The Importance of Drug Addiction Counseling

Drug Addiction Counseling - A Brief Overview

Although there are many debilitating diseases that can problematize an individual's ability to lead a healthy and productive life, drug addiction can be a particularly problematizing condition to grapple with. While defined broadly, drug addiction is generally considered to be an addiction to a drug, especially a narcotic drug. Because drug addiction can be such a mentally and physically taxing condition, it is often advisable for individuals struggling with such conditions to seek drug addiction counseling. These services can help drug addicts in many ways, and understanding how they work can be the first step towards engendering permanent recovery. In order to gain a basic understanding of both drug addiction and drug addiction counseling, one should carefully consider relevant data regarding the issue.

Statistics

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports the following statistics regarding drug use for the year of 2012:

• 25.2% of 12th graders have used an illicit drug
• 18.6% of 10th graders have used an illicit drug
• 7.7% of 8th graders have used an illicit drug
• 11% of American high school seniors used synthetic marijuana in the past year

In addition to the drug abuse epidemic that plagues the world of young people today, statistics also indicate that:

• Since 1980, the number of drug overdose related deaths has risen by more than 540%.
• Since 1980, the number of people who have used prescription drugs illegally is suspected to have gone up by more than 500%.

When one considers recent statistics regarding drug use and abuse, the need for intervention in the form of drug addiction counseling becomes plain. Perhaps because of the fact that statistics indicate that the drug abuse epidemic is growing more profound, careers in addiction counseling will grow at a faster than average rate. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, careers will grow by up to 21% (nationally) up until 2018.

Understanding Drug Addiction Counseling

Individuals unfamiliar with the world of drug addiction counseling should note that the people who operate within the sector act as the addict's partner in recovery. In essence, the drug addiction counselor helps guide the addict out of the depravity and disease associated with the condition and into a more productive and positive mode of being. These counseling services can be highly effective and are necessary for many reasons, including the fact that drug addicts often feel that they need external support during the recovery process. In addition to this, many drug addicts do not feel comfortable requesting support from friends and family members for fear of condemnation and judgment. While drug addiction counseling methodologies are diverse, they often include some unifying premises that serve as a basic framework for care. Some of them include:

• Recognizing and confirming that a severe, persistent drug problem exists and is the primary disorder (rather than a symptom of a different problem).
• The problems experienced by the drug addict can only be resolved within the realms of the initiation and maintenance of recovery.
• Many drug addicts who have little "recovery capital" (in the form of internal strength and/or support from family and other social networks) cannot attain long-standing recovery without the assistance of a professional. Because this is often the case, it is advisable that the individuals who work with the drug addict have specific knowledge and experience in generating the spiritual, physical, psychological, and social recovery of the addict.

As made evident through research indicating that drug addiction counseling can greatly aid drug addicts in their recovery process, the services offered by trained professionals are oftentimes advantageous and ideal. If you are in need of diagnosis or treatment from drug addiction, be sure to consult with a trained medical professional while seriously considering drug addiction counseling as a viable option to aid recovery.

Source

1. United States Department of Labor
2. National Institute on Drug Abuse: Monitoring the Future 2012 Survey Results

Meta: The importance of drug addiction counseling during treatment is that it offers unifying premises that serve as a basic framework for addiction treatment care.

Three Addictions That Can Turn Deadly

Addictions to drugs like alcohol and prescription medications can last for decades, slowly damaging the user's health until he or she dies from chronic organ failure. However, some drugs quickly ensnare the user, causing addiction even after one use. Such addictions are difficult to kick, and can even kill within a few years.

What is Addiction?

A person is addicted to a drug when they have a psychological or physical dependence on it. Tolerance to drugs builds over time, causing the person to need more and more of it to get high. Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain that govern the brain's perceptions and activities. Many drugs cause decreased appetite because of the way they act on the neurotransmitters involved in causing hunger. A person who is addicted to a drug does not have normal neurotransmitter activity, even when they are not high from using the drug. Many reputable sources include the following criteria for determining if someone has an addiction:

• The person continues to use the drug even though they know it is harmful to them.
• The person experiences withdrawal effects such as irritability, headaches, and other emotional and physical symptoms.
• The person has a tolerance for the drug and needs to use more to achieve the same effects they once experienced.

 

Heroin

Heroin can cause addiction after only one use. It causes euphoria, drowsiness, nausea, and itchiness. It also significantly suppresses breathing, which can sometimes kill users. Heroin is usually injected, which can cause problems when needles are shared or not cleaned before they are used. Collapsed veins, abscesses, and infections of the blood and heart tissues can occur from using dirty needles. Communicable diseases, such as Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS can be passed between users when needles are shared. Heroin can also be smoked, which causes respiratory problems.

• About 23% of people who use heroin develop an addiction.
• Each year, about 150,000 people try heroin for the first time.
• Heroin is involved in roughly 14 percent of emergency room visits in the United States. This includes hospital admissions for problems such as respiratory problems, infections, and other conditions that result from heroin use.
• Up to 70% of heroin users have experienced a non-fatal overdose.
• 14 percent of people who seek rehab treatment are seeking help for heroin addiction.

 

Cocaine

Cocaine causes euphoria, elevated energy, and high heart rate and blood pressure. The cardiovascular effects can cause heart attack and death. Cocaine is usually snorted through the nose, but it can also be injected. It can be smoked when it is refined into crack. Each of these methods has its own side effects. Snorting the drug can cause frequent nosebleeds, lessened sense of smell, and problems swallowing, while smoking it can cause respiratory and dental problems.

• Each day, about 2,500 people try cocaine for the first time.
• About 30% of drug-related emergency room visits are cocaine-related.
• About 30% of cocaine-related deaths occur because of the physical effects of the drug itself; impaired judgment, irritability, and other psychological effects cause car accidents and other incidents that result in the rest of these deaths.
• Many cocaine-related deaths result from using alcohol at the same time.
• About 10% of people who use cocaine will become addicted to it.

 

Methamphetamine

Meth causes feelings of power and euphoria, physical excitement, sleeplessness, elevated heart rate and blood pressure. Sometimes people have heart attacks or strokes while using meth. Meth is usually smoked, which causes tooth decay and other dental problems. The drug causes hallucinations that make the user think that bugs are crawling underneath their skin. These people often pick at their skin compulsively, leaving open sores that scar. Anorexia is common among addicts, so extreme weight loss is frequent.

• People can become addicted to meth after one use. People with meth addictions often live 5-7 years after becoming addicted.
• About 500 people die each year from the direct effects of the drug itself, but around 25,000 people die from incidents resulting from mental and physical impairment such as accidents, murders, and suicides.

 

Sources

1. National Institute on Drug Abuse: Heroin
2. United States Library of Medicine: Cocaine
3. National Institute on Drug Abuse: Methamphetamine