What is a substance abuse disorder?
Substance abuse disorder or substance use disorder is a condition where you are unable to control your use of legal or illegal alcohol, nicotine, or drugs. You may be consumed with thoughts of how you will get your next fix or how you will get money to pay for your drug.
You may find you also suffer other mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar, or schizophrenia. You may find yourself first using drugs or alcohol in a social setting, like a party, but will soon need more and more and find your usage becomes daily. The use of drugs or alcohol may feel like it’s helping to “treat” your illness, or alleviate boredom, but it can often make it difficult to function in day-to-day life and rather than helping your symptoms, in the long run, it will get worse. You may even experience substance-induced mental health issues.
Changes in your brain's structure and function are what causes you to have intense cravings, changes in personality, abnormal movements, and other behaviours. Brain imaging studies show changes in the areas of the brain that relate to judgment, decision making, learning, memory, and behavioural control.
You may be aware of your problem but not able to stop, even if you want and try to. The addiction may cause physical and psychological problems as well as interpersonal problems such as with family members and friends or at work.
Around 1 in 20 Australians has an addiction or substance abuse problem.
What are the stages of addiction?
· Experimental use - Typically involves peers, done for recreational use, or you may enjoy defying parents or other authority figures.
· Regular use – You miss more and more school or work. You worry about losing your drug source and use drugs to "fix" negative feelings. You begin to stay away from friends and family and may even change friends to those who are regular users. You show increased tolerance and ability to "handle" the drug.
· Problem or risky use - You lose any motivation and don’t care about school or work. You are experiencing obvious behaviour changes; thinking about drug use is more important than all other interests, including relationships. You become secretive and may begin dealing drugs to help support habit. Your use of other, harder drugs may increase, and legal problems may increase.
· Addiction – You cannot face daily life without drugs and will often deny you have a problem, though sometimes you are aware but can’t stop. Your physical condition gets worse and you experience loss of "control" over your use. You may even become suicidal as financial and legal problems get worse. You may have broken ties with family members or friends.
How does substance abuse disorder impact life?
Due to your substance use you are unable to attend social obligations, may use at work or skip work all together to use instead. You may find yourself physically or mentally unable to get out of bed or get your day started without using.
You may find yourself withdrawing from your family because you are ashamed, and you may lose contact with friends and start hanging out with other people who use instead.
You may engage in risky or dangerous activities due to your use, and you may end up facing jail time which can have lasting consequences for the rest of your life.
What treatments are available?
It is important to be aware that suddenly stopping the use of alcohol and other drugs can be dangerous and cause harm. You can discuss your options with a health professional or a drug and alcohol service.
Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behaviour.
Counselling involving individual, group or family therapy sessions with a focus on understanding the nature of addiction, becoming drug-free and preventing relapse, and other behavioural therapies are the most commonly used forms of treatment, with medications often being an important part of treatment, especially when combined with behavioural therapies. You’ll also need to be evaluated and treated for co-occurring mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
Sometimes going to hospital can be the best way to get away from your substance and people who support or encourage your using.
The Involuntary Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program provides involuntary treatment as an option of last resort to people with severe substance dependence.
Our support team can help you in your everyday life to experience a greater quality of life by ensuring you’re eating healthy, nutritious meals, attending appointments, keeping yourself and home clean and hygienic, as well as accessing the community and rebuilding interpersonal skills.
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