Recovery is hard, and change is difficult. Some people just can’t stop using alcohol and drugs even if they want to, and this is why they seek rehab treatments. When you continue to use the substances despite their harmful consequences, it can affect the functioning and structure of your brain, specifically in areas of stress, reward, and self-control. This makes it a lot more complicated for some individuals to quit even if their health begins to deteriorate.
Drug and alcohol addiction is very dangerous because they can cause cravings and can be an all-consuming obsession. People who have addictions may prioritize drugs over their well-being and relationships, which can cause many negative consequences. It can result in withdrawal effects, increased tolerance to substances, diseases, and social problems.
Fortunately, recovering from substance use disorder is possible. It may take a lot of time, patience, and inpatient services in Greeley rehab centers to recover. People may have several episodes of relapse before going into long-term sobriety. Here are some tips to get you started.
What to Do?
If you are struggling with substance use and abuse, there are many things that you can do to get started. Here are some of them:
1. Talk to someone about your problem. It can be very helpful to talk to someone about your addiction, whether that person is a family member, friend, or therapist. Talking about your substance use and recognizing that there’s a problem can help you understand and deal with them more effectively.
2. Set realistic goals. It is essential to have realistic goals when trying to overcome an addiction. Trying to quit cold turkey can be very difficult and may not work for everyone. It is fine to adjust your goals to make them more achievable as you get treatment.
3. Get plenty of exercises. Exercise is beneficial for several reasons, including helping to fight addiction and improve mental health. If you are struggling with an addiction, exercising regularly may be the best way for you to start recovering.
4. Avoid drugs and alcohol when possible. Avoid going into the bar on a Friday night or go with your peers who use narcotics and marijuana. Read posts about narcotics on this webpage. These can make quitting much more difficult. Instead, find other hobbies that you’re passionate about and spend your time with them.
The Signs of Addiction
There are many signs that someone may be addicted to drugs or alcohol. The illicit drugs and alcohol have a negative impact in a person’s life, and they are not always easy to identify. Here are some signs that may indicate that someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol:
Experience withdrawal symptoms without the substances: When a person becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol, they will experience intense cravings when they stop using them. This means that they will want to use illicit substances even more than before, and they may become angry and irritable if they can’t have them.
Hiding drug use or denial of the addiction. When they are confronted, these individuals may often deny or downplay their substance abuse so they can be left alone. However, this can’t be hidden for a long time when people start to neglect their responsibilities, engage in criminal activities, and exhaust their financial resources.
Physical signs are apparent. The physical signs of a drug overdose can be evident, and they can become severe when there’s no medical intervention. They can be in the form of bloodshot eyes, sudden weight loss, unusual body odors, slurred speck, poor physical coordination, and enlarged pupils.
They display signs of overdose. Others who have been using large quantities of drugs may show signs of overdosing on them. These can be in the form of delusions, hallucinations, agitation, violent behaviors, aggression, vomiting, and nausea.
They lose interest in things that used to please them. When someone becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol, their interests may change dramatically. They may stop enjoying activities that used to bring them happiness, like spending time with family and friends.
Understanding the Pleasure Principle
The brain remembers everything and registers all pleasures in the same way regardless if they originated from a delicious meal, sexual encounter, monetary reward, or a psychoactive drug. The pleasure system releases dopamine, which makes individuals feel better, motivated, and more satisfied.
Most drug abuse can result in a surge of dopamine, and most people may use drugs as a form of rewarding activity. Addictive substances provide shortcuts into the brain’s reward system by flooding the nucleus accumbens with dopamine. The amygdala, which is another part of the brain, will create a conditioned response to the stimuli. The hippocampus will memorize and remember the immediate sense of satisfaction that it just experienced.
Tolerance Development
Over time, the brain will adapt to these changes, and the drug becomes less rewarding and not always pleasurable. When adaptation becomes too much, the dopamine will have less impact on the brain’s reward system, and a specific substance will not give them a lot of pleasure any longer. Most addicts have to obtain a lot more to get the high they need.
The compulsion will take over where the addictive drugs’ effects will subside when this happens. However, there’s a need to recreate the memory of the desired effect, and one’s normal brain functioning no longer exists. There are also mental illnesses that makes addiction complicated and you can read more about this in this link: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/addictions/substance-abuse-and-mental-health.htm.
Seeking Help
This is where one needs to seek help from rehab in Greeley and take a tremendous step towards healing. When they get therapy, self-help programs, and counseling, they remove drugs from their bodies and try to get their brains to function more normally again. This is where they can use encouragement and support to avoid falling back into their old habits and patterns when they experience stressful situations.
It is admitting that alcohol or drug addiction in the family can be painful for everyone. However, this is something that you should never be ashamed of, as support and help are available in the right rehab facility in Greeley, Colorado. Start by opening up with friends and family and get tremendous support and comfort.
