Drug Addiction: What You Need to Know
The disease of drug addiction is a powerful one that holds nearly 13 million Americans in its grip. Every year, more and more people turn to illegal drugs like heroin, cocaine and marijuana, and many more become addicted. Drug addiction doesn’t just affect the life of the user, though. It also affects the lives of the user’s family, friends, coworkers and beyond. Anyone who is within the user’s social circle can be affected by their drug use habit.
At Orchid Recovery Center, we provide drug and alcohol rehab services for women who are suffering from the disease of drug addiction. Because we focus on helping female patients, we are able to address the specific and unique needs of women in ways that no co-ed facility can.
How Drug Addiction Takes Hold
Drug addiction can be defined as a person’s insatiable desire for her drug of choice and is compounded by a physical dependence upon the substance. A person who is addicted will do nearly anything to obtain more of the substance, and many will oftentimes take to selling personal possessions or stealing from others in order to fuel their habit. No addicts starts out wanting to become addicted, but due to the chemical makeup of substances like cocaine, heroin and alcohol, people frequently become addicted before they even know it.
Drug Addiction Signs and Symptoms
There are many signs you can look for to help you determine whether or not someone you know and care about is addicted to drugs. Common symptoms of drug addiction include alternating cycles of euphoria and depression, bloodshot eyes, visual and auditory hallucinations and loss of memory. You can also keep a look out for mood swings and changes, as well as drug paraphernalia such as razor blades, small vials or baggies, pipes, needles and rolled up money used to snort lines of drugs like cocaine.
Drug Addiction Effects
Those who are addicted to drugs may suffer from problems such as seizures, panic attacks, emotional breakdowns, paranoid thoughts and feeling and insomnia, nausea and vomiting. Mood swings can change how the addict views their friends and family and they may alternate between being relaxed and friendly and becoming angrily violent. Additionally, drug users are very susceptible to contracting diseases such as AIDS and Hepatitis A and B. Long-term effects on their bodies may also include arthritis, lung cancer, brain changes, heart rate changes and even death.
Drug addiction doesn’t just affect the woman struggling with her addiction. Her family, her close friends, her co-workers, they, too, must deal with the mood swings, the physical illness, the erratic behavior and pick up the slack when she can’t take care of herself and makes mistakes due to her drug addiction.
Drug Rehab at Orchid Recovery Center
Orchid Recovery Center is a drug and alcohol rehab in Florida. Orchid is specifically geared toward helping women who are suffering from the effects of drug addiction and substance abuse, as well as incidents of unresolved trauma in their lives. Orchid has found that, more often than not, women who suffer from the disease of drug addiction often have incidents of unresolved trauma in their past, and by addressing this in the appropriate manner, great strides can be made to free patients from their addiction.
At Orchid Recovery Center, your complete and total recovery from addictive substances is extremely important to us, and our staff of therapists and physicians will do everything we can to help you break your addiction and achieve a long-lasting abstinence. Call today for more information.
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