treatment. This will form the foundation for your life without drug or alcohol abuse. Anyone addict who only undergoes the process of physical detoxification has a chance of suffering from a relapse back into alcohol or drugs. Your rehabilitation program must offer treatment for substance abuse while equally catering to your personal needs. Rehabilitation facilities for drugs and alcohol that offer free residential environments are ideal for preparing recovering addicts for an independent life of sober living. Such facilities not only treat the addiction but they also teach recovering addicts on ways to make healthy positive choices as they go through their day-to-day lives. They offer the recovering individuals the inner discipline and life skills required to live their lives devoid of drugs or alcohol.

Addiction recovery in rehabilitation centers for the long-term can be aided by meeting and interacting with other individuals with a similar experience as yours who have succeeded and are living clean and sober lives. Your loved ones are essential to the recovery process as they will offer you love, care, and support throughout enabling you to come out a better person. They will need to gain insight on how alcohol and drugs have had a negative effect on your life. They will also be asked to respect any of your needs all through the addiction recovery process.

The individual should try to make strides towards meeting new people and interacting with people looking to achieve and maintain a clean and sober lifestyle. It can be especially challenging to avoid drugs or alcohol when you just want to hang out or have fun. However, if you are hanging around a sober circle of friends, then you will not have to worry about drugs or alcohol being in the equation. Having a strong support system is the most important parts of the recovery process in helping you avoid a relapse more so when the temptation strikes or when things get tough.

Furthermore, completing the addiction treatment program does not translate into being cured of drug or alcohol addiction. You will have to make determined and conscious efforts towards maintaining a clean and sober lifestyle for the rest of your life. You will have the added advantage of possessing the necessary skills to achieve this life.

Tips for Avoiding Relapse

Living a healthy life without drug or alcohol abuse is beneficial for your well being. Alcohol and drug abuse has dangerous effects not to mention it can take its toll on your overall health and the state of your body. Drugs and alcohol can also wreak devastating havoc on your emotional well being and the fact that these substances can affect your mind, body, and soul should be enough to make you want to reconsider your life choices.

After completing any rehabilitation process for alcohol or drug addiction, a recovery addict might feel an instilled sense of accomplishment not to mention a refreshed spirit, and a connection to fellow rehab attendees. After completing rehabilitation recently, you should take some time to acknowledge your efforts in showing willingness to change your way of life and face you deep-seeded personal issues. You should also acknowledge all the hard work you have dedicated towards your recovery from addiction to alcohol or drugs. Your decision to eliminate drugs and alcohol as an option from your life is an indication that you have made a significant life change for the better. Change is hard, very hard to accept and maintain. Trying to change the course of your life by eliminating your bad habits and altering your behavior takes significant perseverance and hard work in order to maintain these changes.

Drug or alcohol addiction is essentially a disease and so making the choice to stop using these substances after the development of an addiction is very challenging. It requires practice, patience, and most importantly, time. Just as is the case with other diseases like hypertension, the possibility of relapsing is a very real one. Addiction treatment programs are tailored in a way that provides the addicts with the support they require to get rid of old coping mechanisms and unhealthy habits to establish a new way of life through healthy new habits.

There are daily schedules developed to keep them occupied, active, and focused on all it takes to recover. Another crucial part of the rehabilitation program involves preparing the recovery addicts for a life outside the treatment program. There is a considerable increase in the chances of an addict relapsing without the proper support and structure in his or her life. Relapsing does not mean the treatment and rehabilitation process was a failure or did not work, it only means the disease symptoms have reappeared. This means that the treatment model employed will need to be adjusted in the following ways.

How to Avoid Relapse

Changing Your Friends

After making the choice to eliminate drugs and alcohol from your life, you need to change everything associated with your life and your routines in the past. The first step in this process may include changing your circle of friends and choosing new sober ones. If you are looking to keep away from the temptations of alcohol and drug abuse, you will have to cut off any people who use drugs from your life or avoid spending time with them.

Triggers hold a significant impact on an addict’s life. The term ‘trigger’ is often used in rehabilitation to describe specific events or patterns that can lead an addict back towards a relapse. You may end up remembering a celebration with close friends over some harmful substances or drinks and in this moment of weakness, you may end up craving that feeling of enjoyment or euphoria. You may even find it difficult to be in the company of a particular group of friends without alcohol or drugs, particularly if these are the only things you have in common. As a recovering addict, you need to be able to pinpoint the risky situations you are supposed to avoid in advance and by all means. This includes old haunts, which are specific places associated with a culture of drug use. Examples of such places include homes of drug-using friends, specific areas of college campuses, dance clubs, bars, and raves.

