Addiction

Addiction is a severe, chronic disease in which individuals seek and use drugs in a compulsive, hard to control way. If you’re addicted to drugs, the dangerous consequences still will not stop you from drug use. Initially, drug use is a choice you make, but for people struggling with addiction, changes to the chemical composition of your brain often occur and pose increased challenges that make it difficult to stop abusing drugs. Addiction normally is characterized by a lack of self-control. Even if you overcome addiction, you are still at increased risk for going back to abusing drugs, sometimes years after remaining sober.

If you overcome addiction but then relapse and return to using drugs, it means your treatment should be ongoing and still can work.

There are certain factors that contribute to addiction being more likely in some people versus others: your genetics, environmental factors, and your development. Here is more information on those three factors:

Genetics A family history of addiction, your genetics, account for almost half of your potential risk for addiction. Gender, ethnicity, and underlying mental health disorders also can play a role.

Environmental factors Many different environmental factors can play a part in increasing your risk for addiction, including your family and friends, economic status, happiness, or quality of life, peer pressure, exposure to trauma like physical or sexual abuse, stress, or drug use early in life.

Development

Taking drugs at any age can cause addiction. But taking drugs as a child or teen is especially harmful. Parts of the brain responsible for decision-making and self-control are vulnerable and still developing during your youth. Using drugs at a young age can have grave effects on your brain chemistry.

As is the case with all mental disorders treated at Uptown Psych, a personalized treatment plan designed just for you depends on the specifics of your addiction. At Uptown Psych we treat addictions for:

• Alcohol
• Marijuana
• Opioids
• Stimulants
• Cocaine
• Polysubstance abuse (multiple substance abuses)

Uptown Psych’s team of therapists use various therapeutic modalities like talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, family counseling – since addiction affects the entire family unit – and sometimes prescribed medication, to treat addiction. They also provide substance abuse support groups, which are very helpful and connect substance abusers with one another in a comfortable, welcoming therapeutic setting. For opioid abusers, Uptown Psych offers Suboxone® and Vivitrol® treatment.