Drug addiction is a chronic and complex disease. As such, its treatment requires an elaborate and systematic approach. Basically, drug addiction has several concomitant conditions that are either its cause or consequences. Physical symptoms of addiction include strong cravings or body’s dependence on the addictive substance. However, these are just one aspect of addiction.
It’s important to note that the mental side of addiction matters too. Naturally, the chemicals in the addictive substance or drug change how the brain reacts to external and internal stimuli. They stimulate the body’s reward system. But, to treat drug addiction effectively and safely, it’s important to consider addiction-related conditions too.
Conditions That Cause Drug Addiction
There are many underlying issues that can lead to drug addiction. However, psychological disturbance is a common condition that is shared by most drug addicts. Basically, there are mental health issues that make some people start using drugs. Others are caused by the problems that addiction cause.
To ensure long-term recovery, it’s important to identify these conditions first and get guidance to work through them. In fact, addressing the causes of drug abuse is the first step in the process of quitting, recovering and leading a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, it’s important to deal with psychological issues that may cause drug abuse and addiction. According to AddictionResource, dual diagnosis treatment centers focus on diagnosing psychological conditions that may have led individuals into drug abuse and subsequent addiction as well as treating them. For these facilities, treating the mental state of the patient is an important aspect of the addiction treatment process.
Some of the most common mental conditions that may lead individuals into drug abuse and subsequent addiction include:
- Bipolar disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Schizophrenia
Some people abuse drugs while trying to use them to relief the pain caused by these conditions. Unfortunately, continued use of these drugs leads to addiction. Since these conditions have a significant impact on the well-being of a patient, it’s important to treat them instead of tackling drug addiction alone.
Research has shown that dual diagnosis improves treatment outcomes for patients with moderate to severe addiction. That’s because dual diagnosis ensures that addiction treatment is supplemented with mental health care that targets addiction-related conditions.
Conditions That Can Cause or Be Caused By Drug Addiction
Anxiety and depression are common mental health conditions that are associated with drug addiction. Severe depression is generally crippling. A depressed person may feel incapable of sleeping, waking up and physically getting out of their bed, eating, or doing basic things. Depression can be caused by drug addiction. However, it can also lead to drug addiction. Some people do not get psychiatric help because it’s impossible or they do not want to disclose the problem to other people. As such they turn to self-medication which leads to addiction when done frequently and more often.
For instance, a person can start abusing caffeine and eventually start abusing stimulants like prescription medications and cocaine to remain functional and awake. Eventually, depression can inflict insomnia which may lead to abuse of sleeping pills.
Anxiety is another condition that is related to addiction. Basically, some people abuse prescription pain killers and opioids like heroine trying to sooth this condition. Others abuse benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium trying to escape the reality and relax. Though this may provide peace of mind for a while, it leads to addiction due to the need to use the drugs more often.
In some cases, anxiety is a symptom of other addiction related conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder. In such cases, dual diagnosis rehab centers help individuals to identify and deal with traumatic memories, events, and experiences that led to anxiety and eventual drug addiction.
Treating Addiction-Related Conditions
Treating addiction-related conditions is a challenge in some cases. That’s because distinguishing the conditions that caused drug abuse and subsequent addiction as well as the conditions caused by drug addiction is not easy. As such, honesty and cooperation of the patient is required to ensure successful treatment and recovery.
To understand patients, experts at rehab centers provide the safety, comfort, and support required to establish trust. This enables or compels patients to open up and start discussing issues that may have led to drug abuse and addiction as well as conditions that may have been caused by addiction.
For effective treatment, dual diagnosis rehab facilities combine individual and group therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, pharmacological treatment and addiction medications. This enables them to treat drug addiction and related conditions. Essentially, every patient is different in terms of their addictive substance and co-occurring conditions. Therefore, a complex, unique approach is required to provide comprehensive and successful treatment.
Holistic Addiction Treatment
Re-establishing social connections, getting the desire to recover, as well as aspirations and hobbies are important aspects of recovery. As such, effective treatment for addiction-related conditions goes beyond substance abuse. It focuses on enabling individuals to stay sober after leaving the rehabilitation center while reducing the relapse risk. To achieve this, rehab facilities take a holistic approach towards substance abuse treatment. This approach makes the patient more receptive to their treatment. With a holistic approach, different techniques are used to ease symptoms of withdrawal and mental illness. But majority of the used methods come from traditions and cultural practices whose aim is to motivate individuals and provide some peace.
Basically, holistic addiction treatment methods are extensions of active and healthy lifestyles combined to enhance recovery. Nutritional therapy can be included to address the effects of malnutrition and self-neglect effects. Massage, meditation, and exercise are also part of holistic treatment for addiction. Meditation is particularly important when it comes to calming the mind of a person that is battling addiction and related conditions like depression and stress. It also improves attention which is crucial for recovery.
The Bottom Line
There are many addiction-related conditions that cause addiction, are caused by addiction or both. In most cases, drug abuse and subsequent addiction are as a result of overwhelming feelings, traumas, and hardship. Some people abuse drugs trying to seek relief, self-medicate, or escape the reality. Unfortunately, this leads to addiction when drugs are abused and can even lead to more conditions. To ensure effective recovery from addiction, long term dual diagnosis treatment centers identify and treat these conditions too.
