More often than not, when you’re
addicted to a substance such as drugs or alcohol, you may be suffering from a
mental illness as well and not know about it. I was a heroin addict for a long
time, and I didn’t know it then but I also had anxiety and depression. It
wasn’t until I entered a heroin rehab treatment program that I realized
I had those mental disorders and finally started treatment for them. It was
then that I could start undoing the damage I had caused to my mind and my body
and begin to heal.
There is a relationship between drug
use and mental illnesses. In fact, people who suffer from a mental disorder are
twice as likely to also suffer from a mental
disorder when compared to the overall population. But, why does that happen?
There are several reasons why a dual diagnosis is so common when it comes to
heroin addiction, today I would like to share with you some of them.
Heroin Makes Your Problems “Go Away”
While drugs will never actually make
your problems disappear, they give you the feeling that they do, even if it is
for a short period of time, until the high wears off. Mental illnesses manifest
differently in each person and everyone copes with them in different ways. Some
people realize what’s happening to them and decide to seek medical treatment.
Others live with them for years before asking for help. Others, like me, turn
to alcohol and drugs to help them deal with this problem.
Self-Medication Leads To Addiction
When you don’t understand what’s
happening in your mind, you may get so desperate that you start
self-medicating. It can be with prescription drugs (which, as you know, is a
dangerous thing to do if they weren’t actually prescribed to you), alcohol, or
other substances like heroin. Sometimes you feel so horrible that you take
anything that might take the pain away. This habit leads to addiction. While it
may not seem like there’s anything wrong with drinking a glass of whiskey or
smoking pot after a long day of work to relieve some stress, when this becomes
a habit it can be dangerous. It only takes a short period of time to become
addicted.
If you or a loved one start feeling
symptoms of anxiety, depression or any other mental illness, it is best to
abstain from taking anything before consulting a professional. Dealing with a
mental disorder can be difficult enough; you don’t want to have to deal with
addiction on top of that.
It Is a Vicious Cycle
Here’s how it usually works: you start
feeling low without really knowing why, so you take something that helps make
those feeling disappear. You feel amazing for a while, but then you start
feeling low again. What do you do know? You take whatever you consumed again,
only this time in a bigger dose, because your body gets used to the effects of
the drug and you need a stronger dose each time to get the same effects. As
time goes by, this cycle becomes part of your daily life.
The only way to really break this
cycle is by getting professional treatment for your addiction. In order for you
to get back on track, you have to get treated for your addiction to the full
extent. Only then you can focus on your mental health and start dealing with
your illness in a healthy, sober way.
How To Maintain Sobriety?
Sobriety is challenging. Especially
right after finishing your treatment, going back to the real world, where
there’s temptation everywhere, is difficult. But if I could do it, I’m certain
anyone can too. It is recommended to be monitored closely by a professional
during the first few months after your program. It is necessary to eliminate
old, bad habits that can lead you to consume again from your life. In this
order of ideas, you also have to cut ties with people who don’t respect your
process and who can get in the way of reaching your goals.
Remember that this is a process, and,
as such, it should be taken slowly. You don’t have to get your life together
right after getting out of rehab. Slowly changing your habits and establishing
a new, healthy routine, is the key to being successful at sobriety.
Are there other facts you have learned
about heroin addiction and mental health? If you’d like to share anything,
please leave a comment below.
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