Addiction is more than a dependency upon alcohol, drugs, or painkillers. It is a disease that causes people to become self-destructive and hurtful toward others. If addiction goes untreated, the person will be unable to control unhealthy and self-defeating behaviors despite the physical and mental risks.

Those who suffer from addiction - whether to alcohol, drugs, or other obsessive behaviors like gambling - stand to damage their health, relationships with family and friends, careers and finances if nothing to done to help.

With continuous drug abuse, the addict begins to crave the feelings of well-being or euphoria that taking the drugs has elicited.  Since this pleasant feeling is so overwhelming, the addict is motivated to continue taking drugs.

Physicians who operate and consult with drug and addiction rehabilitation clinics recognize that patients often need different treatment programs in order to get overcome their destructive behaviors. To this end, physicians and counselors work with clinic residents toward a common goal: full, long-term remission from this disease.

When it comes to illegal substances, society has determined that their use is harmful, and has placed legal prohibitions on their use in order to protect the individual and to protect society from the costs involved with healthcare resources, lost productivity, the spread of diseases, crime and homelessness.

Can addicts be completely cured? No. Addiction is a chronic illness that never wholly goes away. Addiction can be controlled to a point that allows the addict to live a normal life. Rehab clinics may offer state of the art treatment programs and specialized rehab counseling to effectively achieve long-term remission for addicts. When done properly, abstinence treatment can ensure a happy future, free of dependency and full of love and hope.

Evidence from adoption and twin studies demonstrate that addiction, like other chronic diseases, is a heritable disorder and that genes play a role in vulnerability to addiction. Genes can also play a role in protecting individuals from addiction.

To achieve remission, abstinence-based treatment is introduced immediately to clinic residents. This begins with a safe withdrawal from all controlled substances. Our Rehabilitation programs may include counseling and education on avoiding relapse, so that recovering alcoholics and drug addicts may enjoy a life in recovery for many years. The goal of abstinence treatment is to ensure that ill behaviors fade, that the body no longer craves the substances that can damage health and happiness.

Each year, about four million people in the United States seek some kind of treatment for a problem related to the use of alcohol and drugs, but that leaves around 20 million people who need substance abuse treatment but do not receive it.

If you suspect a loved one is abusing alcohol or drugs, or engaging in other destructive behaviors, it is important to contact a professional to determine the next steps. The sooner an addict is introduced to abstinence, the better the changes for strong recovery.

According to one study, four out of ten teenagers reported having friends who use drugs.  In the same study, more than a 25%& of the teens stated that someone has tried to sell them illegal drugs.