However, encouraging a loved one to seek treatment may give them the motivation they need. If they aren’t ready to begin treatment, at least they are aware of the option.

Researchers have parsed which truths to tell and which not to. Addiction is far more complicated than simply saying no, which is why treatment is so often necessary. When you allow others to make your choices for you, by token of yielding to fear of their judgment, you are giving them to power to run your life for you.

Myth About Addiction: Addicts lack moral fiber

Treatment provides the expert advice of people who can help you through it, as well as accountability, structure and support to help you avoid falling back into bad habits once you’re done. On the other end of the spectrum, the other group of people who are commonly known for getting treatment are the ones who are really bad off. Homeless, desperately in debt, disowned by family—people who’ve drifted so far that treatment is their only option. Research has found that smoking marijuana has the same health risks as smoking tobacco and that there is not much difference regarding the damage both substances can do to the lungs.

• Treatment is also designed to help you learn to make positive changes and prepare to reengage with your family, friends and coworkers after your program.
• Having a mental and physical dependence on something makes it that much more difficult.
• Anyone can get treatment and it shouldn’t be a scary or overwhelming experience.
• This is especially dangerous because it makes it much more difficult for friends and family to intervene before it is too late.
• While many individuals who enter rehab are at a low point in their life, that doesn’t mean you have to hit rock bottom to seek treatment.

In general, our business practices limit employee access to confidential information, and limit the use and disclosure of such information to authorized persons, processes and transactions. A recurrence may be a sign that the treatment approach or other supports need to change, or that other treatment methods are needed. These overwhelming impulses help explain the compulsive and often baffling behavior around addiction. People will keep using even when terrible things happen to them.

Myth #2: Relapse is a sign that treatment has been a failure.

While many individuals who enter rehab are at a low point in their life, that doesn’t mean you have to hit rock bottom to seek treatment. Family members wondering how to help are often the biggest contributors to this myth. They commonly think that there’s nothing they can do until you are ready to get help on your own. Polysubstance abuse appears to be particularly common among males, those who begin using drugs at an early age, and adolescents and young adults. Addiction is a disease, and it is comparable to physical ailments like diabetes or heart disease. Studies have found that the relapse rates for drug addiction are almost identical to relapse rates for common physical problems, like hypertension and arthritis. Although addiction cannot be cured like many chronic illnesses, it can be successfully managed and treated with ongoing assistance from doctors and therapists.

Addiction is a chronic health condition, which requires ongoing vigilance and treatment. Just like other chronic conditions, a https://ecosoberhouse.com/ relapse can happen at any time. However, the risk of relapse can be drastically reduced by making on-going healthy choices.

Last year, more than 107,000 lives were lost to overdose.

Here’s what research shows about how drugs affect the brain and body. Modern science has shown thataddiction is a disease, not a choice. Relapse in no way is a predictor that someone won’t “get it” or that they are unable to get sober. Relapse is a common part of recovery and not an individual failure. Remember, addicts are battling a disease, not a character flaw or shortcoming. They are either court-ordered to go or given an ultimatum from an employer or loved ones. However, whether coerced or not, treatment can certainly be a pivotal point in an addict’s life and help him or her to stop using.

• Going through the recovery process can be difficult, and the doctors and counselors at treatment centers know what to do to help you through it.
• Many people come out of relapses stronger and more dedicated to their recovery.
• While there are certainly those who have “hit rock bottom” that go to rehab, even people who are “high-functioning” addicts have found great success through treatment.
• There is no time limit in the process of recovery, take it in strides.
• Many times, the person with addiction found relief in the substance they are abusing.

Globally, nearly 3 million people die each year due to the harmful effects of alcohol, which represents 5.3% of all deaths. Consuming too much alcohol can lead to overdoses, and people addicted can actually die from withdrawal. This drug also negatively affects the body’s kidneys, liver, stomach, and even the brain. Actually, alcoholism kills more people than any other substance. These alcohol and drug rehab programs should be fluid and constantly updated as the client progresses through the program. This process will look different for everyone, but that doesn’t mean that one process works better than another.

Three Common Myths about Addiction

It wasn’t until recently that the medical and scientific communities became aware of how the brain impacts behavior, emotions, and addiction. In fact, the knowledge that addiction originates myths about addiction and recovery in complex brain and biological processes is a new development. Also, myths surrounding specific drugs and how they affect people can make it more likely for someone to try the drug.

And they may have a new mental health issue to self-medicate from their time serving out the sentence. Sending someone to jail for abusing a substance is like sending someone seeking treatment for depression to jail. At the end of their prison sentence, they are no better off than when they went in. Those who struggle with addiction don’t see they have a problem until it’s too late. For others, rock bottom is the first time they get arrested for a DUI. Or when Child Protective Services comes knocking to do a welfare check on their children. For some, it’s losing their job or relationships with friends and family.

#7 Prescription Drugs Are Safer Than Street Drugs

There is no time limit in the process of recovery, take it in strides. Once addiction takes hold, the brain chemistry can actually change making it hard to control impulses.

Another problem with myths about addiction is that they promote falsehoods that may lead people to believe drugs or alcohol are not as dangerous as they have been led to believe. The presentation of the substance in their body leads to an overwhelming craving for more. Addiction often co-occurs with other mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder , etc. For successful addiction treatment, the co-occurring psychiatric disorder must be treated.

Take control of your life

People with substance use disorder will experience changes in how their brains function. They physically can’t make it through the day without getting high.