Seeking the help of an alcohol or drug rehab facility is a big decision, but should be an easy one for anyone suffering from an addiction or substance abuse problem. There are many causes and contributing factors to the disease of addiction.
Destination Hope recognizes these causes and be able to treat each case accordingly. Understanding the underlying factors that led to a person’s addiction is extremely important so that a treatment program can be individualized to address them, improving a person’s chance for sustained recovery.
Genetic predisposition and environment are two factors that can play a tremendous role in addiction.
Genetics & The Biology Of Addiction
Addiction is considered a disease because it has real biological effects on the body. Once addicted, the brain and body can gain a physiological need for the addictive substance. Regardless of the way an addiction is started, the continuous drug or alcohol abuse leads the body to develop a physical dependency and increased tolerance in order to achieve the same euphoric high.
People take drugs for a variety of reasons. Some start because of a legitimate medical problem, some use them as coping mechanisms for life stressors. For those who have become physically reliant on a drug or alcohol, detox is required in most cases before checking into a drug rehab center in Florida.
Detox for substance abuse is a process that allows the patient to flush the drugs and toxins from their system so that their bodies can begin to readjust back to normal. Often times it involves medication that can minimize the harmful effects of withdrawal in a medically supervised environment.
Some people have a predisposition to addiction, whereas others may be less likely to become addicted when using the same amount of drugs or alcohol. Much like other diseases such as cancer or diabetes, addiction has genetic factors as well.
The American Psychological Association states that at least 50 percent of a person’s likelihood to become substance-addicted stems from genetic factors. Genetics can also create biological differences, for example, the rate at which a person metabolizes a drug.
Environmental Factors
There are many factors in a person’s environment both past and present that must be dealt with at a drug rehab in Florida as well. Children that grow up in dysfunctional households in which the parents or someone else abuses drugs or alcohol are far more likely to become addicts themselves. Often it is learned from seeing it and other times it is a form of self-medication to treat the traumas that they experienced in the household.
The age that a person tries a drug or alcohol is also a factor. Studies show that the younger a person is when they try a drug or drink alcohol, the more likely they are to become addicts.
Another environmental factor is trauma and abuse. If a person experiences trauma, sexual, physical, or emotional abuse as a child or as an adult, it can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder.
This commonly involves difficulty coping with life’s daily stressors, and feelings of overwhelming fear and anxiety. The inability to cope can lead to self-medicating tactics including drug and alcohol addiction or other obsessive or isolative behaviors.
Understanding the causes of addiction can help prevent it, but it can also help a rehab treatment center provide the right treatment for the patient. Getting the help of a drug rehab in Florida like Destination Hope that is equipped and prepared to deal with these issues is an important step in deconstructing the problem and getting help with treatment.
Counseling and the right medical treatments can help a person overcome their addiction and avoid relapse so that they can enjoy a life of recovery.
