What Is Drug Addiction?
People rarely discuss drug addiction publicly. Many people associate it with cities, celebrity life, clubs, or any other sort of high-energy, risqué situations. However, drug addiction is more common than the public would like to believe. What is drug addiction? It’s a disease that can strike anyone at anytime and from any socio-economic standing.
What is Drug Addiction and Who Is At Risk?
What is drug addiction? As mentioned, drug addiction is a complex disease where someone develops a crippling physical and/or psychological dependence on a substance. The thing many people don’t realize is that addiction has many layers. Most people don’t just start using drugs because they feel like it; addictions commonly develop from self-medicating, prescription medications, and peer pressure.
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Since drug addictions can develop in so many different ways, everyone is at risk for developing them. The only way to prevent an addiction is to educate yourself on the risks and avoid substance use altogether, but even that is basically impossible for most people. Drugs are so common in American society that everyone is at risk for substance exposure and addiction at some point in their lives.
Even if you avoid alcohol abuse and recreational drug use, there are still times where you are at risk for developing an addiction. For example, let’s say you have a car accident and your doctor prescribes you Vicodin to treat the pain from your injuries. Vicodin is a powerful opioid medication with a strong risk for dependence and addiction. Even if you never intend to use an addictive substance, you’re still at risk.
What Drugs Can Someone Develop Addictions To?
In general, there are two primary categories of drugs: stimulants and depressants. Drugs that fall into either category do what they say they will, depressants ‘depress’ and stimulants ‘stimulate’. In other words, a stimulant will increase alertness, energy, and activeness in the user. A depressant will slow the body down, including the central nervous system, and make a person very relaxed.
Some common examples of these substances include:
- Stimulants — Amphetamines (Adderall), Cocaine, and Methamphetamines
- Depressants — Alcohol, Alprazolam (Xanax), Benzodiazepines, and Diazepam (Vicodin)
There are also other categories of substances that are more common in recreational environments, such as opioids, opiates, and hallucinogens. These substances can create extremely intense highs of euphoria or hallucinogenic states.
How to Recover from Drug Addiction
Once you answer ‘what is drug addiction?’ the next step is figuring out if you have one. Regardless of what type of drug or how the addiction begins, everyone who suffers from addiction needs a comprehensive addiction treatment program. Serenity Lodge is an addiction rehab center in California that specializes in men’s drug rehab support.
If you’re ready to face your addiction head-on and overcome it, Serenity Lodge is here to help. Call us today at (855) 932-4045 to learn more about our evidence-based treatment programs.
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