Drug addiction is a serious condition that affects millions of people. In 2011 alone, about 22 million American adults and children over the age of 12 had abused an illicit drug or psychotherapeutic medication in the last month, according to a December survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The same survey found that every day in 2011, about 8,400 people tried drugs for the first time, and half of these new users were under 18 years old. Addiction can lead to long term effects on the brain and its functioning. It also impairs your judgment and changes your behavior patterns, which can destroy your relationships with people around you.
The good news is that here is help for drug addiction. Drug rehab programs are designed to take your step by step through recovery. The first step is often admitting there is a problem, and the rest of the support for your rehabilitation can come from family, friends, and the counselors at the program. Drug addiction counseling can help a person understand the root problem that caused the addiction in the first place. People who have been addicted for a long period of time can be unaware of what caused the initial attraction to drugs. Once this has been unearthed, a skilled counselor can help a patient work through these issues and any other underlying problems.
If your loved one is displaying drug addiction symptoms, be sure to think before you act. By acting judgmental about the situation, you will likely push the person further away. Offering support and allowing the person to talk to you about it might help them understand that they need to get help. Even with your support, the person has to want to make the change for themselves. You can never force a drug addict to kick the habit; they need to come to terms with it in their own time. But there is help for drug addiction, and by explaining this calmly to your loved one, you might be able to help them take the first step to toward recovery. More information like this: www.newportacademy.com