In a poll conducted by HBO, USA Today, and The Gallup Organization in May 2006, respondents were asked if they believed addiction to be an illness. Choose the ibogaine for sale.
About three-quarters of American individuals with a close relative struggling with addiction agree that it is an illness.
Whether or not you agree, in 1785, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the army physician for George Washington, recognized alcoholism as a disease.
According to Rush’s widely read essay “the effects of ardent spirits,” excessive drinking is both an illness and an addiction.
While the debate over whether or not to treat addiction like a chronic disease continues to rage on, there can be little doubt that doing so would benefit both the addict and the people who work to help them.
There are widespread misconceptions about addiction treatment that impede addicts’ ability to get help as quickly as needed.
Despite the negative connotations and value judgments people have about it, addiction shares many characteristics with other chronic diseases.
Therapy adherence and relapse rates are comparable between addiction and many other conditions, dispelling the myth that addiction therapy is doomed to failure due to the disease’s rebellious nature.
Adherence to a specified treatment plan is challenging for patients with chronic illnesses, despite being one of the best indications of treatment success. However, according to the data, it is possible to treat addiction successfully and is often more successful than treating other chronic disorders.
Fifty percent of diabetics need to be treated again within a year of diagnosis and initial treatment because they did not follow the treatment plan. The prevalence of other chronic diseases is similarly high, statistically.
While only approximately 30% of those with asthma use their inhalers as directed, 40% of those with hypertension will require emergency care for extremely high blood pressure episodes. In addition, drug abusers frequently relapse throughout treatment and rehabilitation and resume drug use, even though addiction therapy is statistically more successful than treatment for other chronic disorders.
The stress of a chronic illness and the difficulties of sticking to a treatment plan are examples of how challenging it may be to alter people’s habits.
Is Addiction a Disease of Involuntary Choice?
It has been said that addicts bring their problems upon themselves. Although the decision to try anything new is ultimately one’s own, exploring one’s boundaries is integral to maturing.
When it comes to ‘regular’ alcohol or drug consumption, there is no way to know who will become addicted. Young people are influenced by peer pressure and the ease of drug access, although not everyone exposed to any of these variables becomes an addiction. Furthermore, drug usage becomes involuntary and compulsive once dependence has set in.
Some believe genetics play a role in why people use drugs for the first time; nevertheless, those with positive reactions to substances are more inclined to use them repeatedly until the addictive cycle begins. The onset of the addictive process differs amongst drugs, making it more dangerous for young people to try drugs because we can’t predict who will become addicted.
Unfortunately, an alcoholic or drug addict can’t exercise adequate self-control over their substance use because of abnormalities in brain pathways that persist even after substance misuse has stopped.
Many factors play a significant role in determining whether or not an alcoholic or drug addict will continue to drink or use. However, the field of medicine has come a long way in recent years, and we now have a better understanding of what causes people to start abusing substances in the first place and what keeps them beating even when they realize the risks.
Addiction has fewer treatment options and fewer favorable patient outcomes than other chronic disorders. The impact of conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and asthma on their sufferers is affected by variables outside their control. Those that are addicted are in the same boat.
The degree to which the condition manifests itself is affected by environmental and lifestyle factors such as parental style, family stress, and lifestyle choices, including diet and physical activity. Everyone has a friend or family member who has tried and failed to lose weight because of their poor diet and lack of exercise.
People who don’t exercise frequently and eat poorly have a higher chance of heart disease, yet when one of these people has a heart attack, we don’t scold them for their choices but instead do everything we can to aid in their recovery.
Individual decisions significantly influence the development and progression of these conditions.
Treatment for these conditions must be ongoing. Unfortunately, most mental health issues are treated medically rather than cured.
Management of addiction and alleviation of symptoms is a realistic objective, even though the road to recovery can be riddled with failure due to the influencing variables and the high risk of relapse in addiction.
Effective Methods for Treating Addiction
The following three factors significantly improve after successful treatment:
Reduced risk to public health and safety; improved individual health and social functioning; decreased drug and alcohol consumption.
Some medications and social groups appear to have more favorable outcomes in addiction therapy than others. Opiate addicts with higher levels of education and employment tend to fare better than those with lower education and unemployment, even when treating the addiction with lower doses of the drug.
Saving money is another positive outcome of addiction therapy. However, both the monetary and social costs of addiction are frightening.
Although the upfront investment in treatment may appear high compared to the potential long-term savings, the investment is more than justified when considering the enhanced quality of life for the addict and their loved ones. It’s vital to function normally and contribute to one’s community again.
Medication-assisted treatment for addiction is often more effective. With the help of medication, the unpleasant effects of withdrawal can be mitigated or eliminated. Then, like a person with diabetes on insulin or a hypertensive on beta-blockers, the addict can go about their daily lives unimpeded.
Therapy compliance is crucial to the success of addiction therapy. Educational programs, counseling, and medicine all work together to aid rehabilitation.
Addicts often fail to complete their treatment programs and relapse for many reasons, including their financial level and the absence of family or social support.
In the same way that many alcoholics and drug addicts fail to adhere to their treatment or make the necessary life changes for a successful recovery, many patients with more common and socially acceptable illnesses, such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma (all of which require continued care throughout the patient’s life for treatment to be successful), also fail to do so.
Addiction treatment benefits from being organized around the patient’s chronic illness. Addiction may not quite fit the definition of a disease. Addiction to alcohol and other drugs is becoming recognized as an illness, supported by both scientific research and anecdotal evidence from those in recovery for decades.
Read also: The Way Swimmers Can Achieve Optimal Diet
