What Is Drug Addiction?
Addiction is a chronic, relapsing, brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to both the addicted individual and, to those around him or her. The initial decision to use drugs is voluntary for most people, but brain changes that occur over time challenge the addicted individual’s self-control and hamper his or her ability to resist intense impulses to continue using drugs.
Fortunately, treatment options are available to help one counter the powerful disruptive effects of addiction. Multiple research studies have shown that combining targeted medication treatments with various focused psychotherapies, is clearly the best way to ensure a successful outcome for most individuals. Treatment approaches that are specifically tailored to one’s own drug abuse patterns and to any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and/or social problems, can lead to sustained recovery and perhaps a life free of drug abuse. At The Recovery Centers, we can provide all aspects of care required to accomplish such a goal.
Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, drug addiction can be treated and managed successfully. And, as with other chronic illnesses, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin using drugs again. Relapse, however, does not signal treatment failure—rather, it indicates that treatment should be reinstated or amended so that that individual can once again regain control over his or her life and continue to “walk the road of recovery”. We are quite familiar with the concept of relapse, and we know how best to work with it.
Brain Changes That Take Place When Using Drugs?
Drugs contain chemicals that tap into the brain’s communication system and disrupt the way nerve cells or neurons normally send, receive, and process information. There are at least two ways that drugs cause this disruption: (1) by imitating the brain’s natural chemical messengers and (2) by overstimulating the “reward circuit” of the brain.
Some drugs (e.g., marijuana and heroin) are structurally similar to normally produced chemical messengers in the brain called neurotransmitters. This similarity in structure allows the drugs to “fool” the brain’s neuroreceptors and activate nerve cells to send abnormal messages. Other drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine, can cause nerve cells to release abnormally large amounts of neurotransmitter substance (mainly Dopamine) or to prevent the normal recycling of these neurotransmitters needed to shut off the signaling between neurons. The result is a brain awash in Dopamine, a neurotransmitter present in multiple brain regions responsible for: movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The overstimulation of this reward system, which normally responds to natural behaviors linked to survival (eating, learning, goal directed behaviors, social affiliation, etc.), produces euphoric effects in response to psychoactive drugs. This reaction sets in motion a reinforcing pattern that “teaches” people to repeat the rewarding behavior of drug abuse.
As a person continues to use these drugs, the brain adapts to overwhelming surges in Dopamine by now producing less dopamine or by reducing the number of dopamine neuroreceptors in the reward circuit of the brain. The result is a lessening of Dopamine’s impact on the reward circuit, which then reduces the abuser’s ability to enjoy not only the drugs themselves, but also other life events that previously brought the individual pleasure. This decrease in pleasure compels the addicted individual to keep abusing drugs in a desperate attempt to bring back normal dopamine functioning. However, now much larger amounts of the drug are needed to achieve the same Dopamine high—an effect known as Tolerance.
Long-term abuse causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well. Glutamate is aother neurotransmitter that influences the reward circuit and the ability to learn too. When the optimal concentration of glutamate is altered by drug abuse, the brain attempts to compensate, which can then impair cognitive function. Brain imaging studies of drug-addicted individuals show changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decision making, learning, memory, and behavioral control. Together this encompasses Executive Functioning. With a decline in executive skills, the addicted individual continues to seek out and take drugs compulsively despite adverse or even devastating consequences. This is the nature of addiction.
Why Do Some People Become Addicted While Others Do Not?
No single factor can predict whether or not a person will become addicted to a substance. Risk for addiction is influenced by a multitude of factors that include one’s own individual biology and genetic predisposition, social environment, and age or stage of development. The more risk factors an individual has, the greater the chances are one will become addicted.
For example:
Biology: The genes that people are born with—in combination with environmental influences—accounts for a large proportion of their addiction vulnerability. Additionally, gender, ethnicity, and the presence of other mental disorders may influence risk as well.
Environment: A person’s environment includes relationships - with a loved one, family, friends, peers and co-workers, socioeconomic status, employment, and quality of life in general. Factors such as peer pressure, psychiatric illness, physical and/or sexual abuse, stress, and quality of parenting can greatly influence the occurrence of drug abuse and the escalation to addiction in a person’s life.
Development: Genetic and environmental factors interact with critical developmental stages in a person’s life to affect addiction vulnerability. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, the earlier that drug use begins, the more likely it will progress to more serious abuse, which poses a special challenge to adolescents. Because areas in their brains that govern decision making, judgment, and self-control are still developing, adolescents may be especially prone to risk-taking behaviors, including trying out drugs of abuse.
Types of Addictions We Treat
At The Recovery Centers, we have a highly trained, seasoned and professional multidisciplinary team adept at diagnosing and treating a multitude of addictions and dual diagnosis disorders. We are able to meet individuals where they are at initially. We then proceed to evaluate, assess medically, provide detoxification if needed, induction, maintenance and tapering treatments, along with ongoing psychotherapeutic approaches involving individual, family and group work. In addition, we are well versed in the latest, most cutting-edge treatment protocols proven to be of most benefit to those in need. These are conditions we can treat:
Alcohol Abuse and Dependence
Alcohol anti craving therapies (Naltrexone, Topamax, etc.), transition to Vivitrol, oral Naltrexone with monitoring, and Naltrexone Implantation, and Antabuse maintenance and monitoring
Amphetamine/Methamphetamine Abuse and Dependence
At Home Detoxification for Alcohol, Opioids, Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines and Hypnotics
Benzodiazepine Abuse and Dependence (Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, Valium,etc.)
Barbiturate Abuse and Dependence (Fiorinal, Fiorecet, Seconal, etc.)
Cocaine Abuse
Hallucinogen Abuse (LSD, Mushrooms, etc.)
Inhalant Abuse
Marijuana Abuse and Dependence
Methadone transition to Suboxone maintenance and tapering
Opioid Abuse and Dependence (Vicodin, Percocet, Heroin, etc.)
Opioid transition to Probuphine Implantation, Vivitrol, oral Naltrexone, Naltrexone Implantation
PCP Abuse
Sedative and Hypnotic Abuse and Dependence (Ambien, Sonata, Lunesta, etc.)
And any co occurring psychiatric illnesses constituting a dual diagnosis situation (ie. Bipolar Disorder and Alcohol Dependence, ADHD and Opioid Dependence, Major Depressive Disorder and Stimulant Abuse).