Addiction Treatment in Elgin, IL
Addiction is a disease that affects a person's brain, affecting their personal motivations, memory, and reward functions. The changes that occur in the brain due to their addiction result in a person continuing to abuse drugs and/or alcohol, even though they know the drugs are bad for them. They may even want to quit, but find themselves unable to due to strong cravings as well as withdrawal symptoms due to physical addiction. When a person experiences this level of addiction, they should seek addiction treatment in Elgin, IL.
According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction can be described the ABCDE's of addiction:
- A is for abstain: A person who suffers from drug and alcohol addiction can't abstain from using drugs, even if they want to.
- B is for behavior: A person who suffers from drug addiction is often impulsive and has difficulty controlling their behavior.
- C is for craving: A person who suffers from addiction craves drugs and/or alcohol when they aren't using them. They cannot go for very long time periods without using drugs.
- D is for diminished problem recognition: Often a person who suffers from drug and alcohol addiction is in denial about the severity or seriousness of their problem.
- E is for emotional response. A person who suffers from a drug addiction does not have an appropriate emotional response to their drug use. They see their drug use as okay or permissible and the behaviors they engage in as part of who they are.
How Does Addiction Treatment Work?
Addiction treatment in Elgin, IL, can encompass many different treatment types. A traditional treatment program would likely include medical detox in Elgin, where a person receives medication support while they withdraw from drugs and/or alcohol.
A person will also often participate in one-on-one therapies with a counselor as well as group therapies to learn about the behaviors associated with helping a person stay sober. Some drug and alcohol treatment programs may include alternative approaches, such as programs that cater to only one gender or to a particular religious preference. Holistic programs take a total-body approach to addiction treatment in Elgin, IL, and may include services like art, equine, or music therapy.
How Does Addiction Affect the Brain?
When a person abuses drugs, the drugs enter their brain and increase the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain. Examples of these include dopamine and serotonin. The repeated exposure to these high levels of neurotransmitters mean that activities that previously used to make a person feel happy and/or satisfied do not make a person happy anymore.
Examples can include food and/or sex. The brain starts to "crave" the high it felt again, and nothing else will do. Specifically, addiction changes the frontal cortex of the brain and almost "rewires" the brain to where a person will behave compulsively to attempt to obtain drugs.
Doctors know that having a genetic history of a family member who suffers from drug addiction increases the risk that the person will also be addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. One potential reason is because the family member's genes may have affected "reward circuits" where a person lacks certain neurotransmitters. As a result, they pursue drug and alcohol abuse as a means to enhance these brain pathways.
The changes that drugs make to the brain can affect a person for a long time. In the long-term, they can have problems thinking clearly, making decisions, and remembering. However, if a person is able to successfully quit, they can ideally reverse some of these effects. Additionally, long-term drug and alcohol abuse can cause a number of health effects, from increasing incidence of respiratory tract infections to increased risk for IV-drug-use-related conditions, such as hepatitis and/or HIV/AIDS.
Why Should I Enter an Addiction Treatment Center?
Because addiction is a disease of the brain, quitting is not simply a matter of deciding to quit or gathering up enough willpower to stop using drugs. Instead, addiction is a condition that often requires a person receive additional help and support through addiction treatment in Elgin, IL. Addicts usually cannot quit on their own.
They also are more likely to relapse if they do not receive professional addiction care. At a drug rehab facility, a person suffering from drug addiction can receive special services that not only make withdrawing from drugs and alcohol easier, but also start to establish behaviors that a sober person adopts.
When a person suffers from drug addiction, they do so for a lifetime. However, through continued medical and mental health support, they can achieve sobriety. Call Elgin Alcohol Rehab Centers now for help (877) 804-1531.