Drug Addiction

Many people are familiar with drug addiction and its painful consequences. Not only is it bad for physical health, but also affects a person emotionally, where anxiety, depression and even suicide is not uncommon; consequences like accidents, family, financial and legal problems cannot be ignored either.

There are many drugs of abuse, which include alcohol and some prescription drugs besides the usual heroin, cocaine, marijuana (Charas), etc.

Treatment is done in two stages: first is detoxification, which is followed by long term abstinence and rehabilitation. Detoxification is usually done in a hospital setting, which takes 5-10 days. It involves discontinuing the drug, and then treating the psychological and physical withdrawal symptoms, which vary according to the drug of abuse. The second stage is much longer, where the aim is to continue abstinence and rehabilitation into practical living. This is also the stage where relapse is common.

Drug addiction treatment requires multidisciplinary team approach; the process is challenging both for the patient and the treatment team. A person’s motivation to give up the drug is one of the best predictors of a good outcome. Even though the process is challenging and success rate modest, it is worth every bit of the effort because continuous drug abuse can have disastrous results.