Results: Severe Risk

My Result: Severe Risk

Based on your test results, it seems that your drug use patterns are extremely dangerous to your health and you must seek professional help as soon as possible.

You might have already started to experience severe physical problems, even if you don’t, there is no time to lose. Because quitting drugs will not be very easy, you’ll need professional help as well as support from friends and family.

You can also use the SAMSHA locator to find a treatment facility nearby.

• Consult a Doctor

See a doctor who specializes in chemical addiction as soon as possible. He’ll be able to guide on what kind of treatment is best suited for you, depending on the amount and type of drugs you take.

• Join a Rehab Center

Barbiturates, methamphetamines, cocaine and crack, benzodiazepines, and even alcohol withdrawal can not only pose several health risks, but can prove to be lethal. Since you’re a severe case of addiction, you need a sophisticated facility to detox and come off drugs. Because of extreme addiction, detoxing at home might not be an option for you.

• Plan to Fight Cravings

During the first few weeks, or even months, cravings will be very high, but don’t worry, that’s normal. Plan ahead to fight craving, and identify the times when you really crave to use drugs. If you’re committed, dealing with cravings is easy. The easiest way is to indulge in activities that take cravings off your mind. You can listen to music, run errands, go out with a friend or family member or do physical exercise.

• Indulge into Healthy Physical Activities

Once you start feeling a little better, go for hikes if, get a dog and run with it, get a membership to a local fitness club. Intense physical training will not only improve your health but will also keep drugs off your mind. And if you can afford, get out of town for a while, visit new places, meet new places and eat new foods; try to make your life more interesting without drugs.

• Join a Support Group

Find a local peer-based support group, and ask several questions before joining to make sure you’re a right fit for each other. Some support groups assign you a sponsor, a person who is successfully recovering from their addiction. Seeing someone doing it will take your motivation and self-belief to the next level.

• Break Old Habits and Avoid Triggers

In addition to your lifestyle, you also need to change your old habits. Stay away from people, places and situations that could lead you back into the same pit you’ve come out of after so much effort. Try to find out what habits forced you to take drugs? If it was loneliness, try to find good company, if it was a disease, get medical assistance to cure it; whatever the reason was, remember it’s not the end of the world. All you need to do is replace bad, old habits with good ones.

A trigger can be anything which makes you want to use drugs. Anything, from a place to a smell to a person to a feeling to a memory and so on, can be a trigger. Mostly triggers are stressful, however, there are some triggers that make you feel happy. If you’re fighting addiction, you need to make a list of these triggers and avoid them at all cost.

Consequences of Drug Addiction

It might come as a surprise to some that drug abuse is actually a brain disease. Fair enough, first few times you might voluntarily use drugs, but a continuous use can interfere with your brain and highly impact your voluntary decision making. It then can result in obsessional craving, acquiring drugs by any means, and using them.

According to National Institute of Drug Abuse, illicit drug abuse costs America a whopping $193 billion annually in terms of crime, lost work productivity and healthcare. But that’s only an estimated cost, actual cost could actually be many times more, and that doesn’t even include the additional cost suffered in terms of psychological and social issues. The consequences can vary greatly depending on your intake i.e. whether you occasionally abuse your prescription or frequently take hard drugs. Let’s talk about the most common consequences of drug addiction:

• Medical Issues

Medical issues caused by drugs are very far reaching. In most cases the severe impact is seen after an overdose or prolonged use, but some effects can occur instantly, even after just one use. From a variety of lethal diseases to instant death, everything is always on the cards. Some common diseases that drugs can cause include HIV/AIDS, stroke, cancer, Cardiovascular disease, lung disease, hepatitis, infertility, hormonal disorders, mental issues, and neurological problems.

• Psychological Issues

Unlike medical issues, psychological issues usually occur after a prolonged use of drugs. The three most common issues drug abusers experience include depression, paranoia, and anxiety. The most common issue is depression; it happens mainly because after prolonged use, you develop tolerance to the drug and always need an ever-increasing amount or potency. Illicit drugs users also get paranoid, always fearing that LEA is waiting in every corner to get them for getting illegal substance. Likewise, the longer you have to wait for you next dose, the more anxious you get. Anxiety results in a lack of focus and can lead to emotional and social issues.

• Social Issues

Studies have confirmed that a drug addict can experience every single social issue that one can experience, mainly because they get isolated from the society and maintain a connection with their drugs only. Buying drugs is the only thing on your mind, which leads to workplace absenteeism, slacking duties, negligence and once you get tangled into the web of financial issues, craving forces you to get money by hook or by crook. Needless to say that drug abuse can ruin your personal as well as professional life.

Additional Resources

To learn more about the rehab process, visit this page.

Page Sources

1. https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1886469