Addiction is a very large topic and can range from sexual behaviors, other high-risk activities, and substance use. The National Institute on Drug Abuse indicates on their site that in 2021 106,000 people died of an overdose. Additionally, FHEHealth highlights that 5.47% of the US population have a substance or alcohol disorder. What is the cost of addiction on a person life? Is this even measurable? What about the costs of addiction on our society? These topics and more will be explore in this blog post.
Addiction Causes Many Challenges
The challenges that addiction causes not only effects the person but their support network as well. First challenges may arise in terms of changes in one’s behavior(s) and sleep. These issues can trickle down into tardiness or decreases in work performance. From there, problems can escalate to interpersonal, homelessness, and legal challenges. If someone’s addiction is not treated, it can create lasting health consequences or end in premature death.
Not only does an individual with an addiction struggle throughout life, but so to can their support network. This can occur in multiple scenarios. Watching someone you love or care about decline in quality of life or health is painful at least. Then there are components of supporting someone to make it to detox in order to avoid withdrawals. Lastly, seeing someone you love become involved in the criminal justice system is a powerless process.
Genetics and Addiction
Research has shown that there are certain genes that play an important role in addiction. Certain genetics can be passed down to offspring. Some or all of these genes may be active or inactive at time of birth. Depending on a person’s stressors throughout life, genetics can be activated from their inactive state. This then can trigger internal desires to seek out addictive activities/behaviors.
Trauma and Addiction
An external stressor that may occur in people’s lives before addiction problems arise is trauma. Trauma can take many forms from occurring while in gestation to childhood traumatic events. At any moment in a person’s life we can experience the unpredictability of life and traumatic events.
Therapy For Addiction
Many forms of therapy have shown their effectiveness to treat addiction. These include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy
The rate of co-occurrence between addiction and mental health is between 40-60%. These modalities can be effective treatment mental health symptoms as well.
If the addiction is driven to avoid past trauma(s), then EMDR therapy is a gold standard treatment for this.
Therapy for Addiction and Mental Health Near Me
At Revitalize Mental Health PLLC, we understand that both addiction and mental health need to be treated simultaneously. We utilize a thorough assessment process to highlight treatment targets in therapy. If you have the desire to change your life for the better, call now – 720.295.6703, or submit a form here to start the process.