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When your dependency on drugs becomes unmanageable and starts causing problems, it is essential to ask for help.
Substance abuse disorder is also known as drug addiction. It is the inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medicine. It is a mental health disorder.
When we talk of drugs we usually mean things like alcohol, marijuana and nicotine but prescribed medicine is also drugs and also prone to abuse. When you’re addicted, you may continue using the drug despite the harm it causes.
Many people start with experimental use of recreational drugs in social situations, and, for some people, the drug use becomes more frequent. Unfortunately, for others, particularly with opioids, drug addiction begins when they take prescribed medicines from a doctor.
The risk of addiction and how fast you become addicted varies by drug. Some drugs, such as opioid painkillers, have a higher risk and cause addiction more quickly than others.
Physical addiction appears to occur when repeated use of a drug changes the way your brain feels pleasure. The addicting drug causes physical changes to some nerve cells (neurons) in your brain.
Neurons use chemicals called neurotransmitters to communicate. These changes can remain long after you stop using the drug.
Many people start with experimental use of recreational drugs and for some people, the drug use becomes more frequent. Picture: iStockRecognising the need for help and support
With time some people may need larger doses of the drug to get high or even just to feel good. Then life becomes difficult when they have no access to the drug.
When one tries to stop drug using, they then experience intense cravings and actually become physically ill. These are called withdrawal symptoms. If you feel your drug use is out of control or causing problems in your life, it is time to get help.
Talk with your health care provider or see a mental health provider, or even a rehabilitation centre. There are a few available, private and public ones. People struggling with addiction usually deny they have a problem, and often hesitate to seek treatment.
An intervention presents a loved one with a structured opportunity to make changes before things get even worse and can motivate someone to seek or accept help.
It’s important to plan an intervention carefully. It may be done by family and friends in consultation with a health care provider or mental health professional or a rehabilitation centre.
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