Comedian Russell Brand explains: "The reason I became a drug addict is that all throughout my life I felt this sense of irritation, agitation, this emptiness"
I found every progressive drug: cannabis, LSD, crack, heroin. Each of them is greeted as tiny little powdery prophets, solutions to the problem of my inner angst.
None of them work." (https://youtu.be/VXSIvShLujM )
Today we have a crisis in drug addiction care: less than one in five Americans with drug abuse problems receive any help (https://bit.ly/2G9O2Nl). Little do they know, all the rest can get rapid, available, effective and affordable tools to escape these painful, costly and even life-threatening attachments.
According to SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 20.1 million people (7.7 percent of the U.S. population) aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem in 2016. Only 3.8 million (19 percent of those who needed treatment) received any substance use treatment in the same year. (https://bit.ly/2G9O2Nl).
According to US News in December, 2016, (https://bit.ly/2JuAsup) the Surgeon General reported that in 2015 the United States had a staggering $442 billion dollar loss to its national economy from drug and alcohol abuse. https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/executive-summary
According to National Institutes of Health, the average treatment (for veterans) for substance abuse costs $3,754 with a 75.0% chance of being effective. https://bit.ly/2JvhB2p
Some people start drugs for a new "high," others to overcome pain or discomfort; some athletes use drugs to enhance performance; others take up drugs out of curiosity. For whatever reason one tries and becomes addicted to drugs, the addiction is considered a brain disorder that can change the structure of the brain and how it works, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drug-abuse-addiction ).
If one has been in a traumatic event, drug and alcohol "self-medication" often accompanies Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It can also be understood as one of the symptoms of PTSD. (For more stories and information on our projects to reduce the pandemic of PTSD across Africa, go to www.ptsdreliefnow.org)
Without support, drug addiction often leads to harmful behaviors, and mental and physical health debilitation. The Surgeon General explained that "Neighborhoods and communities as a whole are also suffering as a result of alcohol- and drug-related crime and violence, abuse and neglect of children, and the increased costs of health care associated with substance misuse." https://bit.ly/2JuAsup
According to the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse ( https://bit.ly/2aKNEei ), the 20% who do get support use a variety of approaches:
--- behavioral counseling
--- medication
--- medical devices and applications used to treat withdrawal symptoms or deliver skills training
--- evaluation and treatment for co-occurring mental health issues such as depression and anxiety
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