Abuse vs. Addiction (Dependence)
Residential rehab vs. outpatient treatment. How do you know which will be best for your recovery? To understand your options, you must first understand the difference between substance dependence (addiction) and substance abuse.
Substance abuse is common in today’s society, especially with alcohol. You often hear a person described as a “social drinker,” with no negative connotation attached to the words. But for every 16 social drinkers, one will become addicted or dependent on alcohol. So how do you know when casual use has become abuse, or even worse addiction that requires residential rehab?
Substance Abuse
Abuse – whether of a substance or alcohol -- is a clear and present danger when the substance of choice is having unhealthy influences on and/or negative consequences for your life. Abuse starts with a person using drugs or alcohol more frequently, and at intermittent times it gets out of control. One of the telling signs that your substance use is out of control is when a negative event happens as result of the use. When a person becomes argumentative or gets in a fight; has a wreck; becomes uncharacteristically promiscuous; or if the substance begins to adversely affect their professional or family life; those are all telling signs of abuse.
The fact that a person abuses a substance does not necessarily mean that he or she is addicted and in need of long-term residential rehab. The difference is that during this stage one still has the ability to stop the use on their own or with the help of a shortened residential rehab stay, outpatient treatments and/or 12 step support groups.
Recognizing and understanding the signs of substance abuse are the first steps to preventing addiction. But because people still have some minimal levels of self-control, they think they are in the ‘safe’ zone when the reality is the signs of abuse should be a big red flag, warning you that you are reaching your limit and heading down the path to becoming addicted or dependent.
Substance Addiction or Dependence
Once a person loses the ability to willingly stop using or drinking, they are now dealing with the disease of addiction. The lack of self control is one of the key indications that the drugs or alcohol have damaged the brain in both structure and function, making it physically impossible for the individual to stop using on their own for any prolonged length of time. And because of the damage their brains have incurred, traditional 12 step programs are highly unlikely to work for any significant length of time.
The definition of substance dependence also has a chronic component to it… long lasting, ever present, habitual, and/or reoccurring. Aside from the inability to abstain, symptoms include increased tolerance for the substance; replacement of healthy activities with substance use; and continued use despite adverse medical, psychological, and/or personal consequences. Dependence requires sustained treatment in a residential rehab environment in order to address the long-term damage and cyclical aspects of the addiction.
So are you dependent/addicted? Or just abusive?
Enterhealth creates science-based, medically driven, state-of-the-art alcohol and drug addiction treatment plans uniquely suited to where you are in your recovery journey.
Contact Enterhealth today at 800.388.4601 to schedule an admission or for more information, email us using the contact form on the left-hand side of this page.
