Addiction is a unique and non-discriminatory condition which can have life-threatening consequences in the situations where it is not recognised and treated appropriately.
When an individual is struggling with addiction, seeking addiction recovery services is essential, including finding suitable drug and alcohol rehabilitation and other rehabilitative services, including those that are unique, specialised, and directly tailored to each individual’s addiction recovery needs.
By attending addiction recovery that is suitable for the specific individual, these people are far more likely to overcome the impacts of their addiction and, although addiction itself is never completely curable, they will learn coping mechanisms to maintain their sobriety long into the future.
This web page will cover addiction in more detail, as well as describing how the modern world, in terms of technology and related forms of support, can bolster an individual’s recovery process and make for effective and long-term changes.
The dangers of addiction
As mentioned in the introduction, addiction is a unique disorder and affects individuals, accordingly, meaning that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to care and rehabilitation is instead considered and recommended depending on each specific case.
Depending on the substance that an individual is addicted to, as well as many other individual and unique factors, individuals will experience a range of different effects of addiction, ranging from mild irregular discomfort to life-threatening health risks.
The following two subheadings outline some of the common effects of addiction, separated into physical health impacts and those that impact mental health.
1. Physical health effects
Different substances have different impacts on the body, and these impacts are even more distinct when considering whether a substance is physically addictive or not.
When a substance is physically addictive, it means that the individual’s body will have unique responses to the substance within the body, often leading to distinct interactions and involvement with everyday processing.
This means that when an individual is attempting to withdraw from a substance, they will have greater impacts to their health due to the way in which they have become reliant on the presence of the substance within their body.
Physical dependence is heavily linked to neurophysiological factors (1), and more research is needed to truly understand the impact of these substances, both in terms of long-term health risks, but also to the short-term effects that an individual may experience.
2. Mental health effects
When self-reporting, most individuals struggling with a substance use disorder (an addiction) will also report the presence of mental health issues (2).
When considering rehabilitation and addiction recovery options, it is always recommended that individuals seek out support with a dual diagnosis approach.
Despite the name, this approach to care ensures that all mental health effects of addiction are paid attention to and treated accordingly. With addiction, mental health issues commonly co-occur, including common mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, though many more specific mental health issues are also often reported.
Modern sources of support for addiction recovery
In the modern world, we are mostly very fortunate in terms of the access to support and advice that we have.
This means that most individuals are able to access some form of addiction recovery support, including advice, next steps, and further information on their addiction with relative ease.
Though this can be dangerous with the consideration of false information and fake news surrounding addiction ‘breakthroughs’, the amount of valid and useful information is still highly beneficial if the individuals are aware of where to look.
The following three suggestions for sources of online support highlight some key places in which individuals can access support that is tailored for them and can be beneficial in their future rehabilitation journey.
1. Addiction support apps
On most smartphones these days, individuals have access to some form of app store through which there are many different apps that offer support for individuals struggling with addiction and those looking for addiction recovery options.
Though app stores can be risky due to any individual’s ability to publish a new app, individuals will always be able to see the publisher of the app, often giving a good indication of who owns the app and whether or not it is trustworthy.
Through addiction support apps, individuals may be able to partake in daily therapy activities through their phone, as well as being able to access motivational content and interact with apps to encourage ongoing sobriety, for example.
2. Telehealth for addiction
Telehealth refers to the distribution of health-related information through technology including smartphones, laptops/computers, and other forms of technological communication.
This allows medical professionals to directly contact individuals who may be struggling with specific disorders such as addiction and offer advice direct to their smartphone, without the need to leave the house or communicate in person – something which can often lead to waiting lists or delayed care through other health service providers.
3. Online support for addiction
More generally than specific apps or telehealth service providers, individuals are generally able to access a huge range of online support services.
This could include group chat sessions in which individuals with similar experiences share their learnings and useful coping techniques. Group therapy is very beneficial in the field of addiction, even if it is not in a face-to-face situation.
In all cases, caution should be taken when engaging with online support services as some may be considered to be scams and others may take advantage of some individuals. Checking the sources of these online support systems should always be carried out to ensure the validity and trustworthiness of these services.
The process of rehabilitation in the modern world
To ensure an effective and efficient recovery process, rehabilitation is generally conducted across three key stages: detoxification, therapy/treatment, and aftercare.
Though supervision and in-person support is always recommended for the detox stage of recovery, the other stages of recovery may benefit greatly from the additional presence of online support and modern addiction treatment advances.
Aftercare especially can benefit from modern advances in addiction support due to the constant presence of these support services, meaning that the individual can participate in these activities at any time and whenever they may be needed.
Starting an addiction recovery for you or someone you know
To start accessing rehabilitation and drug addiction recovery services, individuals can contact their local health services, as well as via addiction referral services that are specialised to matching individuals to their most suitable rehabilitation programme.
However, if an individual feels as though their health or the health of someone they know may be at risk due to their addiction or the addiction of another then emergency support should always be sought, either through emergency services or emergency addiction support.
References
[1] Lyvers, M., 1998. Drug addiction as a physical disease: the role of physical dependence and other chronic drug-induced neurophysiological changes in compulsive drug self-administration. Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology, 6(1), p.107.
[2] Carroll, J.F. and McGinley, J.J., 2001. A screening form for identifying mental health problems in alcohol/other drug dependent persons. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 19(4), pp.33-47.