Drug addiction is a chronic disease characterized by compulsive, or uncontrollable, drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences and changes in the brain, which can be long-lasting. These changes in the brain can lead to the harmful behaviors seen in people who use drugs.
Drug addiction can be treated but people can’t simply stop using drugs for a few days and be cured. Most patients need long-term or repeated care to stop using completely and recover their lives.
Addiction treatment must help the person do the following:
- stop using drugs.
- stay drug-free.
- be productive in the family, at work, and in society.
Drug Related Harm in the body :-
- Harm to organs and systems in your body, such as your throat, stomach, lungs, liver, pancreas, heart, brain, nervous system
- Cancer (such as lung cancer from inhaling drugs)
- Infectious disease, from shared injecting equipment and increased incidence of risk-taking behaviors
- Harm to your baby, if you are pregnant
- Acne, or skin lesions if the drug you are taking causes you to pick or scratch at your skin
- Needle marks and collapsed veins, if you inject regularly
- Baldness
- Male pattern hair growth in women, such as facial hair
What are treatments for drug addiction?
There are many options that have been successful in treating drug addiction, including:
- Behavioral counseling.
- Medication.
- Medical devices and applications used to treat withdrawal symptoms or deliver skills training.