Addiction has become a household word in today’s society. It can take on many forms, such as drugs, alcohol, work, or eating. Calming and curing this urge starts with getting to the root of the problem. Genetics, traumatic life experiences, and improper wiring of the brain can cause an individual to seek escape from mental pain. The healing process can be long and slow with therapy and medicine.
Supporting Those with Addiction
Support from family and friends is helpful in fighting addiction. However, care must be taken so that codependency does not arise. Giving an addict money or allowing them to stay in your home are examples of how help can turn into being codependent. Instead, put the following suggestions into action.
Urge to Get a Professional Opinion
There is a difference between addiction and misuse. Defining and understanding the difference is best determined by an expert so the right course of action is taken. Some physicians, on the cutting edge of technology, can test for the possibility of healing epigenetic trauma, a program that studies your DNA makeup. It also shows that you are not placing blame on them, but helping to find answers to disease.
Suggest Behavioral Therapy
Learning how to believe in yourself and replacing negative thoughts with positive ones is difficult. Your thoughts and beliefs can dictate actions that create a depressed or hurtful state. You can go through life never realizing that there are underlying causes to your desire to stop the pain by drinking or doing drugs. Intervention by a trained therapist can reveal your deep-seated memories and allow you to heal. Talk about your shortcomings and offer to attend sessions together.
Treatment with Medication
Depending on the type of addiction, medications are available for easing negative urges to use. Explain that there is a better understanding of why addiction occurs in the brain and that studies have proven this fact. Continue to explain that there is no one to blame for this disease, especially themselves. There are a variety of medications that can be prescribed for battling substance and alcohol abuse. Your friend may be unaware of the advancements in medicine. Some of these include:
— Buprenorphine is a medication that is widely used for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Users of hydrocodone, oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine, and heroin may feel that there is no help without painful withdrawal. This drug lowers the cravings and symptoms of withdrawal.
— Naltrexone blocks the area of the brain that introduces pleasure from alcohol and narcotics. By taking away the euphoria, the need for these drugs is curbed. This medication is also known as Vivitrol.
— Varenicline is also called Chantix and is used to decrease the urge to smoke. It also promotes dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that encourages our mood, motivation, and memory.
There are only a few medications that have been successfully used for fighting urges and lowering dependency on body-harming drugs. When used in combination with therapy, many individuals can wean off of their addiction.
Support Groups for Addicts
Introduce your friend to like-minded people that share the same addiction problems. Knowing that you are not alone in your struggles will give them a reason to see the end of their nightmare. Strike up friendships with people that use sports and activities as a release from stress and the problems of life. Knowing that everyone struggles and uses healthy methods in the place of drugs can introduce them to a new way of positive living.
Whether your friend has a physical or behavioral problem and has turned to unhealthy drugs for relief, there are ways to reverse this problem. Help them to do the homework in seek out the best way of handling their ills. Stay by their side until treatment is started. Knowing that you have support during a downturn in your life is the best way to help an addict. Watch their diet and habits closely and offer your advice in times of need. There is an end to addiction turmoil and watching your friend overcome the battle can be well worth the time in the end. Never give up on an addict.