If you are serious about a living a life that is free from drug or alcohol abuse, you should avoid such locations regardless of whether you have emotional ties to these places. If for example, any of these locations is on your way home, to work, or to school, you may have to consider looking for alternative routes. Being in proximity of old memories or old haunts, going to dubious locations, or spending too much time with the wrong crowd can cause trouble for an addict. Alternatively, look for new hobbies, people, and places that coordinate with your new, clean, and sober lifestyle. How you handle stress will determine whether or not you relapse. You can find plenty of options such as volunteering, book clubs, or hiking to help you develop a regular routine that supports your recovery.

A Sober Living Home

This is another method that has been proven to successfully increase the chances of avoiding relapse. It describes a private residence that is solely under occupation by people who are in recovery from alcohol or drug abuse. Living with other individuals who know how important it is to remain sober can help to give you encouragement and support whenever you feel stressed or tempted. There are a few general requirements for staying in a sober living home:

– You will have to pay rent
– You will have to do what is required of you in terms of household chores
– You are not to use alcohol or drugs
– You are to attend support meetings either conducted at facilities nearby or in the home

A sober living home usually has a method of governing everything and in-house rules. It is important that you check out several of these sober living homes before you decide on a temporary or permanent residence. This ensures that you can mesh with the personalities present and that you can cope with the living structure offered by the home.

Devise a Plan to Help You Avoid Relapse

Addiction, as mentioned before, is a disease and it comes with cravings for alcohol or drugs. Even though most people in recovery report that their cravings have reduced as they maintained sobriety, at times your body will remember the substances it used to get and it will crave more. Such cravings can lead to a relapse if you have not established a plan to handle them once they occur. Recovery programs such as Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous encourage their participants to get a sponsor. A sponsor is a person who acts as your lifeline in talking you through these cravings to help you avoid a relapse. You do not have to be a member of the above-mentioned organizations in order to take advantage of this process to get through challenging periods. You can discuss what you are going through with supportive family members or friends. Establish a network of available people you can contact in the event of an emergency.

Cravings can occur at very inconvenient times like in the middle of a family dinner or in the wee morning hours. When you are talking about your wishes and needs with your support network, ensure it will be possible to call them any time. After receiving the approval from your support group, make use of it and do not be shy to contact someone because you are afraid it will inconvenience or disturb him or her. If the person has talked with you about your need for a possible emergency support system, this means that he or she genuinely wanted you to call them regardless of the day or hour. This will be a moment of crisis during which your needs will come above anything else they could be doing at the time.

Keep Rehab in Mind

A few rehab facilities provide refresher courses free of charge if not for a very small fee. If you feel your temptation to abuse alcohol drugs growing significantly stronger, you may want to go back to rehabilitation for several days to conquer these increased cravings. After going back to a normal life and setting up new habits and a new routine, you might be hesitant to leave it again. Going back to rehab for several days will not ruin all your efforts and it will save you from the damage that could happen if you ignore the temptation and relapse. If you end up relapsing and going back to your former drug/alcohol abusing habits, you could ruin your life and lose everything that you have worked so hard to rebuild. Your life is worth more than anything else is and you need to commit yourself to an atmosphere that will facilitate healing.

Talk about Your Addiction with Your Employer

When you are on the job, stress is an unavoidable factor. You have the option of asking your employer to make things less stressful for you depending on your specific line of work. The most important thing you can do is inform your employer about your addiction illness and the effects it could have on your work schedule. Try arranging an adjusted work schedule together with your employer if you will require thirty minutes over lunch hour to attend a meeting with your support group. You can try staying thirty minutes late or coming in half an hour early daily to compensate for lost time. Rushing in between work and meetings can jeopardize your recovery by increasing your stress levels. Your employer will see that it is beneficial to help you live a healthy life because it will influence your work performance, productivity, and job satisfaction.

