Prior Indication of Substance Use Disorder
Drug addiction has been a leading cause of disrupting people’s lives. People start to do drugs as an aid to their problems in life. When they get caught up in drug abuse, they fail to realize how badly it affects their health and social life. A person can identify symptoms of a substance use disorder by looking into their daily routine and activities.
One of the most prominent identifications of being addicted is dependence on drugs. When a person stops using drugs or cannot use them for some reason, they start to face withdrawal symptoms. We will look into the detail of substance use disorder and how it can be treated.
What is a Substance Use Disorder?
A substance use disorder, or SUD, is a disorder a person faces when they are unable to operate properly in their daily actions without the use of a certain drug. This varies for people as everyone with this disorder has a dependency on different drugs. For many, it is Alcohol but other drugs like marijuana and methamphetamine, etc also cause dependency.
This is considered a mental disorder because a drug user’s body gets used to the chemicals in those drugs and can only function properly when it has saturated levels of those chemicals.
The chemicals found in these drugs are extremely harmful to the human body as they can cause sudden weight loss, short-term memory loss, and many other adverse effects. It’s not necessary that one only gets dependent on illicit drugs. Medication for other mental disorders can also be harmful in the longer run.
How is Substance Use Disorder Treated?
Effortless treatment of addiction is available. Those who do not recognize the dangers of substance use may experience delays in recovery. Although intervention by worried friends and relatives usually prompts treatment. A doctor may need to perform a detailed evaluation to determine whether substance abuse symptoms exist. Almost any person can receive a diagnosis, whether it is mild or severe. So, the first step to treat Substance Use Disorder is to identify the problem in oneself. Once the person addicted finds the courage to admit that he needs professional help, the rest of the process is quick and easy.
A person suffering from SUD has multiple options for a recovery plan these days. Some of them of listed here:
Therapeutic Communities
Such communities are highly controlled environments where patients are not given a healthy atmosphere to reduce the need for drug consumption. The patient visits this environment for a few days until he masters independence from the drugs.
Hospitalization
Often the people who are addicted to drugs undergo medical complications that add to the already existing adverse effects of drugs. Drugs like MDMA and Heroin can cause ADHD which has its own medical treatment through medication. People suffering from such conditions are then hospitalized and treated for the aftereffects of drug abuse.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is considered one of the most effective ways of recovering from alcohol and drug dependence. It involves psychotherapeutic treatment programs for patients that involve diagnostics of the particular problems being faced. Alcohol abuse and drug use cause several mental disorders that can be treated in a rehabilitation center.
General Symptoms of Drug Dependency
Substance Use Disorders have similar symptoms. If you have a friend or a family member you are concerned about, then this list of general symptoms can help you help them in identifying the disorder they are suffering from:
- The patient may suffer from shaky hands and restlessness which shows anxiety. Everyday actions can be affected by this sort of induced anxiety.
- A depressive period strikes which can lead to further unfavorable events.
- Loss of interest in everyday activities and routine. Pushing aside hobbies that can prove to be mentally relieving.
- Having trouble getting along with family members and friends. Basically, shutting off all sorts of social interactions to avoid communicating with people.
- Other medical issues like seizures, severe headaches, tremors, and loss of appetite.
- Disturbed sleep cycles.
How to Help a Friend Dealing with Substance Use Disorder(SUD)
Being a friend or a family member of a person who is facing drug-related problems you can follow some basic principles to pull them out of that fatal disorder.
Communicate
Communicating with a person undergoing SUD is the first step to any further solutions. Drug users who know they are on the wrong path and are unable to stop need someone to talk to so they can share that feeling with them. If you have a friend who you observe is having a difficult time resolving things himself then you should talk to them about it and give them the trust. Alcoholism and drug dependence also induce trust issues because of the way people judge such people. Communicating in an amicable way can help develop trust.
Learn Everything There is to Know
Drug addiction treatment involves prior knowledge of the drugs being consumed by people. In order to truly help a friend out, you need to first learn about all the after-effects of the drugs they are using. Stopping using drugs always shows withdrawal symptoms that can be even worse than the state the abuser was previously in. An illicit drug holds many negative consequences so, one should learn about all those consequences before taking any sort of step for their friend in need.
Support Their Recovery
Once your friend or family member starts receiving professional help for their matter, you need to encourage them as much as you can. Go to support groups with them, and make sure they are following up on the treatment plan. Keeping showing concern for their health.
Effective Drug Addiction Treatment
Commonly abused drugs such as marijuana, club drugs(Ecstasy pills), heroin, opioids, and cocaine not only have adverse effects on the human body but also affect mental health. When looking for a treatment plan, one should be mindful that both of these problems need to be addressed. Here are a few effective ways to treat drug addiction:
Early Intervention
Early intervention must also be available in the event of substance abuse. Generally, a group that needs early intervention is the people who consume alcohol at least five times a week a month. Recent data indicates that 66 million adults can become binge drinking addicts. Of particular concern is that more than half of teens who have binge-drinking histories are likely to have substance use disorder.
The best method of early intervention for people with substance abuse disorders is through screening and short intervention. Researchers have found that various ways of reducing risk for substance use have been proven effective in various settings. As noted previously, this research has proven positive impacts on reducing alcohol consumption.
Finding the Right Treatment
Every person has different needs when it comes to treatment in this regard. Now, an alcoholic can not be given treatment for a heroin addict. Both drugs have different withdrawal symptoms that need to be addressed separately in a different manner. During the process of treatment, the needs of the patient can change and so should the treatment accordingly.
Counseling
Another effective treatment method is counseling. This can be done individually and in groups as well. In group counseling sessions, people sit together and talk about their experiences and how their life took a turn when they started using drugs in comparison with when they stopped drug abuse. A national institute and be really helpful for counseling as they have trained personnel who are well aware of each patient’s history.
Remaining in Recovery for a Period of Time
The most important part of receiving treatment for drug abuse is to remain consistent. If you are getting counseling, using prescription drugs, etc you need to be persistent in it. An intensive outpatient program is focused on following up with the patient’s progress on every visit. If such a treatment program is being followed then the visits need to be kept regular so progress can be observed.
Acute Stabilization and Withdrawal Management
Detoxification also refers to relapse treatment which involves interventions to treat physical and emotional symptoms when someone stops using any substance. It varies by severity if an individual uses an addictive medication for an addiction that causes withdrawal symptoms. Other substances that have been studied have been reported in studies to cause severe mental health problems.
Conclusion
Drug abuse is a very common thing these days. Mainly teenagers and young people get involved in it due to the “thrilling experience” they get from it. But in all this experience what they fail to see is how their life is being affected. Drug use is harmful to the mind and body. Learning about drug use and its adverse effects can be a good thing too. If people know about the after-effects of such actions then they can refrain from doing so. Drug misuse is a serious problem in today’s emerging generation and should be addressed in institutes so that people can learn about it.
Intensive outpatient programs are an effective way of addiction treatment for people suffering from SUD. Emmaus Medical & Counselling provides outpatient treatment for addictive drugs like opioid use, alcoholism, and other illicit drugs. Contact us today and book an appointment with our experts!