How Families and Friends Can Support Treatment at Drug Abuse Centers

 

The news headlines tell us every day about the addiction crisis, with opioid addictions and overdose deaths soaring. For many people, this is a matter of personal experience. They may be struggling with an addiction themselves, or have a family member who is dealing with the consequences of an addiction. In such a situation, knowledge about the drug treatment options and a commitment to welfare the friend or family member can be the key to recovery. With support from family, friends and drug treatment centers, interventions and treatment can be successful.

An addiction epidemic
We are in the midst of an addiction crisis. The numbers are sobering. In just one year, 2016, 63,600 people died due to drug overdoses. More than two-thirds or 66.4% of these were due to opioids. In numbers, that is a total of 42,249 deaths, averaging 115 a day. Drug overdoses have passed traffic accidents as the leading cause of death in the U.S.
What makes it even more tragic is that many addictions begin with the use of prescription painkillers. Drugs prescribed for medical treatment are the pathway to dangerous addictions. As many as four out of five heroin users began by using prescription painkillers. Almost a fourth or 23% of heroin users go on to become addicted to cocaine.

Impact of drug abuse
Drug addiction pulls the user into a downward spiral, replacing affect and emotions with cravings. Injuries, loss of control and eventually of jobs and homes, financial crisis, overdoses, and fatalities are the consequences for users.
The harm done reaches beyond the individual to families and communities. If there are any children in the picture, the potential for harm is increased. The social costs of addictions include hollowed-out communities and workplaces.

Intervention and treatment at drug abuse centers
While treatment for drug addictions is possible, it isn’t easy. Drug abuse treatment occurs in two stages, Detox and rehabilitation. Detox is the process of ridding the body of all traces of the drug. This stage can difficult and even dangerous, with extreme physical symptoms of withdrawal. It can be done at home or under medical supervision at drug abuse centers.
The next stage is drug rehabilitation, where the recovery process is completed. It isn’t an easy road, however, and relapses are common. Help and support from family and friends can help users make a complete recovery.

For anyone caught up in the opioid crisis, as a user or the friend or family member of a user, the pain and damage caused by addictions can be frighteningly real. Treatment at drug abuse centers is possible, but it isn’t an easy process. A determination to seek treatment as well as support from family and friends can help users make a recovery, getting back their lives.