Drug addiction is a chronic disease characterized by compulsive, or inexplicably, drug use and the use of drugs despite adverse effects and changes in the brain, which can be lasting. These changes in the brain can lead to the harmful behaviors seen in people who take drugs. Drug addiction is also a chronic disease that can relapse. Relapse refers to the returning to addiction after an attempt to stop.
Meth face sores occur because people using meth often scratch and scratch their skin, which can cause tiny cuts and lesions which could develop into infections. Learn...
The path to drug addiction begins by voluntarily using substances. However, over time, a person's capacity to refuse to do so becomes compromised. To take and seek the drug becomes compulsive. It is due in part to the effects of long-term exposure to drugs on brain function. The effects of addiction affect parts of the brain that are involved in motivation and reward, learning and memory, and also in controlling behavior.
Psychoactive drugs can trigger temporary shifts in mood and behavior. Learn more about the different kinds of psychoactive substances.
It's true, but it's not easy. Because addiction is a lifelong disease, patients can't just stop using drugs for a short period of time and be cured. The majority of patients require long-term or ongoing treatment to stop using completely and to regain their lives.
As described in the Privacy Policy of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), this website utilizes cookies for a variety of purposes, including to give you customized content, analyze and evaluate the use of our website as well as to determine which advertisements lead users to the APA's website. When you close the page, continuing the navigation, or by accessing the APA's applications and websites by clicking on the link, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the conditions of the Privacy Policy. This includes using cookies. Check out our complete Privacy Policy here.
Based on research conducted by scientists since the mid-1970s. The following important principles should form the foundation of any effective treatment plan:
Substance use disorder (SUD) can be described as a complicated disease that is characterized by inexplicably high levels of use of a drug with no negative effects. People with SUD have an intense desire to use the specific substance(s) like alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs, to the point that the person's ability to perform in daily life becomes impaired. People keep using the substance even when they know they are causing or could cause issues. The most dangerous SUDs are sometimes called addictions.
A variety of services with a customized treatment plan and follow-up services is essential for successful treatment. Treatment should include both mental and medical services when needed. Follow-up care may be provided through family or community-based rehabilitation support programs.
People suffering from a substance abuse disorder may have distorted thinking and behavior. The brain's structure and function cause people to have an intense desire and shifts in their personality irregular movements, and other behaviors. Brain imaging studies show changes in the areas of the brain which are connected to judgment, decision making, learning, memory, and control of behavior.
Medications and devices can be utilized to treat withdrawal symptoms, prevent relapses and treat co-occurring disorders.
Repeated substance use can cause changes in the way the brain works. These changes can persist for quite a while after the initial effect of the drug wears off, or in other words following the time of intoxication. Intoxication is the intense pleasure, euphoria, tranquility, enhanced perception and sense, and other feelings caused by the substance. Intoxication symptoms vary for every substance.
Withdrawal. The use of medications and devices can to reduce withdrawal symptoms in detoxification. The process of detoxification is not a "treatment," but only the first step in the process. Patients who do not receive any additional treatment following detox usually resume their drug use. A study of treatment facilities revealed that medications were used in more than 80 percent of detoxifications (SAMHSA, 2014). In November 2017 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave a new approval to an electronic stimulation device, NSS-2 Bridge, to be used in aiding in the reduction of symptoms of withdrawal from opioids. The device is placed behind the ear and sends electrical signals to stimulate certain brain nerves. Also, in May 2018 FDA approved lofexidine. FDA approved lofexidine, which is a non-opioid medication designed to ease withdrawal symptoms caused by opioids.
If someone is suffering from a disorder of substance use typically, they build up tolerance to the substance, which means they need larger amounts to experience the effects.