Many professionals in the field of substance abuse treatment agree that the primary cause of addiction is negative and unregulated emotions. Feelings of despair and hopelessness often characterized alongside depression cause addicts to continue to use harmful substances. Negative emotions and the situations that give rise to them inevitably cause individuals to seek relief. Emotions that are not dealt with in healthy ways cause anxiety. For an addict, relief from their negative emotions and anxiety comes in the form of substance abuse. Learning to regulate emotions may be the key many addicts need to get clean and sober.
Emotion regulation is the ability to control and regulate one’s emotions. All functioning adults are naturally capable of emotion regulation to some degree. Some people are more adept at this than others, and those of us who are prone to addiction often have a low propensity towards emotion regulation. There are a wide range of possible psychological explanations for this. The mental factors causing a failure to self-regulate emotions will vary from person to person.
For the purpose of fighting drug and alcohol addiction, analyzing emotions and learning to better regulate them is imperative. In fact, this is one of the most important goals of drug treatment therapy. If negative emotions trigger drug use in an addict, then learning to control negative emotions can help inhibit the urges towards substance abuse. Therapists attempt to teach emotion regulation using a variety of methods. Generally, persons lacking the natural ability to self regulate emotions have carried this difficulty since childhood. This does not mean that the ability cannot be learned; just that it can be more difficult for some to master it. The key is to understand what events or situations precede and prompt specific emotions, and then learn to interpret those events differently before negative emotions can arise. Learning to deal with negative emotions in healthy ways and learning to build and nurture positive emotions can go a long way toward fighting drug abuse.
Practice Emotion Regulation to Fight Drug Addiction
Dual Diagnosis
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The term dual diagnosis is used to describe the very common situation in which a person who suffers from a substance abuse problem can also be diagnosed with a specific mental disorder. This situation is well documented and may even affect a majority of drug addicts, although many people suffering from dual diagnosis have not formally been diagnosed with a disease. This is simply because so many mental disorders go undiagnosed, which does not make them any less real.
For an addict, suffering from a mental disorder inevitably makes the addiction much more severe. Even a mild mental disorder can impede the process of quitting and exacerbate the addiction. The most common mental illness, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, is depression. Feelings of depression and hopelessness represent the largest impediment to quitting for any addict; you can only imagine how difficult this can be for a clinically depressed person.
Dual diagnosis is a general idea and most doctors and counselors prefer to approach the addiction problem before worrying about other possible disorders. This is because substance abuse often causes psychological symptoms that mimic mental disorders, making it difficult to diagnose pre-existing conditions.
Dual Diagnosis is understandably common. It is no secret that mental disorders and substance abuse go hand in hand. This may be because mental disorders predispose a person to begin using drugs. This is known as self-medicating, and is a prevalent cause of drug and alcohol addiction. Another reason dual diagnosis is so common may be that long term substance abuse can actually cause mental disorders and psychosis that would not have otherwise occurred.
Treating individuals with dual diagnosis can be very difficult. Many rehabilitation and addiction treatment facilities will not accept patients with dual diagnosis because they are not staffed with professionals who specialize in mental disorders outside of addiction. Whatever the course of treatment for these individuals, it is important to treat both the addiction and the mental illness in order to maximize the possibility of success.
How to Identify Drug Addiction?
Drug addiction refers to uncontrollable dependency for certain substance or drug. You may feel helpless or isolated when you do not have certain drug as soon as the feeling of consuming it comes to you. Drug addiction is a problem faced by people across various age groups.
Signs and Symptoms of Drug Addiction –
• Changes in Eating Habit
There will be sudden change in the eating habit of an addict. There can be a loss of appetite or increase in appetite followed by unexplainable loss or gain of body weight.
• Alcohol Addiction
Unusual brightness of eyes, illogical talking, and alcohol smell in breath and sleeping late in nights are the sure sign of addiction of alcohol.
• Opioids Addiction
Pupils of the opioids addict become pinpointed and one can easily locate needle points in arms. Addicts are always thirsty and sweaty.
• Cocaine Abuse
Such addicts will be constantly sniffing something and have no appetite with grouchiness and illogical talking.
• Meth Addicts
These addicts will behave erratically and often have broken teeth and profuse sweating. They lose their weight rapidly.
• Marijuana Abuse
Eyes if the addict look bloodshot and have a dazed appearance. Their speech is slurred and becomes illogical.
• Behavioral Changes
Their overall personality will undergo an identifiable change. Friends circle changes and even hobbies or activities change totally. They lose interest in social and family functions and remain isolated most of the times. Their ability to concentrate decreases and they lack motivation for doing anything. They find it difficult to pay attention and remember things. Sudden and unexplained need for money arises and may start to steal or sell family possessions. Some might show signs of moodiness and throw tantrums and become depressed even for the silliest things.
You should be aware of these signs and symptoms so that you can find drug addiction. If not you, someone closer to you might also be becoming addict of any of the substances mentioned above. Early detection of addiction can help the addict overcome it in a swift manner.