With all the millions of people addicted to drugs or alcohol in the United States, the question arises — is addiction a disease? This is an important debate because, if so, then it turns the addiction crisis conversation around. Those with addiction may need help from an addiction therapy program in Tampa, FL.
For many years, addiction was viewed as a poor choice, which created a culture of shame around the people affected. So, instead of seeking treatment, people felt ashamed, embarrassed, and/or negative. Obviously, choices that people make play a part in the addiction process and in quitting. However, once a person begins to take drugs, the brain is flooded with powerful stimuli that change our ability to quit taking them.
Is Addiction a Disease?
Understanding how drugs affect the brain’s chemicals will help you see how they change the brain. In a sense, drugs may cause the disease of addiction. There’s no real proof that someone is born with the disease of addiction, although someone can be predisposed to it. However, as you take drugs, they work to change your brain, making it nearly impossible to quit without an addiction therapy program in Tampa FL.
How Drugs Affect the Brain
When someone takes drugs, it affects the chemistry of the brain. Our brains have natural neurotransmitters that can affect our mood, energy level, and stress amounts. When you take drugs, these chemicals in the brain are altered as the drug does the work. Over time, it suppresses the creation of the natural chemicals in your brain. So, you come to rely on the drugs for positive feelings of well-being, energy, and elevated mood, when these things are all naturally produced by the brain.
What Can Be Done?
Quitting drugs is not always just a matter of willpower. It will take willpower to take the first step to seek treatment, but that is not the only thing that it takes. Often times, medical detox is necessary to help realign the chemistry in the brain back to normal. In addition, therapy sessions teach you strategies to “outsmart” your brain until it’s back to its original state again. Some of the therapies include:
Finally, it takes support and patience from therapists and others so you can heal.
Introducing BoardPrep Recovery Center®
At BoardPrep Recovery, we help you find the right pathway to health and happiness. Our compassionate staff understands the complexities of drug addiction. We know addiction is a disease, yet you have the power to take that first step toward healing. We will meet you there.
Offering a wide range of evidence-based therapy treatments, we ensure the best outcome.
Some of our treatment programs include:
- Outpatient rehab program
- Intensive outpatient rehab program
- Partial hospitalization rehab program
- Medical detox program
- Substance abuse treatment program
Don’t let mental health illness interfere with a beautiful life. Now that you know is addiction a disease, you can find help from professional and compassionate clinicians. Contact us at 866.796.4720, and we’ll get you on the right road to healing.
