After becoming accustomed to using drink and drugs regularly, opting for rehabilitation can come as a shock to the system. This is a moment where the perspective of everything you have set your sights on for a long time changes to the opposite.
Instead of ensuring that you get your drink or drug fix, you’re suddenly focusing on the opposite; not using substances at all.
For the person who has struggled with addiction for a long time, this can feel as though the ground has shifted from beneath your feet.
How is it possible to stop doing the thing you’ve needed for so long?
Foremost, it’s important to reassure yourself that it is possible to quit and that you can. Secondly, it’s vital to focus on what you stand to gain from quitting alcohol and drugs rather than what you’re cutting out. Finally, it’s imperative to seek treatment.
In the case where using substances has become problematic or addictive, then it needs to be approached as other illnesses would be.
When a person is ill, it’s important to rest, take any necessary medications or treatments, and then recover, building your life back up again.
To find out where you can access the best doctors and therapists to treat addiction in the Humber area, call OK Rehab on 0800 326 5559.
The ways people use psychoactive substances
When a person first discovers drugs and alcohol, they don’t always become “immediately” addicted. There are some drugs for some people in some situations that might occur, but usually, there is a progression of use.
Usually, the typical person will try substances in a casual way, perhaps with friends. This might be at an event, to celebrate, or to have a “good” night out.
There might be people in the group who never use the substance again, some who might occasionally, and then for some, unfortunately, the sought-after effects will feel so pleasurable that they’ll seek out the drug or alcohol again.
There are six spaces of substance use and people tend to fall into one of the following categories at a particular time: experimental use, recreational use, problematic use, addiction, abstinence, and relapse.
Within each category, people will also use it in different ways. For instance, within the addiction area, some people can be highly functioning whereas others aren’t.
Highly functioning is where people are able to maintain a regular lifestyle including holding down a job, running a family, and on the face of things, appearing like a person who doesn’t have a substance misuse problem.
Many people when thinking about what addiction is usually imagine a person whose life is severely impacted by drug and alcohol use. This is where mental and physical health is demonstrably deteriorating, people lose jobs, relationships break down, and debt issues might arise.
Wherever a person is in terms of the way they are ingesting drugs and alcohol, it’s vital to gather reliable and trustworthy information about the substance you’re using. Even if a person uses a drug once in their lifetime, or twice a year, it’s vital to know the effects of psychoactive substances on the body.
The effects of substances on you and your health
There are both the immediate and direct effects that drugs and alcohol have on your body as well as the long-term.
It’s important, to be honest when thinking about substances, what makes people use them, and what works in terms of treatment.
People drink and take drugs because they want to feel relaxed, good, euphoric, energised, and a reduction in pain or stress.
In the immediate time after ingesting a substance, the following usually takes place:
- Dilated pupils.
- Sweating.
- An increase or decrease in heart rate.
- An increase or decrease in respiration.
- Dizziness.
- Confused or unusual speech and behaviours.
Some people might appear to rush around a lot or on the other hand to be dazed. At their most risky, substances can cause unconsciousness, seizures, accidents, and death.
Of course, the effects of substances will be individual to each person’s particular health and functioning, and also influenced by the type of substance used and whether it is “cut” with other harmful matter.
The long-term effects include a serious impact on mental and physical health. There are toxins in drugs and alcohol, which the body isn’t designed to process, especially over long periods of time. This means that chronic health conditions are likely to occur.
Illnesses and diseases caused by and linked to drug and alcohol use include:
- Heart conditions and heart attack.
- Chronic illnesses in the organs.
- Malfunctioning of the organs.
- Cancer.
- Blood-borne viruses.
- Dementia.
- Psychosis.
- Depression and anxiety.
Obviously, these effects will be slightly different according to the unique impact of the individual substances and the method of ingestion.
Is recovery possible for me?
Without a doubt, yes, so long as you’re prepared to do everything it takes in order to stop using the substance. This will mean accessing rehabilitation services, being open to treatments and fully participating, staying focused on recovery and making lifestyle changes.
Rehabilitation services in Humber are the next step for you in terms of taking back your life. There are a variety of options for you and what will be most suitable will depend on the level of your addiction and what your goals are.
Rehab clinics offer the best provision in terms of standard of care, the availability of treatments, the nurturing environment and recovery outcomes.
By accessing a rehab through inpatient or outpatient services, you can begin a detox, psychological therapies, alternative therapies, and group sessions. When you enter rehab, you’ll be assessed in order for the treatment team to be able to create a tailored programme for you as an individual.
How do I get onto a rehab programme?
Call the OK Rehab team. It’s our job to ensure that people throughout the UK are comfortably and quickly placed into private clinics that match their needs.
When you contact us on 0800 326 5559, you can ask all the questions you have and we can support you to enter rehab in the Humber area.
