Am I an Addict?
- Some people suffering from addiction may not even know they are addicted. They may not know that their behaviour is out of control and causing serious problems to themselves and people close to them.
Some of the signs of addiction include:
- Physical withdrawal if one stops taking the substance of abuse. In the case of opiate abuse this can include sweats, chills, muscle aches, insomnia, irritability, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Tolerance: the diminished effect/‘high’ with the same amount of drug use OR increasing amount used to achieve desired effect
- Inability to cut down on drug use or continued use despite being aware of negative consequences
- Increasing amounts or duration of substance use than was intended
- Excessive amount of time spent pursuing drugs/substances
- Negative impact on family, social, work, recreational activities due to drug use
"There is no person walking the face of the earth who demonstrates more courage, dignity, and integrity, on a daily basis, than an addict in recovery."
- Anonymous
Treatment Options
Addiction is treatable!
- There are many treatment options available for addiction however at Vista Health Clinics we focus on a kind of treatment called Agonist Replacement Therapy where we prescribe Agonists such as Methadone or Suboxone in order to replace the opiate in a person suffering from opiate addiction.
- The first phase in treating addiction is to aid in the physical effects of withdrawing from the substance a person is addicted to. In opiate addiction this can include withdrawal symptoms such as: nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, muscle cramps and aches, sweats/chills/shakes, insomnia.
- With Agonist Replacement Therapy the opiate substance the person is addicted to is being replaced Opiate Agonist and as such withdrawal symptoms are minimized or even eliminated.
- The physical side of addiction can be stabilized within a few days to weeks
- The second (and more complicated) phase in treating addiction focuses on the psychological effects of addiction.
- Anxiety, depression, irritability, and mood swings cause significant suffering to people suffering from addiction.
- There are ways to help treat these conditions that may include counselling and/or medical therapy
- Likewise, treatment for impulse control, urges and cravings may require counselling as well as education on techniques to reduce the risk of relapsing into drug use.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of these techniques which help a patient identify, avoid, and cope with situations where they might be likely to use drugs.