If you are concerned about your substance use, Dr. Linde suggests it can be helpful to ask yourself questions about the negative medical, psychosocial, legal, and financial consequences of drinking and using drugs. Prescription substance misuse has risen substantially over the last few decades. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that between 8% to 12% of U.S. patients who are prescribed opioid pain relievers develop a substance use disorder.
Recognizing unhealthy drug use in family members
Not when it causes financial, emotional, and other problems for you or your loved ones. That urge to get and use drugs can fill up every minute of the day, even if you want to quit. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.
What Causes Substance Misuse?
Other possible causes of addiction include chemical imbalances in the brain and mental disorders such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. These disorders can lead to coping strategies that become addictions. Most people who develop substance use disorder do so for a combination of reasons, https://sober-house.net/the-dangers-of-drinking-and-driving/ including genetics and environmental factors. Several different medications are given while a person is going through detox; these drugs help safely manage a person’s withdrawal symptoms. The exact type of medication given during detox depends on the recovering person’s drug of choice.
Steps to Finding Treatment
If you think that you or a loved one might have a substance use disorder, effective treatments are available that can help. The first step is to talk to your doctor or mental health professional about your options. https://sober-home.org/alcohol-and-anxiety-causes-risks-and-treatment/ Your treatment and recovery needs will vary depending on the nature and severity of your substance use. Generally, when people talk about ‘substance abuse,’ they are referring to the use of illegal drugs.
- Reach out to trusted friends and family who can help you through this process.
- For questions about medical detoxification, talk with your healthcare provider.
- Updates about mental health topics, including NIMH news, upcoming events, mental disorders, funding opportunities, and research.
- Learn more about NIMH research areas, policies, resources, and initiatives.
- These disorders can lead to coping strategies that become addictions.
Prescription Substance Misuse
Public laws determine what kind of drug use is legal or illegal. The question of what type of substance use can be considered normal or acceptable remains controversial. Substance use disorder is caused by multiple factors, including genetic vulnerability, environmental stressors, social pressures, individual personality characteristics, and psychiatric problems. But which of these factors has the biggest influence in any one person cannot be determined in all cases. Drug addiction isn’t about just heroin, cocaine, or other illegal drugs. You can get addicted to alcohol, nicotine, sleep and anti-anxiety medications, and other legal substances.
Adolescents and adults are more likely to overdose on one or more drugs in order to harm themselves. Attempting to harm oneself fentanyl and xylazine test strips may represent a suicide attempt. People who purposefully overdose on medications frequently have mental health conditions.
Both disrupt the normal, healthy functioning of an organ in the body, both have serious harmful effects, and both are, in many cases, preventable and treatable. If left untreated, they can last a lifetime and may lead to death. As a person continues to use drugs, the brain adapts by reducing the ability of cells in the reward circuit to respond to it. This reduces the high that the person feels compared to the high they felt when first taking the drug—an effect known as tolerance.
Know that doctors and other medical professionals will NOT turn you into the police or “tell” on you. They’re only there to help, so do not hesitate to go to the hospital or take a loved one. Exposure to chemicals, plants, and other toxic substances that can cause harm are called poisonings. The higher the dose or the longer the exposure, the worse the poisoning. Two examples are carbon monoxide poisoning and mushroom poisoning.
Problems relating to drug abuse can also occur with substances not normally thought of as drugs. Solvent abuse, commonly known as “glue-sniffing,” is a growing problem, especially among teenagers and even younger children. The inhalation of volatile solvents produces temporary euphoria but can lead to death by respiratory depression, asphyxiation, or other causes. Another related phenomenon is tolerance, a gradual decrease in the effect of a certain dose as the drug is repeatedly taken; increasingly larger doses are needed to produce the desired effect. The term addiction is often used synonymously with dependence but should probably be reserved for drugs known to cause physical dependence.
Substance use disorder symptoms are categorized into addiction and withdrawal symptoms. Addiction symptoms are those that indicate a person may be addicted to a substance. Withdrawal symptoms are those that occur when a person tries to stop using a substance. This article will define drug addiction, outline signs and symptoms, present possible causes, and provide treatment options. If you’re worried about your substance use and think you might be at risk for a substance use disorder, the best thing to do is to seek help and information, says O’Neill. “There are many counselors, coaches, and support group meetings that can help you understand and learn more about it.