Drug Addictions

Drug addiction is a process of repeated drug use, escalating to the point of craving drugs and then, unable to control these cravings. Drug use can start when a person feels the need to be calmed or soothed, as drugs have a numbing affect on a person trying to face the realities of life. Someone whose life is unhappy or might feel a hopelessness toward life, is suffering a physical pain or is experiencing boredom in their life tend to turn to drugs as an escape from their mental and physical suffering.

Peer pressure is another factor in why a person starts doing drugs, especially among teenagers. They can be convinced their problems will dissolve away with the help of a drug. While under the influence of drugs, reality no longer exists and they continue to use drugs to stay in that realm of pleasure. This feeling of pleasure causes the cravings for more drugs. Also, the drug residue left in the body causes the cravings, too.

The physiological reasons that can start a person on the path to drug addiction are pretty much the same for all people, as everyone experiences problems in their lives, but not everyone turns to drugs as a solution. The exact theories on why some people resort to drugs to find relief from life's problems are perhaps that these people are weak to start with and need a crutch of some kind to lean on to see them through the miseries they are suffering. On the other hand, it may be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain or could be genetically linked.

Signs to look for in children abusing drugs are a change in friends, lying, stealing, changes in personality, poor performance in school, withdrawing from others, etc. Overall signs and symptoms of drug abuse in people of any age are using poor judgment, nervousness, dilated pupils, impaired speech and a low attention span. Of course, with narcotic users the needle tracks are obvious on the arms. It should also be noted that, depending on the drug used, the signs and symptoms will vary.

There is no single treatment recommended for drug addiction, as each individual's specific problems have to be addressed in order to determine the type of treatment needed. The first requirement in drug treatment is for the individual to acknowledge their addiction and realize they need help. Timing is important, because when this decision is made, treatment needs to be available for them. If there is a lull between them making their decision for help and treatment starting, there is a good possibility they will change their mind. So, having the treatment available for them at that particular time is imperative.

Attention has to be given to the specific needs of an individual taking account of their medical and psychological situation and how this extends into their relationship with family, friends and work. Treatment must be appropriate according to the age and gender of the individual. Naturally, adults would be dealing with altogether different life situations than children and would be experiencing different problems relating to these situations. Same as with women and men, whose individual problems would be different.

Individual and group counseling is given to the individual, which consists of analyzing their particular problems that originally drove them to drug usage. Their compulsive behavior toward drugs has to be evaluated to get them back on the path of handling their day-to-day problems without using a crutch.

Normally, the treatment period requires around three months before any noticeable signs of improvement and after this, additional treatment is needed to reach the recovery stage. Some people will leave treatment before they complete the whole course, so there are guidelines in place to encourage them to stay and complete the treatment.