Substance Abuse and Addiction

A glass of red wine for dinner, going to happy hour with co-workers, taking a sleeping pill to adjust to the time difference from a company trip….For many people, drinking alcohol at moderate amounts, taking over the counter or prescription drugs as indicated are part of their normal lives.  However, more and more individuals are beginning to abuse drugs and alcohol.  And with the advent of new drugs such as “club drugs,” more people especially teens are falling victim to them.

Substance abuse is a serious social and health problem that affects millions of Americans.  And continued abuse of substances will lead to dependence or addiction.  Like other mental health illnesses, abuse or addiction is not a flaw or weakness in a person’s character; it is a disease.   It afflicts individuals across all age, gender, professional, ethnic, religious and socio-economic groups.  Its consequences include break up of families and relationships, job loss, poverty, emotional and physical abuse.  Other medical complications can also result from poor judgment, perception and physical control caused by use and abuse of drugs such as such as HIV from sharing needles, STD from unprotected sex, drunk driving and cirrhosis from alcohol, injury and even death from drunk driving. 

There are different forms of substance abuse, ranging from abuse of alcohol, over-the-counter drugs, prescription drugs, chemicals, plant products to illegal drugs.  Therefore, it is important to find out the specific problem before taking the first step to treatment.  If you think you or a loved one displays the symptoms for substance abuse and addiction, please call your doctor or a therapist for a careful diagnostic evaluation. 

Treatment can help.  Embark on your journey to better living and brighter horizons.

Alcoholism | Most Commonly Used Drugs | Stages of Substance Abuse and Dependence