Take Medication

Almost half of all recovering addicts are suffering from a dual diagnosis so if you are in this category, it is crucial that you always take your medication regardless of whether you feel well. Psychological health conditions such as depression or anxiety disorders contribute to alcohol and drug abuse. Symptoms of such disorders can be controlled successfully with medication in most cases. The bad news is that these medications can be so effective that the symptoms can completely disappear sometimes and this could mislead the recovering addict into thinking he or she is cured. These kinds of mental illnesses do not have a cure and the only way to curb the symptoms is to regularly take the medication. Stopping the medication will cause the symptoms to reappear and trigger the same self-destructive behavior that led to the substance abuse in the first place.

Establish a Day-to Day Routine

If you want to live an alcohol and drug-free life, you will need to be practice and put in the necessary effort. An excellent way to set up a healthy structure similar to the one you had while in rehabilitation is to come up with a daily schedule supporting your new-found lifestyle. Ensure you write it somewhere you can see it. When you are planning the starting hours of your day, include a form of reflection prior to embarking on your day-to-day tasks to help you significantly. Ensure you also make some time for your meetings, daily walks, and physical activity. If you are finding it hard to remain organized and follow the schedule, consider installing a mobile app to remind you frequently of what you need to do.

Make Use of Your Willpower

Willpower is often viewed as a muscle that needs to be exercised everyday just as you would with any other muscle. You can train your willpower through taking small steps demonstrating that you are committed to remaining clean and sober.

Prioritize Sleep and Healthy Eating

Adequate sleep and healthy eating are crucial to any recovering addict. Sleep deprivation has been connected to several physical conditions including reduced productivity, foul moods, and reduced cognitive function. Ensure you have an established bedtime that you stick to and also make a habit out of preparing healthy meals to eat. You can try to learn some healthy new recipes by taking a cooking class or frequenting the local farmers market. Your diet will make a significant difference in your overall well being.

Concentrate on the Positive Things

Addiction thrives on all things negative as well as isolation since it is a disease. This is why it is essential that you mentally focus on the positive things always and concentrate on seeing the glass as half-full.

Be Patient

Transitioning to a life without alcohol and drug abuse after living with addiction is difficult, as we have established, therefore, it will not happen overnight. It will not happen in a week, a month, or even a year but every step you take towards bettering yourself is a start. One of addiction’s hallmarks includes instant gratification and impatience and making changes to your life will take some time so you need to practice patience. Try taking each day as it comes and living in the moment while keeping in mind that recovery is not a destination but a journey.

Living in the Moment

You cannot change your past and most addicts say that replaying negative events, going over past mistakes, or dwelling on the past often leads to negative thoughts that can gradually set you up for a relapse. It is best to remain in the present as much as you can and avoid ruminating over the past. Establish a strategy to help you deal with negative emotions, feelings, and thoughts whenever they come up.

Keep on with Individual Therapy

When talking about addiction recovery, individual therapy is a vital element of the process. Your therapist is there to advocate for your recovery and health openly while being a committed listener for all your issues. Most people think that talking about their problems with a good friend is as good as getting therapy. An experienced therapist is a professional in mental health that has undergone years of training to recognize all the signs of your struggle and help you establish your new life.

Engage in Group Meetings

One of the most ideal ways to make sure you do not relapse is to be fully participative in your 12-step meetings while sharing your recovery. The best way to keep you grateful for your earned sobriety and on your toes is to work with other addicts. These group meetings and 12-step meetings allow you to release all you problems by feeling free to share them in a supportive and caring environment.

In the event that you relapse, do not feel about it because many people who have completed their addiction treatment programs relapse. Get the help and be proactive about it by calling a professional, your sponsor, someone in your support network, or an addiction treatment specialist. This will help you get back on track with recovery as soon as possible.

What is an addiction? It is a condition in which a person engages in the use of a substance or behavior which provides an incentive to continuously repeat the behavior despite the end result being negative to the person. There are various forms of addiction and the list seems to grow with every passing day. Addiction can be psychological or even behavioral. The types range from drugs like cocaine and alcohol to behavior like stealing and gambling. They are majorly characterized by cravings, compulsions and even lifestyle dysfunction due to drug use. As much as they harm the user they have an overall negative effect on the surrounding people as well.

Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol is the most socially accepted drug in the world social Alcoholism is the oldest and most well-known form of addiction. Alcoholism is a very serious medical disease with signs and symptoms that vary with the level of consumption of the individual. Some of the physical signs of excessive alcohol consumption are; poor balance and clumsiness, slurred speech, redness of the face during or after periods of consumption among many others. It is possible for someone to reach a life-threatening level of intoxication/ alcohol poisoning where the person will stop breathing due to the respiratory system becoming depressed.

Effects of Alcohol

Progressive increase in the amount of alcohol consumed by the abuser often leads to more serious medical symptoms. The abuser often thrives and tries to maintain an environment where there is least or no regulation, hence, a higher chance of over-consumption. The over-consumption of alcohol has both short term and long term effects on the user.

Once consumed the first effects are relaxation and reduced inhibitions.They then progress to lowered concentration and reflex, all as a result of the slowing down of the brain activity. Some of the other effects include; slurring of speech, drowsiness, emotional changes, nausea and vomiting, loss of bladder and bowel control, temporary loss of consciousness and the occasional blackout where the user fails to remember the details of the time at which he/she was drinking.

The long-term consumption of alcohol in a non-regulated manner causes the death of brain cells that may lead to a lower level of mental function and increases the chances of acquiring a variety of medical disorders. For instance, it increases the risk of liver damage, cancer and even depression of the immune system. The overconsumption of alcohol may lead to pancreatitis, which is the inflammation of the pancreas and may cause nerve damage. In some advanced states, it leads to reduced sexual performance that may cause the victim to fall into depression as well.

Alcoholism

It is also referred to as alcohol dependence and occurs when the body cannot function without alcohol. It affects neurotransmitters such that the brain cannot send proper signals to the rest of the body without the presence of alcohol in the system. Scientists have not been able to determine the cause of alcoholism but have been able to find several factors that contribute to this state. The leading risk factors were found to be genetic predisposition, environment, and mental health.

Treatment for Alcoholism

The treatment of alcohol dependence is known as detoxification. If a user attempts to stop alcohol consumption without proper medical advice and supervision it may lead to a variety of complications. Some of these complications are; tremors or uncontrolled shaking of the hands, profuse sweating even in cool temperatures, extreme agitation, nausea, seizures, hallucinations and even persistent insomnia. After detoxification, inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation treatment and therapy are required to help patients cope and avoid future abuse. There are usually residential treatment programs that are available at rehab centers where patients can focus on recovery.

Nicotine Abuse

Nicotine addiction is associated mainly with tobacco products and is responsible for their addictive nature. It is usually a colorless or in some cases a type of yellow liquid. It is crucial to note that nicotine is both a stimulant and a sedative. As much as it causes a stimulating effect it also relaxes the body providing a certain state of euphoria which makes it addictive. The higher the concentrations of nicotine are the greater the sense of euphoria will be. It activates the part of the brain responsible for rewarding the body. This reward center provides the motivation that regular users feel to be a reward after the completion of a difficult task or tiresome day. Many users tend to think it relaxes them but in actual sense it makes them feel as if they are being rewarded by having that cigarette which leads to severe addiction.

According to a research done by CDC, it was found that 90% of cigarette smokers try their first smoke by the age of 18 and 99% by the age of 26. Nicotine at high doses is toxic and may interfere with the functioning of the nerves and skeletal muscle cells. It possesses mood altering capabilities giving the user a short-lived high. The rate of addiction depends on the method of use applied where smoking or vaping is the quickest forms. They take approximately ten seconds to get into the blood stream and the brain. When it reaches the brain it produces adrenaline immediately giving the body a pleasurable feeling of high. Sadly, it does not last long and cause the user to feel tired and down, wanting that sensational high again.

Nicotine Addiction

Nicotine has both physical and psychological forms of addiction. Every time a person smokes nicotine enters the brain and the receptors absorb the substance. After it has been absorbed dopamine is released, resulting in a feeling of happiness and calm. This is the starting point of the physical addiction and as the intake of nicotine progresses, so does the number of receptors in the brain. As the body gets accustomed to the constant flow of nicotine, symptoms such as anxiety begin to manifest when a smoke break is missed and this is where the physical addiction begins. The psychological form is where the user may find themselves eliciting a feeling of love, relaxation or peace if they are used to light up during certain situations or around a given group of people. The feeling may get engrained in a way that its use is no longer a conscious choice.

