The impact drug and alcohol abuse has on families and communities can be difficult to determine. But according a report from the Texas Department of State Health Services, substance abuse cost the Lone Star State $33.4 billion in 2007. These costs were calculated based on drug crime statistics, welfare benefits paid to addicts, motor vehicle accidents that involved drugs, and healthcare and rehabilitation services for addicted individuals. Of course, there are many other corollaries and natural consequences of addiction that cannot be expressed in monetary terms.
Most people have trouble accepting that addiction is actually a disease. After all, the addict willingly imbibes, inhales, smokes, or injects his substance of choice. That fact is irrefutable. However, we do know that once someone becomes addicted, these substances actually changes the way his brain works.
What do they do?
It is important to note that the study of addiction on a scientific level is still in its infancy. Even the experts cannot tell us why some people get hooked on drugs the first time they try them and others can use them causally from time to time. Doctors speculate that immediate addiction may be influenced by environment, heredity, age, and other factors. There is, however, no hard proof.
On the bright side, doctors know a lot more about the effects these substances have on the brain. Some drugs are virtually indistinguishable from chemical messengers in the mind that are called neurotransmitters. Since the brain cannot tell the difference, these drugs trick the brain's receptors causing nerve cells to send strange or abnormal messages.
Other drugs can cause nerve cells in the brain to release huge amounts of natural drugs, mostly dopamine, from the reward centers. These natural drugs are normally released to reward us for activities that are essential to survival, such as eating and exercising. When prompted by illicit drugs like cocaine, natural drugs flood the brain and produce a euphoric effect.
Most drugs are also chemically addictive, which means that if the user stops taking them, he will experience symptoms of mental and physical withdraw. Mental symptoms of withdraw include anxiety, irritability, insomnia, headaches, restlessness, social isolation, and depression. The physical symptoms of withdraw include tachycardia (racing heart), palpitations, sweating, muscle tension, tremor, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Whatever you opinions about the responsibility of the addict, substance abuse is a serious disorder. If you or someone you love has a problem with drugs or alcohol, it is important to contact a Dallas rehab center as soon as possible.
As we mentioned at the outset, drug abuse is a major problem in Texas. Illicit drugs are smuggled in from nearby states and from Mexico. As a result, there is no shortage of Dallas rehabs facilities. Most of them are open to addicts of all kinds, and some are designed to help people who are hooked on a specific drug, such as alcohol.
What to look for?
Unless the addict is a celebrity, money is almost always an issue. Because treatment is often expensive, most folks can't afford to pay out of pocket. They must locate a rehab facility in Dallas that accepts insurance. The good news is that most of them do. Finding the right facility depends on number of factors.
First and most importantly is the question of whether or not the addict is still using. If he is, the Dallas rehab center must offer drug detox treatment. It is also important to ask about their success rate, since some facilities are better at certain types of treatment. They might be excellent at treating alcoholics, but not so good with heroin addicts.