Substance abuse refers to the harmful use of psycho active and addictive substances, including alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, stimulants, inhalants and illicit drugs. Substance abuse can lead to dependence syndrome – a cluster of behavioral, cognitive and physiological phenomena that develops after repeated substance use which induces a strong desire to take the substance frequently. The affected person experiences difficulties in controlling the desire to use these substances and starts giving more priority in procuring and using them rather than discharging his duties and day to day activities.
It is very difficult to diagnose a substance abuse problem and a co-occurring mental health disorder such as depression or anxiety disorder. It will take detailed analysis to sort it out but the correlation between a mental health disorder and substance abuse is very obvious. As per various researches about 50% of people with some sort of mental problem/ disorder are also affected by substance abuse.
Reasons for Substance Abuse
It is very difficult to pinpoint why people start substance abuse. It could be due to stress or it could be due to lack of will power, it could be for fun or it could even be due to pure simple boredom. But the fact is that when affected persons start realizing the ramifications, it’s often too late. But basically the reasons for substance abuse can be attributed to :
- Existence of any diagnosed mental condition
- Stressful home environment/ domestic problems
- Victim of child abuse
- Poor social coping skills
- Failure in job environment, exams, schools
- Association with a peer group or peer group pressure
- Lack of parental love/ care/ guidance ( in case of children)
- Physical inactivity, lack of hobbies etc.
Symptoms
- When you feel the need to cut down on drinking/ smoking or drug use, but have no control over it.
- When your friends and family members start expressing concern
- When you feel embarrassed and start hiding the intensity of the problem
- When your smoking/ alcohol / drug abuse starts interfering with your work
- When it leads to frequent quarrels or relationship problems at home
- When you start feeling depressed and is unable to carry out your day to day activities without consumption of tobacco/ alcohol or drugs.
When to seek treatment
It is imperative to seek treatment if you are a victim of drug abuse. You need to seek medical help when you feel that you have no control over you intake of substances and that your body craves for it to be in a normal state of being.
Treatment and care
Medication and Behavioral therapy are the main methods of treatment adopted to address substance abuse.When a person has both a mental disorder and the problem of substance abuse, both have to be addressed simultaneously. The effective treatment needs to be based on the multiple needs of the individual. The treatment of substance abuse is a lifelong process as there is always a fear of relapse. The treatment usually begins with counseling and detoxification. A detailed care plan with customized treatment needs to be worked out which addresses all aspects of the patients life including family history, mental health conditions etc. Dealing with withdrawal symptoms and relapse prevention are important aspects of treatment and care.
