Understanding drug Use and opiate addiction in British Columbia and Alberta – Options Okanagan Treatment Centers in Kelowna, British Columbia treating drug, opiate, fentanyl, heroin and alcohol addiction and recovery.
Opioid Rehab in Alberta and BC
There are many people who are dumbfounded by how a person can get addicted to drugs. For the most part, they reckon that individuals who use drugs lack morals and or the willpower to stop using the drugs. Their thinking is, if an addict decides to stop, they can make that choice.
The reality, however, is quite different. Addiction is a complex illness. Quitting drugs typically takes more than a strong will and good intentions. Fundamentally, drugs change how a brain works, making it hard for someone to kick a dependency habit, even if they really want to.
The good news is that through research, we now have a better understanding of addiction and, therefore, we now have better treatment options that help people recover from addiction and revert back to a dependency-free, productive, and fulfilling life.
What Is Drug Addiction?
Addiction is defined as a chronic illness that is identified with compulsive seeking and using drugs. This means that it is difficult to control seeking the drug and using it, despite being fully aware of the harmful effects/consequences of the drugs. For many drug users, they begin by voluntarily taking the drug. However, repeated usage of the drug can lead to brain changes which adversely affects the individual’s ability to resist the urge to take the drugs.
Moreover, the changes to the brain can persist. This is the reason why drug addiction is referred to as a “relapsing” illness. This means that even people recovering from drug use disorders are always at a risk of relapsing and returning to drug dependency even after many years of not taking the drugs.
It’s common for recovering addict to relapse. However, this is not to say that the treatment does not work. Just like it is with the vast majority of other chronic health conditions, treatment is most effective as an on-going endeavor. Importantly, it should be adjusted to the individual patient’s needs and progress. Therefore, treatment plans should be reviewed very often and tweaked to meet individual needs.
What Happens To A Person’s Brain When Take Drugs?
Most drugs interact and affect users’ brain “reward system”. They cause a euphoric feeling by flooding the system with chemical messenger dopamine. The reward system naturally functions to motivate individuals to repeat the behaviors that they associate with pleasure such as eating, spending time with loved ones, these are behaviors that naturally make us thrive.
A surge of dopamine reinforces the need to repeat the behavior or activity. Likewise, a surge of dopamine induced by drugs reinforces the need to repeat taking drugs to get the same euphoric feeling. Therefore, a drug user will continue to use the drug again and again, further reinforcing the dependency.
However, the brain does adapt to the constant flooding of dopamine. It reduces the cells ability in the reward circuit to respond to dopamine. This means that the drug user experiences a diminished high compared to the first time they took the drug. This is known as tolerance.
In an effort to get the same high as they got the first time they took the drug, drug users usually result in taking more drugs. Subsequent increments in drug dosages further cause increased tolerance. Unfortunately, the changes in the brain also mean that the drug user is unable to derive enjoyment from things like sex, food, social activities, and many other activities that should naturally yield joy.
Long-term drug usage also affects the general brain chemistry and circuits, further affecting function such as judgment, learning, memory, stress, decision-making, and behavior.
However, even with the knowledge of how harmful taking drugs is, many drug users continue to take the drugs; this is the nature of addiction.
Options Okanagan Opiate and Alcohol Treatment Centers in Kelowna, Salmon Arm and Vancouver, British Columbia – Men and Women are recovering and healing from Alcohol and Drug Abuse at our treatment center here in the Okanagan right now.
Our unique and distinctive Opiate Drug and Alcohol treatment program allows men and women to come in from Calgary as well as Edmonton as we offer airport pickup.
Numerous clients come to us from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton and other locations in Alberta and even other provinces for Opiate addiction treatment, heroin drug treatment, many other drug and alcohol addictions for rehabilitation because of the uniqueness of our treatment center.
Our Treatment Location:
Options Okanagan Drug and Opiate Treatment Center
551 Sherrydale Crescent, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 2E6
Toll Free Phone Number : 1-855-335-0331