Substance abuse is a chronic condition in which patients are unable to control their consumption of drugs or alcohol. Treatment involves a structured combination of psychological therapy and medical solutions. If you’re looking for drug rehab in Orange County, California, check out Clear Life Recovery and our treatment programs.
What is drug or substance abuse?
Substance abuse, whose medical term is Substance Use Disorder (SUD), occurs when someone compulsively uses a substance and cannot control their consumption. SUDs can come in the form of alcohol or drug addictions. During drug or alcohol addictions, the patient’s body has a chemical dependency on the substance, which makes the addiction harder to treat.
People can experience addiction to various types of drugs, both recreational and medical. Some even have addictions to sleeping pills or diet pills. Addiction to illicit drugs is also common, which includes crystal meth, MDMA, cocaine, heroin, PCP, and LSD. Commonly abused prescription drugs include pain relievers like Fentanyl, Methadone, Oxycodone, and Morphine.
Currently, there is an opioid addiction epidemic in the US, due to patients’ addiction to opioid painkillers that their doctors give them. So, substance abuse is a severe and widespread issue across the US, affecting the lives of millions of Americans and their loved ones. Therefore, it is imperative for people to receive the correct form of treatment for substance abuse.
What does drug abuse recovery treatment involve?
The first stage of recovery treatment involves detoxing under medical supervision. Though some treatment programs include detox, a lot of them require patients to complete the detox process prior to admission. After detoxing, the treatment program uses a combination of psychological therapy such as CBT and group counseling and medication for a full recovery. If you’re looking for drug rehab in Orange County, California, contact us to see how we can help.
The detoxing stage completely eliminates any existing traces of the substance from the patient’s body. Due to chemical dependency, patients experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop using the substance, so this requires careful medical supervision. Withdrawal symptoms vary depending on the type and severity of the addiction.
Individual and group therapy helps patients identify their triggers and teaches them how to develop healthier responses to those triggers. Some programs even include recreational therapy like yoga or meditation to help patients relax.
The causes of drug and substance abuse
Often substance abuse starts voluntarily and typically to suppress negative emotions such as grief, trauma, rejection, anxiety, or depression. These substances trigger the release of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, which is responsible for the feeling of pleasure. Over time, however, you’ll need a higher dosage of the substance to trigger a pleasurable high, and this leads to addiction.
Adults usually abuse drugs due to negative emotions, while young teens often abuse drugs due to family environment and peer pressure. Addiction to prescription drugs also starts harmlessly, to treat pain after a medical procedure like surgery.
Looking for drug rehab in Orange County, California? Contact us at Clear Life Recovery to discuss treatment options that suit you.
