Drug Addiction Support

Drug use and addiction is a common problem in the UK. When a person becomes reliant on addictive drugs, their mind and body changes to accommodate the substance. This leads to a cycle of addiction that means drug abuse persists as a substance use disorder – a treatable mental health problem that affects a person’s ability to control the amount of substance they take. Drug addictions can seriously affect drug users in terms of their social, work, and personal life, leading to poor health and damaged relationships, and, in the worst cases, can even be life threatening.

If you or a loved one need treatment for drug addiction – no matter the substance – then our drug treatment centre in Spain can help with a personalised rehabilitation programme designed specifically for the individual struggling with drug use.

What Is Drug Addiction?

Drug addiction is defined as repeatedly taking a substance despite negative consequences. It’s a type of behavioural addiction that forces relapse over and over if not treated.

Drug addiction is incredibly serious and can have huge effects on a person’s life. Where drug misuse is excessive, it can even become life threatening.

A drug addiction is often commonly associated with illegal substances, but drug addicts can be addicted to a range of drugs, including perfectly legal ones such as prescription medication prescribed by doctors, pharmacists, or bought in shops. We’ll list some of the most common drugs that can become addictive for certain individuals in certain circumstances below.

drug addiction rehab

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Common Illegal Drugs

Any drug can become addictive if it activates the brain’s reward system in a certain way or it offers some relief for users from negative thoughts and emotions, but it’s often illicit drugs that are associated with addiction.

Some examples of common drugs that we often treat at our facility include:

and more.

Legal drug addiction begins a lot more discreetly than other drug addictions because it’s easy to access legal drugs and that can be incredibly dangerous if the drug addiction is building in secret. Some key examples of drugs that you can access through the NHS or over the counter that can become addictive include:

  • Codeine
  • Pain relief such as paracetamol and ibuprofen
  • Cough and cold medicine
  • Diet pills and laxatives
  • Caffeine pills

and more.

Why Do Drugs Become Addictive To Some And Not Others?

It’s true, however, that many people take drugs recreationally and don’t become addicted to drugs in the same way others might. There are a range of risk factors involved, but two key issues associated with drug addiction are a person’s biological makeup and mental health condition.

Biology & Drug Addiction

Taking drugs can often affect a brain chemical called dopamine, which is associated with lowering of inhibition and improving mood. Other brain chemical systems are also activated when you misuse drugs and misuse alcohol, for example, and all of them have immediate positive effects on how an individual feels – at least initially.

As those brain chemicals correct themselves, an individual can often ‘crash’ feeling lower than they did before taking drugs in the first place. Research shows that for some individuals, their biological makeup can actually have an influence on whether that person can take drugs recreationally without becoming addicted or not.

Some become addicted to drugs because their brain chemicals have a much larger impact on them than it does on others. The combination of the drug and their own biological makeup creates a powerful cocktail of highs and lows, which can push an individual further into addiction.

Mental Health Problems & Addiction

Another key factor that is attributed to addiction is mental health problems, with many individuals making use of mental health services also suffering from drug addiction, the two have been long linked together.

The issue researchers have is distinguishing if one causes the other, or if the two are just highly related and likely to co-occur if one comes first.

Either way there are a range of mental disorders and conditions that can make a person more likely to abuse drugs and become addicted to them. A mental health professional at our residential rehab centre can help identify any mental health problem you might be facing that can drive you towards illicit drug use. Some examples include:

  • anxiety
  • depression
  • post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • mood disorders
  • impulse control disorders

and many more besides.

A range of mental health conditions have been linked to drug addiction and often tackling this can be a key part of treating the addiction.

Symptoms Of Drug Addiction

An ecstasy addiction will look different from a cannabis addiction, from a cocaine addiction, from a codeine addiction… but all will have common signs and symptoms that can point to a drug addiction in yourself or a loved one.

Generally, symptoms of drug addiction can be categorised into personal and social symptoms.

Personal Symptoms Of Drug Addiction

  • Feeling a compulsion to use the drug frequently
  • Only being able to focus on taking the drug if you haven’t had it for a while
  • Needing more of the drug to achieve the same results
  • Taking more and more drugs
  • Financial consequences due to excessive drug use
  • Continuing to take the drug despite knowing the negative consequences you’re facing
  • Stealing to fund your drug use
  • Taking part in risky activities whilst under the influence
  • Trying to stop the drug taking and failing
  • Experience extreme withdrawal symptoms when stopping
  • Weight loss
  • Red eyes
  • Lack of energy
  • Fast heart rate
  • Experienced drug overdoses
  • Neglecting the way you look

Social Symptoms Of Drug Addiction

  • Not meeting social and work obligations
  • Missing school or work
  • Rejecting friends and family who don’t take drugs
  • Suddenly becoming disinterested in social events
  • Drop in school or work performance
  • Drastic changes in behaviour
  • Requesting money from others more and more to fund drug taking

There are plenty of other symptoms and signs of drug addiction which can all be found on trusted websites such as the NHS (UK) or NIDA – National Institute on Drug Abuse (USA). If you recognise any of the above signs in yourself or others then contact our residential rehab centre in Spain today.

Risks Associated With Drug Addiction

If you’ve been struggling with a drug addiction for a while, then it’s important to point out the health risks you are facing, not so scare you, but to ensure you understand the reality of your addiction.

Long term drug addiction can lead to an increased risk of high blood pressure, chest pain, brain changes, and even death in the worst cases.

