Substance Abuse
What is substance abuse?
Substance abuse refers to the heavy use of drugs or alcohol at a level that falls outside of the norms set by society. For those engaging in substance abuse the personal cost can be significant. Substance abuse generally means health and social problems for all those involved with it. The causes of substance abuse are varied, but generally include poor home environment or parenting, poor social skills, association with a drug-oriented peer group and other external factors. Substance abuse is not, technically, addiction, however it often leads to addiction.
What are the symptoms of substance abuse?
Common symptoms of substance abuse include: regular and excessive use of drugs or alcohol, having to use more and more of the substance in question to achieve a "high", having memory blackouts, depression and suicidal thoughts.
If a person you know is having substance abuse issues it is important to help them get the care they need. Interventions are a good place to start. With the help of a substance abuse professional, an intervention helps you confront the person with the problem. Most substance abusers will not come to this realization on their own, so the help of family and friends is a crucial first step.
What to do about a substance abuse problem?
Then, drug or alcohol rehab is likely to be the next step. Rehab facilities are experts at helping people with substance abuse issues. The professionals at substance abuse rehab facilities provide medical treatments and psychological help for the individual. The medical treatment generally revolves around detoxification (or detox) off of the abused drug in question. The psychological part of the substance abuse rehab program introduces group and one-on-one counseling to the individual, so that he or she can discuss problems and share with a like-minded peer group. Substance abuse rehab is a proven-effective method for helping people get off drugs, and then, changing their habits and behaviors so that they stay clean.
As wide spread as our substance abuse problem seems to be in this country, there is still hope for the future. By continuing to educate our children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, we are creating a different mind-set, and hopefully a future without substance abuse problems for our next generation.
At Michael's House we fight and win the battle against substance abuse every day. Our professionals treat every substance abuse patient with great care and tireless effort. We work together to help our patients improve their lives for the long term.
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