Drug Abuse

When a loved one is struggling with drug abuse or has been lost to addiction, families and other loved ones need fast information on how they can help. That’s the purpose of this page. Narconon drug rehabilitation centres have been saving addicted lives for more than four decades, and we hope we can help you understand the solution to the drug abuse you or someone you care about may be experiencing.

Below you will find some of the most common questions and answers related to drug abuse. Please let us know if there is other information you need or if we can help you in any way with the problem you are facing.

What are Some of the Common Signs of Drug Abuse?

A person abusing drugs will fail to handle their usual responsibilities, such as schoolwork, work projects, care for animals, children or other dependents. Dishes will go unwashed and there will be no food in the kitchen. They will often fail to keep themselves clean and groomed. They will often not eat or sleep normally, staying up long hours or being groggy and sleepy during normal waking hours. They may be irritable and antagonistic and even hostile if questioned. Their friends may change and they may be secretive or stay hidden a lot. Personal possessions or items from the home may be missing or they may have too much money suddenly.

When does Drug Abuse turn into Addiction?

Addiction is a condition characterised by repeated, compulsive seeking and use of drugs, alcohol or other similar substances despite adverse social, mental and physical consequences. It is usually accompanied by psychological and physical dependence on the abused substance and the appearance of withdrawal symptoms when the addictive substance is rapidly decreased or terminated. When addiction exists, the drug use controls the individual rather than the individual controlling the usage. When a person loses the ability to make a rational choice about whether or not to use a drug or alcohol, he or she is addicted.

How Quickly Can a Person Become Addicted to a Drug?

With some drugs, addiction can occur very quickly. What that means is that after just one, two or three uses, a person can have such strong cravings for the drug that they are driven to use it again even though they might know better. There are reports from some people that methamphetamine, crack cocaine and oxycodone have worked this way for them. Ecstasy (MDMA) may be quickly addictive. Alcohol and marijuana can be addictive but usually more gradually.

What Social Problems are Created by or are Worsened by Drug Abuse?

Communities with high levels of drug abuse usually also have increased levels of crime and violence, accompanied by higher levels of domestic and child abuse and neglect. More people may be injured due to drunk and drug-impaired driving. More risky sex can result in more pregnancies and instances of sexually transmitted diseases. There may be an increase in homelessness, unemployment and drug-related deaths.

What Happens if a Pregnant Woman Abuses Drugs?

Many drugs pass through the placenta to affect the foetus. Crack cocaine, prescription opioids including methadone, hydrocodone and oxycodone, heroin or methamphetamine use can cause a baby to be born addicted to those drugs. Alcohol use can result in lowered birth weight and physical deformities as well as developmental and intellectual problems. Cocaine use can result in birth defects. Hallucinogens such as LSD, ketamine and MDMA may cause miscarriage or premature delivery.

Can a Rehab Programme Really End Drug Abuse?

One must choose a rehab programme carefully. An effective rehab programme must have a way to reduce or eliminate cravings to enable a person to enjoy a drug-free life again. Each person must also repair the life situations that led them into drug abuse initially, and they will have to rebuild a new life to replace the one that was destroyed by addiction. The Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation programme has components that have proven successful in each of these areas.

How Can I Help a Person Who Is Abusing Drugs?

No matter what excuses a person makes, abusing addictive drugs or other substance such as inhalants is dangerous and damaging to themselves and other people around them. The best way to help a person is to get them to stop. If they promise to stop, and try, but fail, you may be saving their life if you get them into the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation programme.

How Can I Get a Person Started on a Narconon Drug Rehab Programme?

Unfortunately, many addicted people fail to see their own problems and refuse help. The Intake Counsellors at a Narconon centre can help advise you on the best way to approach this problem and can coach you all the way through the person’s arrival at a Narconon rehab facility. Alternately, the best solution might be to have a professional interventionist come to your home and help the addicted person make his or her own decision to go to rehab. Your nearest Narconon centre can also advise you on the services of an interventionist.

How Do I Deal with an Addicted Person?

When dealing with a loved one who is addicted, realize that it’s not them, it’s the addiction and the drugs that are you dealing with. Successfully coping with this requires a different approach than your usual patterns of thinking and acting, which is unnatural for most people.

There are certain rules to follow if you find yourself in this situation so you do not fall into the lies and manipulation, but can offer the person a chance to get help.

What Does Drug Abuse Cost?

The current estimate of how much America is paying for drug and alcohol abuse is $416 billion each year. This is the equivalent of billing every man, woman and child in America $1,300 every year. In Europe, the 16 member countries of the European Union spent an estimated 2.25 billion Euros on the drug abuse problem in 2008. In Russia in 2008, it was estimated that the problem cost the country $54 billion.