Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Croydon

Substance abuse is a serious problem in the UK and it has certainly impacted people living in Croydon. The thing that makes addiction such a serious problem is that it not only causes suffering for the individual but also their family and friends and often their community. The person who falls into substance abuse is not to blame because this will not have been a conscious decision, but they will be responsible for ending the addiction.

Why do People Develop Addiction Problems?

There are many reasons why the individual may have developed addiction problems such as:

• The person may have been using alcohol or drugs to help them deal with stressful relationships or stressful work and addiction just sort of crept up on them. The individual may have found that these substances did seem to be helping them to relax in the beginning. They failed to release that the cure was far worse than the original problem
• Some people will have had mental health problems that were undiagnosed, and they turned to alcohol or drugs as a type of self-medication. In most instances the person will not have realised that they were dealing with a mental health problem; they just realised that these substances helped them feel better. Over time the alcohol or drugs will exacerbate conditions such as depression, and the individual will also have the problem of addiction to deal with
• It could be the individual was suffering from the trauma of sexual or physical abuse and they turned to substance abuse as a way to hide from their suffering. It takes time before the person understands that they are actually making their suffering worse
• The individual may have begun using highly addictive substances due to peer pressure. It can be particularly difficult for young people to resist the pressure from friends to experiment with these substances. The fact that they are so highly addictive means that it does not take long before the person is completely hooked
• Some people will grow up in an environment where substance abuse is considered normal behaviour. It is little wonder then that they end up using these substances themselves
• Some individuals will be genetically prone to developing addiction problems
• The person may have a type of personality that makes them more likely to become addicted

Some People Maybe More Prone to Addiction

It certainly seems to be the case that some individuals are more likely to fall into addiction than other people. This would explain why the same individuals can also end up moving from one addictive behaviour to another. It is therefore vital that anyone in Croydon who is trying to break away from alcohol or drug abuse also deals with the underlying problems that drive this behaviour. This will usually mean overcoming elements of the addictive personality.

It is possible for people to begin working towards eradicating these character traits without help, but in most instances, it is better done with the help of drug counselling or rehab.

Understanding the Addictive Personality

When people talk about the addictive personality, they are not referring to something exact. This is just a list of character traits that many substance abusers will tend to share. It does not mean that all substance abusers will have these personality traits, but they will usually have at least some of them.

The type of things associated with the addictive personality that people in Croydon need to be aware of would include:

• These are people who like to behave impulsively. A little bit of being impulsive can make life a bit more exciting but in the case of the substance abuser, they take this to the extreme. Their way of living is to do first and think about potential consequences later
• Another common element of the addictive personality is proneness towards taking risks. The individual can have a feeling of being invincible and uniqueness. This is often called terminal uniqueness because this type of thinking can get people killed
• It is common for substance abusers to believe that they have an unreasonably high amount of stress in their life. They will then use this as an excuse for why they misuse alcohol or drugs. This feeling of high stress is often highly subjective. There are many individuals dealing with intense stress who do not turn to alcohol or drugs
• Many people who abuse alcohol and drugs feel isolated from society – it is almost like they do not feel like they belong. This feeling of isolation often goes away when the individual begins abusing alcohol or drugs but in reality, it makes the person more isolated than ever
• It is common for substance abusers to suffer from symptoms of depression. It may be the case that the individual suffered from depression before they began using alcohol or drugs as a form of self-medication. Other people will develop depression as a result of their behaviour – this is particularly like with a depressant drug like alcohol
• Another common characteristic of the addictive personality is that these individuals tend to admire non-conformity. They will believe that those who do not use alcohol or drugs are just boring people. The individual develops a type of reverse snobbery where they believe that they are better than those who do not fall into substance abuse

Ending Addiction

No matter what the reason for why the individual fell into addiction it will be vital that they can break away from this behaviour. There are a number of ways that they can do this including:

• The most effective method for establishing a strong recovery from addiction is to enter an alcohol or drug rehabilitation centre. This will not only help individual initially stop using alcohol or drugs, but it will also provide the person with a program for sober living
• Therapy sessions can allow the individual to get to the root of their problem
• 12 step meetings can give the individual support in long term recovery

How can I find out more?

To speak to an advisor at ADT Healthcare, contact us today on 0800 138 0722. At ADT Healthcare, we advise on addiction rehabilitation clinics in Croydon and across the region. We will be able to offer treatment options that are local to you.