Substance Abuse Counselor

I would like to welcome you to my website, www.substanceabusecounselor.net!

I am now one year clean from Oxycontin addiction!

Substance abuse is also known as drug abuse. Substance abuse is a tem which refers to fatal and harmful usage of psychoactive substances such as drugs (cocaine, marijuana, hash, weed, and other illicit drugs) and alcohol. Some people intake these in higher volumes and they get dependent to these drugs. This is generally known as dependence syndrome where a person gets a cluster of behavioral phenomena. It develops into repeated substance consumption and the power of control fades gradually with time by making a person helpless and also it leaves him or her restless. The desires of consumption of substance emerge from time to time and then crave for substance becomes inevitable and unstoppable. This is considered as fatal and hazardous.

When a person is addicted to substance, he often becomes dejected and becomes isolated. He cuts himself off from the outer world and often becomes an introvert. In some cases, some people become extremists as their behavior becomes violent leading to various psychological disorders including masochism (harming self) and sadism (causing harm to others and enjoying the sigh of pain). In this, a person becomes hypersensitive and suicidal. Also, substance abuse causes other negative impact including obligations and increased tolerance.

Substance abuse is not a disease and can be treated if contacted the rehab center immediately. Drug addicts often go in depression and anxiety. One of the main reasons for using drugs could be related to one’s mental health along with the family concerns. Physical harm is greatly involved with substance abuse as the person who is an addict could harm himself and there are possible chances of harming others as well without realizing what he or she is doing. This generally happens due to the impact of substance on human mind. It stops working for a particular time as long as the effect persists. Youngsters often abuse their parents and sexually abuse their girlfriends or friends of opposite sex. Some people think that sexual tendencies increase when a person takes drugs.

Many organizations and institutes have emerged in order to help drug addicts and to eliminate this substance abuse. Some of them are successful. However, recent records reveal that more than 1.5 million youngsters take drugs and alcohol alone in USA by beating the record of 1.3 million in China. Many disadvantages are linked with substance abuse. Some of them are loss of short-term memory, dependency, ill health, etc.

There is a miscommunication of facts between drug addicts and those around them as to who is smarter.

Drug addicts often feel as though they are smarter and offer as proof their ability to hide their addictions for awhile, their sneakiness with money, and the delusion that they think they are smarter.  However, there are several ways to outsmart a drug addict.

“One evening, I was with close friends when their neighbor stopped by.  She asked if we were related and before we knew it, we had spun a tale of childhood memories that never actually happened.  While we joked about it, the sad realization was that she had no clue.  She spoke of being wealthy and related to famous celebrities, and yet she was staying with family because she literally had nothing but the clothes on her back and a serious drug addiction.  After she left, my friends told me that she was never rich or related to “so and so.”  She was simply delusional.“

A drug addict may feel that he or she is smarter than everyone else because a rational person will sometimes just nod in agreement in order to keep the drug addict from getting upset and bent out of shape.  However, as long as you can keep your control and as long as you can maintain the running of your life and your home, you are outsmarting the drug addict.

Getting their doctor involved in cases of a prescription drug addiction, setting up an Intervention for any type of addiction, and staying firm and resolute will help you maintain control and be the smart one in the end.  Many times over, a drug addict has been outsmarted but it has been out of love, compassion and common sense.  Interventions are set up and sometimes begun before the drug addict realizes what is going on.  The financial situation is changed and the addict is no longer able to get into the accounts and drain them of money.

*It may seem as if you are “playing” at the level of the drug addict but you are not doing anything to hurt the drug addict; you are helping him or her.  More importantly, you are helping yourself.*

Regardless of the outcome, you need to protect yourself because some drug addicts can take down not only themselves but their family as well.

In essence, by outsmarting the drug addict, you are actually outsmarting the addiction itself.  *That is the common enemy of both of you.*

* People can get addicted towards anything that give them pleasure and happiness easily and drugs take the number one position among such things.

Some of these drugs are obtained from prescriptions which are used by people for pleasure rather than for medicated purpose where as some other drugs are treated as illegal because of the high potential risks and effects associated with them. However, with strong determination and will power any one can get rid off the drug addiction.

“ The main intention of Detox Drug Addiction Recovery Programs is to clean up the body by taking away the unnecessary and dangerous toxins that are accumulated in the body because of the drug addiction. The first step to achieve this goal is to discontinue using the drugs.“

Generally it is very difficult for an addict to come out of the habit because of various reasons such as the painful withdrawal symptoms, the pleasure and happiness the drugs give, the emotional pains in personal life, etc. In addition, the severity and the nature of the withdrawal symptoms depend greatly on the kind of drugs they used, how frequently they used those drugs and also the method of their intake. They are quite different from individuals to individuals because of various factors like age and health conditions. However, with proper support and perfect detox drug addiction treatments one can bear them successfully.

* The goal of any Detox Drug Addiction Recovery Treatment is to keep the person away from the drug addiction while also providing the necessary help and support in eliminating the physiological effects that arise because of the discontinuation of the drugs thus helping them to withstand with the withdrawal symptoms. *

Such recovery treatments can be performed in various methods depending upon several factors such as where you want to take the treatment, what kind of treatment you want to take among the options you have, etc.

* An ideal Detox Drug Addiction Treatment would be under a trained facility such as rehabilitation centers that are specialized in such recovery treatments.

They incorporate counseling to the suffered through which they come to know everything about their drug addiction so that they can suggest a suitable treatment for them. Such rehabilitation centers also offer the necessary therapy treatments to help the patients in bearing the pain and psychological stress they feel because of the discontinuation of the drugs they are used to from quite some time.

In addition, such Detox Recovery Treatments should be able to cover and support all the aspects and negative effects that may arise due to the nature of the treatments.

They should be able to completely remove all the debris and residues present in the body because of the excessive drug usage. Such flushing out of the unwanted and dangerous substances is very important as the addicts’ no longer experience any adverse effects because of their drug addiction.

The two ways that substance abuse affects families the most are emotionally and financially. Once in a while, they can even affect them in a physically threatening way when the psychological changes in the substance abuser changes to an elevated need for the substance.

* First, there is the emotional affect.

A family can find the substance abuser getting distant or the family may distance itself from the user to protect other family members such as younger children.  The roller coaster of emotions that goes with dealing with a loved one who is on drugs goes from shame and embarrassment to feeling closed off and alone, as the family is unsure of who to turn to or what to do about the situation.

* Next, we have the financial affect it can have on the family.

If the user is the breadwinner of the family, then it could very well lead to bankruptcy and literally losing their home.  Fewer bills get paid, fewer responsibilities met, as the user spends more and more money on the substances he or she is hooked on.  If the addict is a teenager, he may begin stealing from his parents.  Anything he does, his parents are highly likely to be responsible for in the legal system, not to mention the legal fees associated with anything done by the addict regardless of age.  Whether it is seeking legal counsel or being fined for drug use during probation or parole, or being sued over a situation that led to the destruction of someone’s property or someone getting hurt, legal fees can skyrocket.

* Sometimes, substance abuse can lead to an injury or even death.

The drugs make the addict delusional or paranoid, or he finds himself in a situation where he needs money to get his next “fix”, and if a family member tries to get in the way of that, he or she may find themselves hurt by the last person on earth they would have thought capable of that.  This is because the drugs have altered the mind of the person they love so much.

“Substance abuse does not just affect the people who use them.  It affects their families just as much.”