Mental Health Services at Horizons Recovery
Mental health and mental illness and substance abuse very often form a complex partnership by continually affecting one another. Many addicts have co-occurring mental disorders that make their struggle to cope with addiction much harder to bare. Drug and alcohol abuse affects the brain in many ways and often provokes mental imbalances. Juggling these two major issues can be difficult and challenging, but with the right kind of help from Horizons Recovery, both problems can be solved. Once the drug or alcohol problem has been addressed, the issue of mental illness can also be treated and managed.
Different types of medications and therapies, plus educating the addict about his substance abuse problems and mental disorders, will help him identify and manage his feelings and urges. Relapse prevention techniques must also be used by the recovering addict to keep him on the right path. Many addicts have successfully overcome their mental illness and substance abuse and are leading productive lives. Although it may seem overwhelming at the start, any addict can recover with the right help and support. We have the tools and programs that can help you deal with your mental health as well as your addiction.
At Horizons Recovery, we know that mental disorders seem to attract specific types of substance abuse that are recognized by medical professionals. If you or a friend is struggling with a substance abuse problem, you may have an underlying mental illness that you were not aware of.
Examples of the partnership that exists among co-occurring disorders involved with mental illness and substance abuse includes the following:
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People who abuse alcohol may have specific types of mental illness.
These disorders can include schizophrenia, drug addiction, dementia, mania and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). People who are struggling with ASPD are more prone to drink alcohol excessively. Both the drinking and the mental problems could have arisen early in life, and the mental illness may have brought on the alcohol abuse. The sad fact is that the alcohol abuse adversely affects the ASPD and it becomes a vicious cycle as each provokes the other. Alcohol is toxic to the brain and damages it structurally, and this may exacerbate dementia, schizophrenia and other mental conditions. It is easy to see how substance abuse affects a person mentally.
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Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness that many people are facing today, especially returning veterans who have faced the threat of death, torture and other stressful situations.
Many veterans with PTSD are being treated with prescription opioid narcotics for injuries sustained during a tour of duty. While opiates help to lessen the perception of pain in the body, they also flood the brain with dopamine that causes euphoria and feelings of well-being. Opiates are highly addictive and abusing them may lead to addiction. Opiates are desirable to people suffering from PTSD because they take the edge off and make them feel good. Many people who become addicted to opiates eventually turn to heroin because it is cheaper and easier to get.
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Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that affects many people, and is characterized by extreme mood swings known as mania and depression.
When they cannot cope with their intense feelings, many people with bipolar disorder will self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. Some of the hallmark behavioral symptoms of bipolar disorder are risky behavior, gambling, compulsive shopping, binge drinking and promiscuous sex. It is medically recognized that there is a link between poor impulse control and bipolar disorder, and many people who suffer from this mental illness engage in substance abuse.
Substance abuse and addiction are also regarded by the medical establishment as mental disorders, and are classified as progressive psychological deterioration. People who are drug and alcohol dependent are considered compulsive users who may have physical, psychological and behavioral problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) accepts this view and recognizes that substance abuse and addiction cause a person to withdraw from their usual way of life and become obsessed with using their drug of choice.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Recovery can be achieved by anyone who has abused drugs and alcohol. Mental illness can be treated with medications, and psychological and behavioral therapy. No one has to suffer the indignities of mental illness and substance abuse any longer. There are many wonderful therapies and programs at Horizons Recovery to help a person regain his or her sanity and life again. Just give our caring recovery advocates at Horizons Recovery a call today at PHONE NUMBER for information.