The human body naturally tolerates nicotine but as you continue to take it for a while the body requires a higher amount for it to get the same amount of high. This repeated cycle of craving leads to addiction. The use of nicotine causes a change in the amount of hormones produced in the body and once you stop consuming it the body has to readjust again. This causes a hormone imbalance and the state of the body is said to be in withdrawal. In order to try and break the addiction, there are several factors that must be taken into accounts such as the current state of mind, the build of the abuser and even the environment in which the user is.

Nicotine Effects

It affects many organs in the body the most crucial one being the heart. The body reacts to the introduction of the substance by increasing the heart rate. The heart needs to keep a certain rhythm to remain healthy but it becomes unhealthy when it increases yet you are inactive which is the case for most people when they smoke. This may cause heart problems such as cardiac infarction among other heart diseases. An increase in blood pressure is also common among nicotine users and may put the heart at risk. Nicotine also stimulates the respiratory and vascular system. A person craving nicotine may have irregular high breathing caused by anxiety and nervousness which may limit their physical abilities.

Treatment of Nicotine Addiction

Physical addiction can be treated using prescription medication and relaxation techniques which help ward off cravings. Mental addiction can be harder to shake as the user may not even realize why they are craving a cigarette. The user may find him /herself lighting one up without even realizing it. Counseling has been found to be highly effective as it helps the user talk through their feelings. It can also help work through tough and stressful situations in which they would normally turn to cigarettes. Nicotine replacement theory has also been found to be effective for heavy smokers who smoke who smoke about half a pack of cigarettes or more every day. This type of therapy provides products that give the user a low dose of nicotine to help reduce the craving and even ease the symptoms when the user stops. They come in various forms such as a skin patch, inhalers, nasal spray and even gum.

Heroin Abuse

Heroin, scientifically known as diacetylmorphine was first synthesized in 1874 in London. Heroin was initially used as a cough suppressant, anti diarrheal and even as a non-addictive substitute for morphine. However, later on, the addictive and harmful effects were realized. It is a powerful pain killer and is available by prescription in some countries such as the United Kingdom. It is also used for palliative care as well. In the Netherlands, it is prescribed for recovering addicts when methadone treatment has failed. Heroin can be taken into the body in various ways such as; injection, smoking, ingestion and even snort. Research shows that heroin euphoria is highest when injected and lowest when ingested. It has also been found that the faster it enters the bloodstream, the greater the chances of addiction, making injections the most addictive form of heroin use.

Heroin Effects

Heroin is a type of opioid hence once consumed it attaches itself to the opioid receptors of the brain. When the opioid receptors interact with the opioid drugs it leads to the activation of the brain’s reward system temporarily feeling the user with a sense of euphoria. The more it is ingested the body tends to build a tolerance and with time it grows into an addiction. The short-term effect may last a few hours after ingestion but the intensity and duration of the effects may vary. Some of the factors that may cause the variation are the method used and even the person using. Apart from the rush there are other short-term effects such as dry mouth, mental confusion, constricted pupils, nausea, vomiting, slowed heart rate, slowed breathing and even possible respiratory failure among others.

The long-term effects of prolonged heroin use may cause the user to develop some of the following conditions; neuronal and hormonal imbalance, abscesses, vomiting, insomnia, chills, collapsed veins, heart lining and valve infection, liver disease, brain white matter deterioration, decreased ability to respond to stressful situations and the user can also find him/ herself at a high risk of contracting HIV among other blood-borne pathogens

Heroin Recovery Steps

It all begins with a qualified medically assisted detoxification. Medically assisted detox practitioners use formulated therapies that mimic some of the effects of heroin and provide the recovering user with medication that replaces the feeling of being high with that of being healthy, focused and strong. Medication used in these detox programs are provided on a tapering schedule. This typically means that the user is provided with an equivalent amount of replacement medication and then slowly the medication is tapered until they are no longer taking replacement medication at all.

This means that it might take a while to reach sobriety. A study carried out on recovering heroin addicts showed that recovering addicts want to get sober as quick as possible and some tend to amend their medication dose to get sober faster. This meant that some were at high risk of relapse due to recurring cravings. Hence use of the medication properly with the guidance of a medical treatment team is a vital part of the recovery process. People in these programs have a lot of control and can tell their teams when the drugs seem to make them feel slow or sedated. They can point out signs of sedation indicating the drugs are too strong. After a successful detox, therapy is recommended which could be either group or private depending on the preference of the recovering user. Private therapy is usually a coaching session where they are given insight and personalized help that they may require to recover. Group therapy tends to tap into the human need to belong. In group sessions, they are enticed to share and connect among themselves free from any sort of judgment. It helps build confidence and helps them emerge feeling a lot less isolated.

