7 Myths About Addiction You Still Believe

This is a myth, says Paul Brethen, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Addiction Specialist. Sandstone Care offers a full continuum of care for teens and young adults ages and offers eco sober house boston medical detox services for anyone over the age of 18. We strive to provide resources for alumni of our programs, because we know how difficult it can be to use resiliency when you need it most.

Addiction is a disease, and it is comparable to physical ailments like diabetes or heart disease. Studies have found that the relapse rates for drug addiction are almost identical to relapse rates for common physical problems, like hypertension and arthritis. Although addiction cannot be cured like many chronic illnesses, it can be successfully managed and treated with ongoing assistance from doctors and therapists. A person with a condition like diabetes will need to attend ongoing doctor’s appointments, and so will a person with an addiction.

Addiction Cannot Be Beaten Alone

However, the truth is, anyone can become an addict, and they are often hard to spot. Addiction should have no stereotypes because no one is safe from this disease. It can be your favorite Hollywood celebrity, a Wall Street stockbroker, or simply the soccer mom who lives next door. Addiction is an equal opportunity offender that affects all classes, ages, races, genders, and professions.

If you enter our residential program, you can expect healthy meals, time to socialize with peers and comfortable surroundings designed to help you relax and focus on recovery. You’ll have time to yourself and, as your program progresses, you may even be able to have visits with loved ones. You could also consider outpatient programsmade to let you maintain your independence while seeking addiction recovery treatment. When someone refers to quitting drugs or alcohol “cold turkey,” they mean they plan to quit abruptly without the help of medication or assistance from experienced medical personnel. Someone who chooses to address their addiction this way typically attempts to stop using drugs or alcohol at home by themselves. It may be “free”, but, it’s not the safest way to end substance use.

Debunking Myths About Addiction Recovery

Four in ten people who drink alcohol before age fifteen will become alcoholics. Problem drinking in students accounts for a high number of physical assaults, rape, and poor academic performance among high school and college students. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, don’t wait. WebMD Connect to Care helps you find services to manage your health. When you purchase any of these services, WebMD may receive a fee.

The fact is that any type of substance of abuse can be dangerous. Individualized, evidence based treatment, to fit your needs. Needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding. Short-term medical use of opioid painkillers can help to manage severe pain after an https://sober-house.net/ accident or surgery. However, regular or longer-term use of opioids can lead to addiction. A PDF is a digital representation of the print book, so while it can be loaded into most e-reader programs, it doesn’t allow for resizable text or advanced, interactive functionality.

Myth #3 – Addicts/Alcoholics Have to Want Treatment

Rehab gives patients access to a team of experienced medical professionals and therapists who can manage the multitude of complex issues that addiction patients often face. Check out these five common myths about addiction, along with the corresponding truths. While society has improved in understanding addiction, a lot remains unclear, especially for those who have never struggled with a drug or alcohol addiction. Addicts/alcoholics don’t have to want to be in treatment, nor do they have to recover for themselves.

• Addiction can burrow its way into the mind and make you unreliable, unable to rely even on yourself to make the right choices because the allure of your drug is far too powerful.
• The real problem with this myth is that it promotes a one-size-fits-all approach to addiction treatment, while each individual’s journey through addiction and recovery is different.
• When it comes to addiction and recovery, it’s best to remember that each individual is different.
• An addiction treatment program is a necessary part of recovery for many people, but it’s not a magic pill.
• But that does not mean that drug addicts are bad people categorically or that crime and drugs automatically go together without very important additional context.

Be supportive, open and honest both for yourself and those around you. There is no time limit in the process of recovery, take it in strides. If you are concerned about yourself or someone you love, reach out. Whether you are letting people know for the first time or addressing someone that has a problem, it needs to start somewhere.

Myth: “Addiction medications are just replacing one addiction with another.”

These symptoms can make early recovery extremely difficult and even cause relapse to occur. But, with help from MAT, individuals can safely overcome the challenges of early recovery. This is perhaps the biggest myth in regards to drug addiction and alcoholism.

At least one American dies every 52 minutes from drunk driving. If someone close to you were addicted, you would know about it. At Serenity Grove, we firmly believe that everyone can make a full recovery, regardless of their class, ethnicity, gender and medical history. Be kind and take care of both yourself and the people around you. We’re all in this together and experience different struggles throughout life.

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. Once the brain is chemically altered by addiction, the disease begins to take over the person’s life in detrimental ways. Drug addicts and alcoholics are usually not weak-minded people, they are often extremely strong-willed, but the brain gives them misinformation, convincing them getting high is the best option. Once drug and alcohol addiction takes hold, it doesn’t matter how strong-willed a person is because their ability to make choices is gone. Addiction is still a rather misunderstood and controversial topic in society, making it difficult for people to seek professional help. There are several misconceptions and myths about addiction, leading to individuals being stigmatized or alienated from society.

Myth #9: If I Enter Recovery, There’s Something Wrong With Me

It may just mean that they need to try a different approach. Doctors can prescribe medications that are effective for treating pain and other conditions. However, these drugs are very dangerous when abused, primarily when it occurs with young adults and teens. Many prescription drugs are commonly abused, including narcotic pain medications, ADHD medications, and anxiety drugs. Prescription medications can be more deadly than illicit drugs and it’s estimated that around five young people die daily from overdoses with these medications.

It is a myth that drug or alcohol addiction cannot be effectively managed or treated. Studies on the effectiveness of addiction treatment have found that people who receive detox, rehab, and ongoing therapy can achieve and maintain sobriety. Treatment enables patients to obtain control over the physiological and behavioral processes involved in addiction. Addiction to drugs or alcohol is a multi-faceted, individualized chronic disease. Until society and the media accept this fact, these disruptive and harmful myths will continue to persist.

Science of Addiction

As a person in recovery from disordered eating, she is passionate about seeing people heal and transform. In her spare time she loves learning about health, nutrition, meditation, spiritual practices, and enjoys being the a mother of a beautiful daughter. You don’t have to like or respect drug addicts to understand that it’s important to stay current on addiction science if we’re ever going to beat addiction as a societal problem. And one of the best ways to achieve that is by busting a few simple myths. Once your body is no longer chemically dependent on alcohol or drugs, more work begins.

You might also join a rehab alumni community to enjoy sobriety-friendly events and create new friend circles with others who understand and support your recovery journey. There are two reasons why it’s dangerous to quit cold turkey. First, when your body begins to experience intense eco sober house complaints withdrawal symptoms, they may be so unbearable that you could be tempted to give up and seek out drugs or alcohol to stop them. People are often hesitant to enter recovery because of some of the myths they’ve heard about recovery programs or myths about substance misuse itself.