Kentucky Drug Rehab Information

Addiction is a chronic, relapsing condition, characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and drug use which is accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain. In addition to being addicted to methamphetamine, chronic methamphetamine abusers exhibit symptoms that can include violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They also can display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions. The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts. With chronic use, tolerance for methamphetamine can develop. Users may take higher doses of the drug, take it more frequently, or change their method of drug intake. In some cases, abusers forego food and sleep while injecting as much as a gram of the drug every 2 to 3 hours over several days until the user runs out of the drug or is too disorganized to continue. Chronic abuse can lead to psychotic behavior, characterized by intense paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and out-of-control rages that can be coupled with extremely violent behavior.

Three of the drug effects in any type of addiction that must be fully resolved for any chance of lasting recovery are cravings, guilt, and depression. Cravings can be mental or physical and are strong, uncontrollable urges to use drugs or alcohol despite the consequences. Depression is the source of constant and significant amounts of discomfort that prompts continued drug use in an attempt to alleviate the depression. Guilt is the feelings resulting from dishonest deeds and harm caused to the people closest to and most important to the addict. With unresolved feelings of guilt the addict is very prone and quite likely to continue using drugs or relapse to drug use in a misguided attempt to escape the feeling of guilt. In what seems an endless cycles this goes on and on with the addiction and the cravings, guilt, and depression going in a downward spiral towards death or jail.

When researching drug rehab programs what substance abuse services should one be looking for. We suggest you look for a drug free withdrawal and detoxification process to thoroughly rid the body of drugs and toxins. With a detox such as that at Narconon Arrowhead cravings often come to and end. One should also look for a full handling of the feelings of guilt and depression as these are key factors in continued drug use as well as relapse after treatment. Vastly increased success rates are occurring with more long term residential treatment plans due to the strength of the drugs currently being used and the increasing trend towards multiple drugs of abuse.

Prescription drug addiction generally occurs with those medications which suppress pain of a physical or emotional nature. Painkillers suppress physical pain and many are taken at levels exceeding recommended dosages and tolerance builds up fast, abuse then continues in an attempt to handle the pain, or just out of fear of future pain. Medications such as anti-depressants are designed to suppress various forms of mental stress or duress. Abuse of these is similar to painkillers in that dosages are exceeded and tolerance builds leading to more and more of the drug needed in an attempt to maintain emotional balance. Prescription drug addiction in both these cases results from trying to mask the symptoms rather than treating and resolving the underlying causes of the physical or emotional pain.