Alcohol Drug
Alcohol and drugs are often separated out in
addiction thinking for some reason.
These both are actually in the same category. All drugs are essentially poisons.
A small amount of a drug will act as a stimulant, a little more and it will act as a depressant, and given enough of any toxic substance and it will kill you dead.
Alcohol definitely falls into this category. In the case of extreme
alcoholism withdrawal from use can be one of the roughest of all drugs and can be life threatening. Once withdrawal is accomplished the
rehabilitation of an
alcoholic is quite similar to that of a drug addict – A thorough, complete, and long term handling of cravings, guilt, and depression resulting from and being perpetuated by the alcoholism.
Drug Rehab Information By State
Per the Encarta dictionary
chemical dependency is
addiction to a chemical substance or drug.
Dependency can be further defined as the mental or physical need to use a drug or other substance regularly, despite the fact that they are likely to have a damaging effect.
Chemical dependency knows no educational, class, race, or social bounds.
Most
chemical dependency starts out as an attempt to handle some sort of physical or emotional problem.
Some do offer small relief in the short term. The problem enters as more and more use occurs. The very problems originally trying to be solved are now being perpetuated and amplified by the drug use. The individual can not confront perceived pain (emotional or physical) that he feels will come from not using.
Alcoholism is the usual term applied to someone with an alcohol addiction.
The physiological and psychological affects of
alcoholism can be quite severe.
At high levels of daily alcohol use the user can run the risk of severe withdrawal called delirium tremens which can be life threatening.
Such alcohol
addiction requires full medical supervision until the threat to life is reduced.
Most 28 day traditional
treatment programs are only able to affect a success ratio of 16% to 20% in achieving lasting sobriety. Cravings, guilt and depression are the three factors preventing long term success with alcohol addiction, or any other for that matter. These three points usually require a more thorough address than that received in the shorter programs.
Each drug, alcohol or toxin has its own long term effects as the result of
abuse and addiction. There are a couple of common denominators however when it comes to the long term effects of addiction.
One of these is the fact that these drugs and toxins can store in the fat tissues of the body for weeks, months, and even years after cessation of use. These can account for sometimes uncontrollable cravings for the drug or substance even though it hasn’t been used in sometime.
Strong feelings of guilt and depression are also common long term effects of
addiction due to sacrificing of integrity and values that accompanies the addictive lifestyle.
These three points are common to
addictions of all sorts and are the reason for continued use and relapse.
Drugs effects can and do vary depending on the drug (more often drugs) being abused or addicted to. All create devastating effects on health, families and careers.
There are however 3 common denominators among drug and alcohol
abuse and addiction. First are cravings and the often uncontrollable urge to use again.
Second is the feeling of guilt resulting from the addictive lifestyle and the untold harm created for self, family, friends, and society in general.
Third is the depression that inevitably results from destroyed lives, hopes and dreams.
These three points left unhandled are the cause of any future relapse. If the drug
rehab you are considering doesn’t fully address these three points, find another one!
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