For a long time, the drug addiction specialists at addiction treatment centers have noted that addiction is not a problem of behavior or rebellion, but a mental disorder. This position had been ignored or dismissed until, finally, the science caught up with the speculation. This finally goes to show that drug use is a moral issue, a crime problem, or a social debacle. It is, like the experts had known for years, a mental health problem.
This is precisely why the need for drug rehab centers is so high. Being a mental health issue, drug addiction is not something that can be quickly solved by throwing someone in jail, giving them moral counseling, or attempting to narrow the disparities between races. Addiction can only be mended with science, medicine, and the addiction recovery center.
If you or anyone you know is addicted to drugs or alcohol, there is no time to taste. Do what’s right for you, your friend, or your loved one by calling Addiction Now to set up a consultation at the perfect substance abuse facility for the particular situation at hand.
The news that addiction is a chronic disease brings into question the relationship between addiction and other mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. Nearly half of all addictions concern and underlying mental disorder according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This is called a dual diagnosis, or comorbidity. At a substance abuse treatment facility, the mental health disorder is treated simultaneously with the underlying illness.
Although we have progressed, it is time for another shift in the collective consciousness. Every person should be educated about the ins and outs of addiction and the science behind it. The fact that it’s a chronic disease should be known by every civilian and it should be treated as such. Less like a crime and more like a disease.
In fact, often addiction is more difficult to overcome than most diseases because you simply cannot take a medication to make it go away. Essentially, the medication is the problem. The goal of addiction rehab is to get the clients off of their dependence to a mind-altering substance. There is simply nothing that can fix it except a supervised detox, time, patience, and hard work at counseling and therapy.
Using the appropriate rhetoric of “chronic disease” and “mental disorder” we need to work towards speaking to drug addicts and alcoholics with the fact that they have not chosen their illness in mind. Instead of trying to control them, we need to make opportunities for treatment widely available, and families everywhere need to be educated enough to tell their loved one that they cannot support them if they refuse to get help for their disease. It’s like choosing not to treat your diabetes. Only then will those addicted to mind-changing substances will see that their problem is out of their control and that they need the specific assistance and experience of an addiction treatment clinic.
If you or anyone you know is addicted to drugs or alcohol, now is the time to get the necessary help. Please call Intervention Association immediately so we can set you up with the substance abuse treatment facility that is right for the situation at hand.