Finding a treatment plan that works for you and allows you to address your drug addiction is really important, so why not speak to our team at InnerLife Recovery today to find out how we can help?

Drug Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms

There are a range of withdrawal symptoms associated with drug addiction, many of which can be so severe that an individual feels there is no other option but to continue taking drugs to relieve the withdrawal. With proper, managed withdrawal there is another way, but first let’s look at what some of those withdrawal symptoms are that can be faced after you stop taking drugs.

Less Severe Symptoms

  • restlessness/an inability to sleep
  • irritability
  • mood swings
  • hallucinations
  • nausea and vomiting
  • intense cravings for the drug
  • aches and pains
  • cramps
  • diarrhoea
  • intense sweating
  • the shakes
  • depression
  • anxiety

Whilst the above can be severe symptoms, these are often associated with short term drug taking, or where an individual’s addiction hasn’t led them to using a huge amount of drugs. If you’ve been taking drugs for years without relenting, then the more severe symptoms below might be something you experience.

More Severe Symptoms

  • confusion and paranoia
  • intense tremors
  • disorientation and dissociation
  • seizures

These can be managed effectively with health care providers and medical professionals who are used to supporting individuals through withdrawal from drugs and alcohol.

Can Drug Addiction Be Treated?

Yes, there are multiple ways an individual can treat their drug addiction. Often, when individuals finally come to our team at InnerLife to try our approach to drug addiction treatment, they’ve usually already tried the NHS approach.

This treatment plan can be effective for many people, which is why it’s so good at supporting those suffering with a drug addiction in the UK. But it’s also true that the treatment plan doesn’t work for everybody and they will require a different approach.

You can compare our approach with the NHS’ below.

The NHS Approach

The NHS focuses on treating drug addiction using two key approaches. The first is using medication to control your withdrawal and detox safely, and may involve switching the drug you usually abuse with a safer alternative such as methadone.

This first stage will be carefully monitored to ensure that you don’t experience severe withdrawal symptoms, but over time the methadone will be reduced safely to ensure you don’t replace one addiction with another.

Whilst the drug replacement approach is ongoing, you’ll also be offered talking therapies to support you with tackling the route cause of your drug addiction. This is usually cognitive behavioural therapy, which looks at the thoughts and emotions behind your drug use behaviour, and allows you to find new coping strategies to deal with them that don’t lead to you engaging in drug use.

This approach is a strong one, and will work for many people who engage in it. But for some, more may be required to ensure a successful recovery from long term addiction.

InnerLife Recovery’s Approach

In the United Kingdom, dInnerLife Recovery takes a slightly different approach to the NHS, whilst using the very best of what they offer, too. Here’s our 5 step approach to tackling drug addiction:

Controlled Detox

The first step, as with the NHS, is to undergo medical intervention. Here, medical care will usually involve a controlled detox from the drug which helps you monitor and respond to any withdrawal symptoms you may face appropriately.

Detox with us could involve nad+ therapy using an IV, which can detoxify harmful substances such as drugs and essentially flush your system, resetting your body to give you a clean slate to start working from.

Personalised Treatment Plan

From there, a member of our team will sit with you to create an individualised plan that’s bespoke to you. We’ll listen to what’s worked for you in the past and what hasn’t and then hear more about the sort of activities you enjoy, to see if we can help engage you in other activities besides simply talking about your addiction and taking addiction medicine whilst you’re with us.

We want to make your recovery experience as unique to you as possible, to ensure the best chance of recovery.

Talking Therapies

Talking therapies have to be a part of your recovery, because they’re the most effective way to deal with the emotions and thoughts behind your drug taking behaviour. Essentially if you want to cut the addiction off at the root cause, then talking therapies is a strong way of tackling that.

The first type of therapy we offer is individual therapy. Here, you sit one on one with a licensed therapist and discuss your experience of drug addiction, looking at how it developed, why it continues, and what other coping strategies you can use to deal with negative thoughts and emotions that may be drawing you back to the drug.

Another key prong in our attack on drug addiction is group therapy. By sitting with others who are going through similar addictions to you, you can access multiple support groups. Sharing your experience of what you’ve been struggling with and what you’ve found to be helpful can be a really great way of cementing your experience. By working closely with others, you’ll also find people you can connect with and share with and hold each other accountable.

The combination of both individual and group therapies can be incredibly effective in treating the root of drug addiction.

Holistic Approach

But our approach doesn’t just stop there, as it often will on the NHS. We also recognise the importance of treating the whole individual and connecting them with activities that can give them an outlet for thoughts and emotions that might otherwise be masked with drug use.

These more holistic activities could be anything from art therapy and breathing exercises to personal training and spiritual counselling. We have a range of excellent activities on offer at our rehab centre, all of which are led by trained professionals who will understand your position and know how to support you through your addiction whilst engaging in these more holistic activities.

After Care Support

And finally, our treatment packages all include after care support when you leave our rehabilitation facility. This support is put in place to help you adjust back to normal life again. Whilst you stay with us at our facility in Spain, you’re often not surrounded by triggers that might usually drive you to seeking out a drug. When you return home, this can be a difficult test. Know that we’re a great support system to lean on if you find yourself in this situation.

Contact InnerLife Recovery Today

If you or a loved one are facing a drug addiction that you can’t beat, choose InnerLife Recovery today. We do all we can to support individuals facing a drug addiction and help them back on the road to recovery.

With our residential rehab programme, individualised treatment plans and holistic approach, we have a high success rate, and we even offer after care support as standard.

Contact us and find out how we can help you today.