Addiction is a misunderstood health condition, one that impacts many people silently. You may wonder if you’re facing it or if your loved one is battling to hide it from you. But what is the truth about addiction, and what is the reality of recovery?
At Iron Bridge Recovery Center, we offer a wide range of modern treatment programs designed to provide you with the level of care you need to restore your physical and mental health. The problem for many people is recognizing that this is a very real problem and that there are solutions available that work.
Let’s break down some of the most common myths about addiction and what the reality really holds for your future.
Addiction Is a Real Mental Health Disorder
Addiction, more formally called substance use disorder (SUD), is a very real, life-changing, and chronic mental health condition. The National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that 40.3 million people in the US suffer from an SUD. When you view SUD as a disease like any other, whether that is heart disease or bipolar disorder, addiction requires professional treatment to improve.
Why? Addiction occurs when the brain trades off everyday desires that are healthy for a drug that causes physical harm to the body. A person with SUD has changes to their brain’s structure, making the way they think different. Instead of recognizing activities and relationships as rewarding, the brain rewires to believe that substances provide the intense pleasure it seeks. That changes what you seek in daily life. Over time, a person with SUD cannot manage impulses on their own.
Addiction Makes It Hard to See the Problem
The more you seek out the substance, the stronger the connection with that substance becomes. Over time, the brain changes in several ways as a result of this influence:
- You crave the substance on an intense and increasing basis.
- You lose control when you use it, how you use it, and how much you use.
- You know it is causing challenges for you in other areas of your life, but you continue to use it even with those problems.
In each of these situations, a person with addiction cannot just stop. The reality of addiction is that it is aggressive and can worsen over time without help, but a person with this disease may be unable to stop it on their own, even when they want to do so.
Substance Use Does Create Intense Injury and Illness in Your Body
Some people mistakenly believe that alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are all safe. Yet, the reality is that these substances create toxins that infiltrate the various areas of your body to create intensifying damage. Those who suffer from addiction long-term, even if they don’t recognize they have an SUD, face:
- Increasing physical illness, including a higher risk of heart disease and cancer
- Increasing emotional complications, including the development or worsening of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other mental health disorders
- Social problems, including damage to relationships and your ability to contribute to the community, often develop.
- Job loss occurs, and legal problems can arise, further challenging the outcome of your condition.
- Development of tolerance, which leads to an increasing need to use more of the substance, further increasing the risk of toxicity and disease development
Increased stress, worsening financial well-being, and physical breakdown are all common and very hard-to-overcome challenges of addiction. Yet, many people want to heal. They simply cannot.
The Reality Is Addiction Is Often Present with Other Mental Health Diseases
For some people, addiction is made even worse because of underlying mental health complications. That includes the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Some people turn to substances as a way to resolve their underlying symptoms of a mental health disorder. They turn to alcohol to calm their anxiety-fueled nerves, for example.
Called dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorders, these conditions fight each other. If you receive treatment for just one, it’s likely to be ineffective. Treatment for both at the same time becomes critical. Not all treatment programs can offer this.
Invest in Answers by Contacting Our Addiction Treatment Center in Chester
Reality will set in. When it does, there is likely significant damage to overcome. You may face years of uncertainty and concerns about your future. Health, mental well-being, relationships, and finances suffer until you get help.
The other truth about addiction is that it is treatable. There’s no cure for it, but many people don’t relapse and spend the rest of their lives living a life they desire instead of one directed by addiction. It’s up to you to make the decision to get help.
Contact Iron Bridge Recovery Center now. Let us explore how our treatment can help you.
