Sober living 8 Common Myths About Substance Use Disorders

An individual’s treatment plan should address their unique needs. The good news is that despite the many myths about addiction, many addicts have sought treatment and established long-term sobriety and recovery, living healthier, happier, and more productive lives. The bad news is that many more addicts are shamed and stigmatized into silence and continued addiction.

• This is perhaps the biggest myth in regards to drug addiction and alcoholism.
• It’s been found that overcoming addictive behaviors is more manageable when surrounded by people who understand what you’re going through.
• Providing compassionate care is key to countering the ongoing public health crisis.
• Genetics makes up about half the risk of addiction; environmental factors such as family life, upbringing, and peer influences make up the other half.

The earlier you take action to overcome addiction, the better off you’ll be. Addiction recovery is a lot simpler than people may realize, and no matter what substance you are using or how long you’ve been addicted, you can start living out your recovery. If you have a problem yourself with drug addiction and you are looking for treatment, here are some ways you can find the proper treatment you need.

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Benzos, which were previously considered non-addictive, are now considered by the FDA to be addictive as well. Alcoholics Anonymous is the main treatment path of alcohol use disorder. Whenever we hear the words alcoholism, addiction, or alcoholic, we automatically think of AA and the 12 steps. People who don’t know much about sobriety think that if you’re sober you must be a member of AA and spend your nights in church basements drinking coffee. AA is just one of many pathways to recovery, and it is not a requirement for being sober.

Addiction is a condition in which a person cannot stop using a substance or engaging in a behavior. It affects millions of Americans, and its overcoming is much more complex than many people recognize. Every person suffering from substance abuse requires unique needs and treatment as going through the recovery process. The uniqueness of each person makes the experience with addiction also unique. No two people will share the same road to developing their addiction, and likewise, the path to recovery will be equally diverse. It is because addiction and recovery vary based on many factors, both external and internal.

Myth 4: Medication-Assisted Treatment isn’t Really Recovery.

While it’s true that you may encounter some people who don’t understand your decision, treatment provides you with an environment where you are surrounded by people who know what you’re going through. Besides the others in your program, many addiction programs rely on help and support from former patients who have turned their lives around and are now committed to giving back to their communities. In modern rehab centers, medication-assisted treatment is a common practice. To some, using prescription medication during addiction treatment might seem counterintuitive. But there are marked differences between the prescription medicine in rehab and the drugs a person may be addicted to. Polysubstance abuse appears to be particularly common among males, those who begin using drugs at an early age, and adolescents and young adults.

• The implication that a person is powerless to seek treatment until they’ve lost all their resources or support networks directly suggests one has to lose everything in order for care to be effective.
• Over time, many become dependent on drugs or alcohol to feel “normal”, and they often experience varying extremes of physical or mental pain when use stops.
• When a person is addicted to drugs or alcohol, their brain function has been altered, so even if they want to stop, they can’t.
• The first time someone uses a substance, they’re choosing to do so.
• It is crucial to understand the risks of any medications you are prescribed, to monitor your symptoms closely, and to speak to your doctor about any concerns you have as soon as possible.
• A recognized leader in addiction medicine, Gateway Foundation’s programs are based on medical and psychological research but tailored to meet each patient’s unique needs and challenges.

There is no one secret to being successful in recovery but always managing your addiction and treating it as a lifelong illness is one of the best ways to remain sober. During my active addiction, although I used plenty of cocaine, heroin was my true love. It made me feel safe, warm, nurtured — the opposite of the undeserving person that I feared I truly was.

You have to find religion to get sober.

Doesn’t work for everyone, even for those who want to make an effort to stop drinking. Is more just a lifelong process of the twelve steps, and it isn’t a place where one can fully recover. Research shows that the use of addictive drugs results in psychological and physical dependence and creates a compulsive and sometimes uncontrollable need for drug or alcohol use.

While initial use may be a choice, over time, continued use can make changes in the brain that make it difficult to stop. This is why relapse is common and many will need multiple attempts at recovery before it is successful. Even though the leading authorities on addiction agree that addiction is a chronic disease similar to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, addicts are still treated as second-class citizens. Many treatment centers believe confrontational, shame-based methods are necessary to motivate addicts.

Prescription medications such as painkillers, stimulants, and sedatives can be extremely addictive and have adverse effects on health and overall well-being. Addiction occurs due to physical changes in the brain’s chemistry, and some people may be predisposed to develop myths about addiction and recovery a substance use disorder due to genetics, trauma, and other factors. The study also found that 46.3 million people 12 and up met the DSM-5 criteria for having substance use disorders, and 94% of those living with substance use disorders did not receive any treatment.

• These substances can still impair judgement and bring about numerous unwanted physical and mental side effects.
• Globally, nearly 3 million people die each year due to the harmful effects of alcohol, which represents 5.3% of all deaths.
• We’ve already established that a substance abuse disorder depends partly on genetics, a person’s environment, socioeconomic status, and mental health.
• Even if your insurance won’t cover drug rehab, some recovery centers offer financial aid or payment programs.
• While some can quit after receiving treatment once at a rehabilitation facility, most of the individuals living with substance abuse require long-term treatment and, in certain cases, repeated treatment.

Of course, you can’t become addicted if you never try using a substance, but the vast majority of people why drugs or alcohol never develop a serious substance use https://ecosoberhouse.com/ issue. It’s hard to know ahead of time whether you’ll develop an addiction. More to the point, becoming addicted is about far more than the substance itself.

Common Misconceptions About Addiction

A person must have at least six components to be diagnosed with addiction. But again, this has nothing to do with your age, income, or gender. Fortunately, researchers and other experts are helping to educate the public on the scientific reality of addiction to remove stigma and make care more accessible. Myths around addiction create harmful stigmas, which often result in those suffering never seeking the help they need. The brain’s reward circuit becomes flooded by the neurotransmitter dopamine when most drugs are ingested.

These varying factors make it impossible to apply the same standard of treatment to everyone. There’s a reason most addiction recovery methods are group-based. It’s been found that overcoming addictive behaviors is more manageable when surrounded by people who understand what you’re going through. Additionally, overcoming addiction alone can be dangerous and even fatal because withdrawal symptoms can lead to death in certain situations.