The stigma surrounding addiction can often make those suffering from alcohol or drug dependence feel guilty or ashamed and avoid seeking help. This can cause an emotional spiral, intensifying the addiction.
What is addiction?
Addiction is an uncontrollable dependence on a substance or behavior. You may want to quit, but you’re unable to do it on your own.
Long-term addictions have severe consequences for both your mental and your physical health. Many people with substance addictions experience problems in their relationships, at work, or even with the law.
People can become addicted to numerous things, including:
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Pornography
- Sex
- Gambling
- Food
If you have been battling an addiction without success, it is time to seek treatment.
What are the signs of addiction?
Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether you or someone you love is suffering from addiction. Some of the most common signs of addiction are:
- An overwhelming need to use a substance regularly
- Denial (lying to your doctor or family members about the drugs you are taking)
- Lack of control (obsessive behaviors and repetitive speech patterns)
- Significant weight loss or a change in eating habits
- Engaging in high-risk behaviors
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not using
These signs can manifest themselves outwardly in your daily life, creating problems at home, school, or work. They may also cause physical health issues and alter your behavior.
A combination of environmental and genetic factors typically cause addictions, which can shape your beliefs and attitudes. If the people around you are addicted to a substance or behavior, you are more likely to become addicted to it as well.
If the addiction causes a change in your brain chemistry, it’s called a physical addiction: it changes the way your brain feels pleasure, making you crave the substance more and more.
How are addictions treated?
When you visit Kee Essentials, your psychiatric provider takes your medical history and discusses your history of addiction. If you have an addiction to drugs or alcohol, you WILL NOT qualify for telepsychiatry services.
Treatment usually takes the form of detoxification, counseling, and self-help groups. Therapy helps you through the withdrawal process without relapsing. Some people require in-patient treatment for this stage.
Kee Essentials DOES NOT treat drug or alcohol addictions through telepsychiatry.