Chemical dependency and addiction are both concerned with the physical and psychological aspects of the person. With addiction, the body stands the substance taken thus building the body desire for more. This in turn would disturb the usual functioning of the person’s everyday habit, as well as destroy relationships with family and friends. Addiction is not just an illness. It is considered a serious problem in society today. Many people in all walks of life have been victims of drug dependency and addiction. One of the most vulnerable groups to get affected with drug addiction is the youth.
The danger with chemical dependency and addiction is that not only does it greatly harm the body, it also allows the person to do such irrational and dangerous behaviors, such as committing crimes, hurting loved ones, and even trying to fly from on top of a 23-storey building. As long as the person is under the euphoric influence of drugs, he or she would not be aware and conscious of his or her actions. Chemical dependency and addiction destroys the body system as well. Many reported cases of heart attacks have been associated with drug overdose.
The victims of drug dependency and addiction has a great deal to suffer that is why quite a few treatment and rehabilitation programs have been created to aid such victims. These patients are provided with medical treatment as well as cognitive-behavioral therapies. One of the problems that will come out from dependency and addiction treatment is the problem of withdrawal. There would really come a time when the patient elicits symptoms suggesting a desire for that certain drug that he or she had been addicted to. Thus, medical treatment would agree to the prescription of other less addictive drugs as a replacement to the original addictive. Moreover, the problem of addiction and dependency do not stop with the elimination of the drug intake. The treatment goes a long way as educating the patient a life free from drugs. Other treatment programs include opening of old wounds that might have caused for the addiction.
There are cases wherein drug dependency was associated with physical and sexual abuse during childhood. When people couldn’t seem to take care of such stressful events, they are likely to resort to definite behaviors that may allow them to get away the mere thought of the undesirable experience, which is craving for the euphoric feeling given by drugs.
People with drug dependency problems find it very hard to live without the drug they are addicted to. They think that they would soon die if not having taken the drug. But all these are just thoughts in their minds. They just feel they can’t live but actually they can. The danger is, the mind takes control over the body and thus the body tends to pursue what the mind is saying and feeling. That is why several treatment institutions focus their program in cognitive-behavioral therapies. With this therapy, patients are taught and encouraged to think more positively and less negatively about their selves and their situation. They are also made aware that they can live without drugs and that life is better without them.
In chemical dependency and addiction treatment, the primary cause of the addiction should be the very main concern. That main cause should be uprooted so as to allow a continuous healing and recovery. Moreover, the care and love of family and friends are as potent as the medical and psychological treatments. In the outside world, these people should be taken cared of with love and care as they reach full recovery. They should be endlessly encouraged to fight and go on living despite their hideous past. Families and friends should be there to give them the second chance they seek.
Chemical dependency can lead to the deterioration of one’s body that is why addiction treatments has been on the rise