Is Your Loved One Suffering From Addiction?

Addiction is a disease that in most cases remains for a lifetime. For people who are addicts, treatment to this disease may take just about as long as the disease itself. If your loved one is suffering from addiction to drugs, alcohol, medication or any other harmful substance, know that early diagnosis and treatment can make a big difference in their health and life.

Maybe Suffering

Your addicted loved one may be suffering from one or combination of these alcohol or cocaine addiction symptoms. Their addiction has caused health and functional issues that have physically and mentally affected them from head to toe. They have lost the ability to reason or concentrate at work. They have impaired judgment, drive when drunk and are going through premature aging of the brain according to their treating doctor. There is a good chance that they have been through different treatment programs already. Despite all of it, they are still addicted. Their family is suffering and relationships are fraying. Work is taking a backseat. And when they are sober, they fall into depression and can’t seem to come out of it. They have been spending all of their income on habits that are putting their financial health at risk

Addiction

You have a family member or loved one who has cocaine addiction symptoms or perhaps a sober friend who is going through a cycle of various emotions. You have covered up for their bad behavior while not giving a thought to consequences. You have been through the emotional roller coaster as well and wished you could just walk away from all of it. These situations are quite understandable because you are not alone. The number of people suffering from one or the other form of addiction is astounding in the United States. The good news is, high-tech medicines and treatments today has allowed over 90 percent success for those who are seeking help for their loved ones. This is nothing to brag about either; years and years of trial and error has created a paradigm shift that has, in turn, helped to understand that addiction is not just a disease to bear with but treatable one as well.

Physical Effects

The physical effects of addiction include but not limited to brain damage, abdominal cramps, constipation, kidney failure, blindness, blood clots, seizures, heart attack, hallucination, reduction of male and female hormones and much else. Many physicians who treat addiction note that addiction treatment is based on science. Treatment is also a science that applies different rules to different people addicted to different substances. Remember that each addict is a  unique person in the eyes of their treating doctor hence the treatment is tailored to their specific needs by their healthcare provider, coach, therapist or counselor. It may not be easy for your loved ones to go through all the suggested steps in the prescribed program but knowing recovery is possible is a big relief. As mentioned before, with appropriate treatment designed to each one’s needs, chances of recovery are high. Prevention and education is the best way to handle lapse or relapse of addiction. This means learning to detect signs of addiction early on and taking action as soon as possible. Generally, these signs are change in attitude, loss of control, withdrawal and change in behavior of the addict.