How to Fight Drug Addiction

Every time the subject of drugs is brought up, you can expect things to be passionate and argumentative, if not completely combative. There are various solutions being proposed on how to handle the drug situation, up to the point of legalization. With the drug problem reaching our children, the most active combatants in this war should be the parents. How do we fight drug addiction and protect our children?

Curing Addiction

The first thing that must be tackled in fighting drug addiction is uncovering whether it can be cured. How does drug abuse start? The abuse normally begins when drug users start developing tolerance for their substance of choice.

The result? They start using higher quantities and at more frequent intervals. This is to maintain the quality of “high” that they continuously search for. With prolonged use, the body starts cultivating a chemical dependency. When does addiction begin? If we are to believe the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), it is the point where chemical dependence begins to create a strong longing for the substance.

It cannot be denied that there are successful treatment programs that have helped drug abusers to get out of the chemical dependency and curtail the vicious cycle of drug use. Although some drug users at the recovery stage may experience relapse or the urge to go back to the habit, this does not mean that curing the addiction has failed. It simply emphasizes the importance of being in the treatment program long enough to institute long-term abstinence.

The Battle at Home

 
Hundreds of movies and television shows have depicted (and at times glorified) drug use and abuse. There is no indication that this will end any time soon. Make no mistake about it though, the drug problem has gone beyond the movie screen and entered our homes.

Almost every week there are news of people, young people, using and getting hooked on drugs. This kind of danger even stares you in the face as you walk the streets. However, the most important place where this war on drug addiction should be fought is at home. Fighting drug addiction would be extremely difficult without the support of family, friends, and other members of the community.

The school and the government can only do so much. But the moment that we stop the drug problem from entering our homes, we protect our children and other members of our family; we start protecting the community.

Obviously slogans won’t work. For families that are already facing a drug problem, treatment procedures can work, but only if proper support is given to the addict. Drug addiction is a chronic disease and to ensure that it gets stopped in its tracks, a combination of solutions are involved like behavioral therapy, medication, and counseling. But in the middle of it all is the all-important presence of the family.

Keep this number in mind, 21. Why? Because according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, if children reach this age without experiencing drugs or alcohol, they will never have a problem with drug addiction.

Overcoming Drug Addiction

You can ask help to drug rehab center like towardsrecovery.com and the family also plays a vital role in the fight against drug addiction, the most important player in all of this is the drug abuser or addict himself. Why? Because without the decision to change, the commitment to rehabilitate, no treatment program (no matter how successful) will ever work.

For every person who is struggling with drug addiction, the very first step in fighting drug addiction will always be the toughest; deciding to change. Feelings of uncertainty about successfully turning one’s life around will crop up any time. External factors will challenge the conviction of the drug addict to change. So once again, the commitment to remaining sober becomes very important.

In the fight against drug addiction, it is important to realize that aside from the support and motivation, recovery will require time. It will also help if the drug addict learns how to change things in his life like:
•    Learning how to deal with stress;
•    Allowing the right people in his life;
•    Using free time wisely; and
•    Having higher self-esteem.

When you successfully combine all these ingredients together, then you create a winning formula on how to fight drug addiction.