For someone sitting on the outside having to watch, it’s painful to see a loved one who is struggling with addiction. What’s so hard to fathom is how far down too many people go before they recognize they are addicted. They don’t even recognize they are in the throes of an addiction even after viewing the damage behind them. What they seem to lack is a drug abuse definition they can use as a basis to understand exactly what kind of problems they create in their own lives.
The Formal Drug Abuse Definition
Before we start breaking down exactly how drug abuse is affecting your life, a formal drug abuse definition seems in order. As defined by the government’s National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.”
What does that mean to you? Your drug addiction is most likely causing damage to your brain, overall physical health, and the relationships in your life. The longer you continue down that path, the more damage you will cause.
Getting Help
The key to getting people to recognize they have an addiction is making sure they understand exactly what it means. While the above drug abuse definition is from a clinical perspective, the words should be duly noted. If you are doing significant damage to your body and soul, that should motivate you to get help as soon as possible.
A rehab stint in a residential drug treatment center is the best way to get help. However, the prospects of committing to a long-term treatment plan away from work, school and family are not always feasible. At Steps to Recovery in Levittown, PA., we offer a solid alternative in the form of an intensive outpatient program (IOP).
The Program at Steps to Recovery
While we cater to the LGBTQ demographic, our services are available to anyone suffering from a severe addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Furthermore, we provide dual diagnosis treatment for people who are also dealing with emotional or psychological issues. These issues directly affect their need to abuse substances.
In the first phase of addiction treatment, we work closely with the patient and their family to help everyone better understand the reasons and depth of the addiction. In phase II, we begin the work of building coping skills and planning long-term sobriety goals.
If you suffer from an addiction, by definition, we hope you understand the serious nature of your illness. We, here at Steps to Recovery, want to help. By contacting one of our staff members at 267.719.8528, we can bring you into our program. We’re ready to start you on a path toward long lasting recovery. We support an intimate setting of 3 to 1 ratio of patients to staff. This gives you all the focus you need and deserve.
