Drug addiction creates numerous changes in the body. There is a risk that your body could suffer a toxic overload from that first use, causing an overdose. Drug addiction treatment is able to provide a solution to this, enabling you to gain control over your use and the ability to overcome the challenges you are feeling right now physically and mentally. When it comes to addiction treatment, we can help you find a way forward. You just have to take the first step in getting help.
What Happens in Your Body When You Use Drugs?
Consider what happens when a person uses heroin or other types of highly addictive drugs. During the initial use of that drug, a sense of pleasure or euphoria occurs. This is the drug triggering the pleasure center of the brain. With consistent use, it is common for the brain to become so used to the drug that it craves it. The body becomes dependent on it. As that happens, drug addiction forms. This is called dependence, and it leads to significant changes in the brain’s chemistry. Over time, it becomes very difficult to stop using the drug without a drug addiction treatment program to support you.
What Happens Once Drug Addiction Forms?
When addiction and dependence form, the body is physically reliant on the drug. That means that when you stop using it, you can feel intense withdrawal pains and, sometimes, more challenging symptoms.
Physical symptoms of drug addiction you may experience yourself, or your family may notice include:
- Muscle and bone pain when not using
- Changes to sleep schedules, sometimes needing to sleep all of the time, other times not at all
- Changes in appetite sometimes leading to a significant amount of weight loss without trying
- Nausea and vomiting occur in some people when they stop using a drug
- Personal hygiene drops – a person is less concerned with what they are doing to take care of themselves
- Nutrition levels drop, which sometimes leads to malnutrition
- Lack of energy is typically often due to poor health and nutrition levels
- Red and swollen eyes are sometimes common
In each of these situations, the drugs are working against a person’s overall health and well-being. However, there is no significant and more obvious sign of a problem than an overdose. When an overdose occurs, the breathing rate and heartbeat slow or become so erratic they fail to meet the body’s needs. A person may suffer seizures or a stroke. In other cases, they may lose consciousness. Sometimes they may die quickly and suddenly.
If addiction does not occur, consistent drug use can damage many organs in the body, including the heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs. Over time, a person’s brain function becomes damaged. Sometimes this is not possible to improve.
Getting Drug Addiction Treatment Improves Outcomes
Many times, substance abuse treatment provides a way to recover. With treatment, many of the withdrawal symptoms a person feels when they try to stop using these substances fade. It becomes possible to focus on healing.
Many treatment centers offer resources to help, including:
- Nutrition therapy
- Holistic therapy to help improve outlook
- Medical support especially during detox
- Fitness and recreation therapy
- Medications to ease the symptoms of withdrawal
This comes alongside therapy. It is in this combined effort that drug addiction treatment creates changes and saves lives.
Do You Struggle with Drug Addiction? Invest in Treatment Now
Drug addiction treatment changes lives, creating opportunities for healing and overcoming the challenges of day-to-day life. It may also save your life from an overdose or long-term decline. The key is to take action. Don’t wait even one more day to call a treatment center to get the support you need.
