The Process Of Overcoming Drug Addiction
Drug addiction is one of the most common and destructive social illnesses that roughly all societies have been suffering from over the years. Not to mention the disastrous results of drug addiction don’t only destroy the individual’s health and life but also the society as whole. Therefore, drug addiction, in particular, occupies an advanced position in medical research. Research hasn’t only shown the world the alarming facts of drug addiction but also how addicts can overcome it. Overcoming drug addiction can’t be achieved overnight.
However, drug addiction can be gotten rid of by precisely following a long-term step-by-step process including diagnosis, medical treatment, and recovery as well as follow-up. Since solutions cannot be reached without defining and determining the causes of problems, diagnosis is the basic orientation of treating addicts. Mainly, this step begins as psychologists start studying the case by determining its degree and type. Next, psychologists give a great deal of their research to the causes which may vary from one addict to another.
For instance, the most substantial causes can be mental illnesses, depression, family failure and family history of drug abuse (1). Moreover, psychologists cannot ignore the obvious physical side effects to pass the patient’s case to the next procedure. To sum up, having a full understanding of the case can kick-start the effective treatment plan. After that, the role of medical treatment takes place. This stage starts as soon as the case is transferred from a psychologist, a medical practitioner who isn’t authorized to prescribe medication, to a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists will assess patients’ mental and emotional states, and then evaluate the severity of the situation. Based on that, they decide a treatment plan that usually involves prescribed medication to treat some co-occurring mental side effects like anxiety, and detox. Detox plays a crucial role in treatment as it enables body organs and blood to be purified from all toxins (2).
Finally, completing the treatment course doesn’t mean the end. Last but not least, recovery and follow-up are the embodiment of the theory into a practice. The entire psychological and medical treatment, given into the previous stages, means nothing in the absence of a careful recovery and follow-up. This stage concentrates on a comprehensive change of lifestyle involving sticking to a healthy diet and adhering an exercising program. The spiritual relation with God must be rebuilt and reinforced to get rid of the overwhelming feeling of guilt and shame due to the opposition of several religions towards substance abuse (3).
Following these strategies helps addicts to resist relapses. In conclusion, drug addiction is a terrifying hindrance that can be knocked out through a chronological procedure involving vivid diagnosis, medical interference as well as recovery and follow-up. No doubt drug addiction destroys societies and all efforts must be unified to defy it. This can be done by raising awareness as Desiderius Erasmus said “prevention is better than cure”.
