The number one health issue in the nation is drug and alcohol dependency. Regardless of how successful some of the members of your family are, the odds are that someone is addicted to drugs. When drug addiction invades your family, you should not depend on your family member to get help; most drug abusers refuse to admit that they have a dependency issue.
The best way to keep this tragedy from destroying your family and your loved ones is to help your family member get the help that they need by entering reliable treatment facilities. It is not always the easiest task, but it is something you must do in order to help your loved one overcome his drug addiction.
Although both drug addiction and drug abuse can have negative impacts on a person and their family, the two are not the same. Drug abuse is when someone has an intense desire to use a drug in increasing amounts; however, drug addiction is when the person’s body has developed a need for a specific drug. The latter is worse because, over time, the dependence generally leads to behavioral problems and physical harm.
The top priority in the US pertaining to substance abuse is to get drug abuse under control. By doing so, the United States Surgeon General hopes to decrease the number of people who have a drug addiction.
The most addictive drugs in the United States are:
- Heroin: 23 percent of people who use heroin become addicted to the drug.
- Crack Cocaine: Over 1 million people in the US are addicted to crack cocaine.
- Crystal Meth: The dependency rating is extremely high.
- Cocaine: This is not as addictive as the other drugs above, but it has a rapid increase in tolerance levels.
You should never be one of those people who believe drug addiction will not affect your family; the truth is that it can happen to anyone. One out of every five people over the ages of 15 and under the age of 60 will try drugs at least once in their lifetime. Approximately 23.5 million people are addicted to some type of substance, and only a little over 11 percent of those people will actually seek treatment.
Drug addiction does more than cause emotional and physical stress on your family; it can be a financial burden as well. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, illicit drugs cost our nation 11 billion dollars per year in regard to healthcare. In terms of healthcare, lost work productivity, and crimes related to drugs, illicit drugs cost our nation approximately 193 billion dollars per year. Drug addiction could have a financial impact on your family, as well as other families across the nation, directly or indirectly.
Drug addicts in your family are also very impressionable, especially in younger children. It is easy for children to become curious about drugs and try them out for the first time, often mimicking other family members who are addicted to drugs. This behavior could go from curiosity to drug abuse to drug addiction. You want to prevent all three from occurring, which is why you should have your family member admitted into an inpatient treatment center immediately. Meanwhile, for people with substance abuse disorders like opioid addiction, you may research also prescripted medications like knowing what is Zubsolv used for.
