FAQ Section

Do you have questions about addiction and other mental illnesses? Find the answers you seek

1. Why do drug-addicted persons keep using Drugs

Most addicted individuals believe that they can stop using drugs on their own, and most try to stop without treatment. Although some people are successful, many attempts result in failure to achieve long-term abstinence. Research has shown that long-term drug abuse results in changes in the brain that persist long after a person stops using drugs. These drug-induced changes in brain function can have many behavioral consequences, including an inability to exert control over the impulse to use drugs despite adverse consequences.

2. What is drug addiction treatment?

The goal of treatment is to help people transition back to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and community. According to research that tracks individuals in treatment over extended periods, most people who get into and remain in treatment stop using drugs, decrease their criminal activity, and improve their occupational, social, and psychological functioning. However, individual treatment outcomes depend on but not limited to the extent and nature of the patient’s problems, appropriateness of treatment and related services used to address those problems and the quality of the chronic nature of the disease. This means that relapsing to drug abuse is not only possible but also likely, with symptom recurrence rates similar to those for other well-characterized chronic medical illnesses—such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma interaction between the patient and his or her treatment.

3. How effective is drug addiction treatment?

The goal of treatment is to return people to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and community. According to research that tracks individuals in treatment over extended periods, most people who get into and remain in treatment stop using drugs, decrease their criminal activity, and improve their occupational, social, and psychological functioning However, individual treatment outcomes depend on the extent and nature of the patient’s problems, the appropriateness of treatment and related services used to address those problems, and the quality of the chronic nature of the disease means that relapsing to drug abuse is not only possible but also likely, with symptom recurrence rates similar to those for other well-characterized chronic medical illnesses—such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma interaction between the patient and his or her treatment.

4. What are the physical signs of abuse or addiction?

The physical signs of abuse or addiction can vary depending on the person and the drug being abused. For example, someone who abuses marijuana may have a chronic cough or worsening of asthmatic symptoms. Each drug has short-term and long-term physical effects. Stimulants like cocaine increase heart rate and blood pressure, whereas opioids like heroin may slow the heart rate and reduce respiration. Alcohol increase psych.

5. How quickly can I become addicted to a drug?

There is no easy answer to this common question. If and how quickly you become addicted to a drug depends on many factors, including your biology (your genes, for example), age, gender, environment, and interactions among these factors. Vast differences characterize individual sensitivity to various drugs and to addiction vulnerability. While one person may use a drug one or many times and suffer no ill effects, another person may overdose with first use, or become addicted after a few uses. There is no way of knowing in advance how quickly you will become addicted—but there are some clues, one important one being whether you have a family history of addiction.

6. How do I know if someone is addicted to drugs?

If a person is compulsively seeking and using a drug(s) despite negative consequences, such as loss of job, debt, family problems, or physical problems brought on by drug abuse, then he or she probably is addicted. And while people who are addicted may believe they can stop any time, most often they cannot, and will need professional help—first to determine if they in fact are addicted, and then to obtain drug abuse treatment. Support from friends and family can be critical in getting people into treatment and helping them.

7. If a pregnant woman abuses drugs, does it affect the Fetus?

Many substances including alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs of abuse can have negative effects on the developing fetus because they are transferred to the fetus across the placenta. For example, nicotine has been connected with premature birth and low birth weight as has the use of cocaine. Heroin exposure results in dependence in the newborn, requiring treatment for withdrawal symptoms. It is often difficult to tease apart the confluence of factors that go with drug abuse during pregnancy—poor nutrition, inadequate prenatal care, stress, and psychiatric co-morbidities—all of which may impact fetal development.

8. What is detoxification, or detox?

Detoxification is the process of allowing the body to rid itself of a drug while managing the symptoms of withdrawal. It is often the first step in a drug treatment program and should be followed by treatment with a behavioral-based therapy and/or a medication, if available. Detox alone with no follow-up is not treatment.

9. What is withdrawal? How long does it last?

Withdrawal describes the various symptoms that occur after long-term use of a drug is reduced or stopped abruptly. Length of withdrawal and symptoms vary with the type of drug. For example, physical symptoms of heroin withdrawal may include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, and cold flashes. These physical symptoms may last for several days, but the general depression, or dysphoria (opposite of euphoria), that often accompanies heroin withdrawal may last for weeks. In many cases, withdrawal can be easily treated with medications to ease the symptoms.

10. What family services are available?

The Retreat rehabilitation centre offers individual family therapy, multi family group therapy and educational services designed to help the people closest to the client. Understanding their disease, increasing communication and planning for the clients’ transition back home are common focuses for these services.

11. How do I approach a loved one to get help?

Approaching your loved one about their alcohol or drug use isnʼt easy. The thought of having the conversation may feel you with fear and anxiety. However, the earlier someone is approached about their substance use, the better. Approaching your loved one in a positive manner rather than a judgmental way is critical. Tell them you have their best interests in mind and come from a supportive place. Give them examples of what you are seeing and how their drug or alcohol use is affecting you. Remember, once alcohol or drug use goes from casual to abuse or dependence, the substance can become as powerful as a humanʼs need for food and water. Unawareness of the severity of the illness by the affected individual.

12. What can I do if my loved one doesn’t listen?

Gather family and friends together and approach your loved one from a group perspective, otherwise known as an intervention. Coming from a caring, no confrontational, supportive place is key. Outline what each person will say before you approach your loved one. This may seem daunting; therefore, Retreat centre can refer you to an intervention specialist if you would like a professional to help you.

13. Is it ok for me to use another substance as long as I am not addicited?

This is a common misconception. Some people think if they are heroin users it might be ok to use alcohol. Or, if they entered treatment for an addiction to alcohol it might be ok to use marijuana. This is a slippery slope that most times leads to relapse, or is considered relapse. Living in recovery means living free of all drugs and alcohol.

14. Do you treat anything else besides drug and alcohol addidction?

Many people who come to Retreat center seeking treatment for their drug or alcohol addiction may also struggle with mental health issues such as depression, schizophrenia, grief, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder. This combination of addiction along with a mental health issue  which is in fact quite common is called comorbidity and the illnesses are often referred to as co-occurring disorders and. The Retreat center has a team of qualified staff who are skilled at addressing the complexity of issues around co-occurring disorders alongside the addiction to drugs and alcohol.