The cycle of addiction becomes so consuming that it might seem that all hope is lost.  Don't despair, however, if the patient is committed to recovery and receives competant addictions treatment he/she has a very good chance of recovering.  It doesn't matter how difficult it might be to be able to find lasting addiction recovery, the journey is still worth it!  Think of how miserable your life is while you are using drugs - surely nothing can be harder than that?

Interventions deconstruct denial

Denial prevents drug addicts from admitting that they have a problem.  They don't accept the fact that they need to stop using drugs and that they can't do this alone.  Drug treatment isn't a luxury, it's a life-saving neccessity.  So often the loved ones of an addict realize this and desperately struggle to convince the addict to seek help, but to no avail - the addict continues to use despite their pleas, threats, and attempts to reason.  Drug addicts need help to even realize that they need help.  They can't shift out of this disease without somebody pushing them.

As kids reach puberty they undergo dramatic physical changes and start facing new social pressures. They start feeling very self-conscious about how they look and feel an increased need to be accepted. Unfortunately a small proportion of kids and teens develop an unhealthy obsession with their self-image that can become an eating disorder

There are many signs that could tip you off that your teen is abusing substances. If you suspect substance abuse then an assessment at a drug rehab facility by qualified addiction treatment staff will help you to get certainty and plan an intervention.

Heroin is a powerfully addictive member of the opiate family of drugs. It causes physical and psychological dependence and leads to addiction. People who are addicted to heroin are caught in a grip of a compulsion to use the drug. They suffer extremely uncomfortable withdrawal effects if they can't use heroin and so will go to any lengths to obtain it. There are many people in drug rehabilitation (rehab) facilities in South Africa that have completely lost control of their lives because of heroin addiction.

According to a new study (full text here) by Dr John Kelly that will be published in the August edition of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (linked here) there is evidence to suggest that there are definite benefits for teens to attend meetings of the 12 step fellowship groups Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. The research shows that there are long-term benefits for teens to attend these meetings even if they stop going to them at some point. It is common practice for alcohol rehab centers in South Africa to encourage attendence at these fellowship meetings.