Cocaine Abuse

Cocaine is a stimulant drug that is made from the leaves of the South American coca plant. It was originally used by the indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest to get an energetic high. European scientists first isolated cocaine from the coca leaves in the 1850s. Cocaine is now scientifically described as a drug whose function is to increase the availability of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is responsible for euphoric emotions as well as regulation of movement and the processing of reward cues. It is found to be suitable as a recreational drug due to it’s perceived positive effects on mood, motivation, and energy. The users of this drug consume it in various ways such as smoking, snorting or injecting it into their system. Users who use it recreationally also are at risk of neurological changes which are associated with the inability to control and regulate one,s behavior.

Cocaine Effects

The typical signs that can be used to identify a current user of this substance are; disinhibition, increased agitation, changes in concentration and focus, signs of involuntary movement, effusive enthusiasm and increased agitation among other symptoms. One of the more serious effects of cocaine is the damage it causes to the heart muscles. It is caused by inducing cell death in the muscles of the heart. Intravenous cocaine use may lead to the inflammation of the inner tissues of the organ. These among other cellular effects of cocaine may cumulate into serious conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias and heart attack both of which are very fatal. Cocaine-induced heart failure may result in brain damage or a stroke as a result of the interruption of blood flow to the brain. Long-term use of this substance leads to a deficit in cognitive performance, attention and decision-making abilities. Other harmful effects can be found to originate from bloodborne conditions such as HIV.

Cocaine Treatment and Recovery

There are various treatment options available for recovering users, which can actually be delivered on an inpatient or outpatient facility. An inpatient facility tends to accommodate the user for the duration of their therapy. The nature of the treatment may be behavioral and pharmacological. Behavioral therapy tends to address the reasons and motivations associated with a person’s substance abuse. Researchers have found the technique to be very effective, especially among recovering users and an example is the contingency management. During this treatment, the use of incentives is the basis on which the rehabilitation is carried out.

Pharmacological or drug-based therapy refers to the use of medications to treat the dependence by physiological means. In this type of treatment medications that mimic the substance of abuse is used at a reduced or different extent. Methylphenidate treatment is an emerging form of treatment which was initially prescribed for patients with ADHD, which is in some ways similar to cocaine in terms of neurological effects. The stimulant effects of the drug act on the brain for a longer time but elicit less extreme reactions compared to cocaine. The aim is to slowly remove the dependence over time. It is important to note that medically assisted treatment is program specific and not universally offered.

The Social Effects of Drug Abuse

Those people closest to individuals with drug addictions are the hardest hit during these situations. Patterns tend to emerge in families where a member is found to be an addict and is treated with a high level of criticism and negativism. In the case where the child is found to be the addict, the parents are mostly found to be in denial. In cases where the parent is the addict the child takes up the parental role and often functions in denial of the parent’s addiction. Researchers found that drug or alcohol abuse is responsible for more than 70% of all foster placements and up to 80% of child abuse and neglect cases as well.

Co-workers as well take on additional responsibilities at work to accommodate the decrease in productivity. The additional responsibility may be in the form of the extra long hours or overtime. A decrease in productivity with time may increase losses which in turn affect the business.

The effects of substance abuse in the society vary, but some of the most common effects are; increase in domestic disputes, increase in the rate of violent crimes, increased rate of homelessness and poverty, increased rate of co-occurring mental disorders, increase in the number of people who are incarcerated due to drug-related charges among many others.

The Social Responsibility of a Community Against Drug Abuse

The community as a whole needs to play an active role in streamlining and curbing the drug menace. The following are some of the ways that the society can help curb the drug menace; the society should ensure there is free treatment for drug abusers on demand and remove the barriers restricting treatment which is far less expensive than criminalization. Holding people responsible for crimes committed while under the influence of a substance should be strongly adhered to and the person held accountable for their own actions.
A research study was carried out and it was found that a large percentage of people who are arrested or forced to visit a rehabilitation center is not addicted, but only found in possession of the drug hence the centers tend to be filled with people who do not require the services offered at the facilities.