SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND RECOVERY

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Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is a patterned use of a drug
in which the user consumes the substance in amounts or with methods
which are harmful to themselves. It is the harmful or hazardous use of
psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs. The word
note here is harmful which sometimes also affects those close to the
abuser.

In times past, substance abuse used to be viewed as a failure due to a lack
of a moral compass. Those who abused drugs were shunned and treated
poorly. However with medical advances and more studies, it has been
found that it is a dependency disorder which, like all disorders and
illnesses, needs care and medical attention.

Although it can be argued that not all who use drugs become addicted or
abuse it, each abuser was at first an occasional or recreational user before
the deterioration. This thing about this substance is that the more you
use them, the more your brain is wired to crave them, leading to a state
where you are unable to function without having a dose or a hit of that substance.

Substance abuse comes with serious consequences such as insomnia,
loss of appetite, weight loss, heart attack, stroke, respiratory distress,
fever, depression, anxiety, mood swings, confusion, etc. This is apart from
the adverse effect it would have on your relationship with friends and
family.

There are ways of starving off, fighting or rehabilitating yourself if you
find that you are abusing a substance. This article only seek to help. It
should not be taken in place of professional medical care.

• Recognize the triggers
  The first and essential step towards recovery is to recognize those
  things that trigger the urge to use that substance. Is it work stress/
  pressure? Peer pressure? Physical pain? Mental pain? Whatever the
  causal element is, you need to find it so you can either avoid it or fix
  it. Do not view being addicted as a failure on your part. Take it in
  stride and just try to clean your act up.

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• Take note of the physical and mental health effects
  Take note of how you were before the abuse and how you are now.
  Take note of the physical changes that have occurred. Take note of
  the mental changes too. Look at your finances too. This would bring
  to the fore what you have let go, lost and are set to lose. This cannot
  be done alone and brings us to the next step, asking for help from
  friends and family.

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• Seek advice and support from others
  Much as the effect is mostly on, those who loves you are also affected
  by the abuse. Let them help you. Let them bring you back to who you
  can be without without the drug abuse. The call for help should also
  include mental professionals like doctors, therapists, drug
  counsellors. You are not alone and try as best as you can not to
  seclude yourself. This also include taking their advice, especially if
  you are asked to get admitted to a hospital or rehab facility.

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• Stop trying to escape reality
  Substance abusers tend to do so in order not to face issues present
  in their lives. The substances are escape routes from the problems in
  in their lives. This has to stop because those issues would leave of
  their own volition. This means every time you come down from that
  high, you are back to having to face the problem. This, in turn, means
  the cycle of abuse would not stop. Try and fix your issues. Face them
  squarely. Do the best you can and "let the chips fall where they may."

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• Find alternatives
  Whatever is your reason for substance abuse, be it for the thrill,
  ecstasy, etc, there are other less harmful and healthy ways of doing
  this. The internet is so full of information and the world is so big
  and full of wonders and wonderful places. Go and explore. Hike the
  mountains, go on a safari. Money should not stop you as there are
  now myriad of travel firms that, at a low rate, organise these types
  of trips. On the plus side, you get to meet new people and experience
  diverse cultures.

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How are you recovering from your substance abuse?

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Thanks for your time.
See you another time.

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