- Hey everybody! Today we are talking about drug addiction.
What is it and what are our recovery options?
(soft, upbeat music)
So the DSM talks a lot about addiction.
And what they call the whole chapter,
and I'm looking down at my DSM,
is Substance Related and Addictive Disorders.
And I have my notes, cause I take my notes.
They cover ten different classes of drugs.
Some of which include: alcohol, caffeine, cannabis
hallucinogens, inhalants, opioids, sedatives, tobacco
you can see the list goes on and on and on.
And what the DSM states is that within any of these classes,
and I'll put a link below so you
can read all about it if you're interested
is that when they are taken in excess
they directly activate our brain's reward system.
And do you remember when I was talking
about SSRIs and sexual dysfunction?
How I talked about how dopamine plays
such an intense role in that?
Well, they think the same with addiction
because when we take these things in excess
it directly actives that reward system and we feel
intense pleasure aka "I feel high".
And that is what makes it so hard to stop.
To break the habit, to get out of that addictive cycle.
Because it feels good and our brain wants more of it.
They also talk a lot about how some people
are predisposed to addiction.
And I am going to read you a little bit about what it says.
It says, "Individuals with lower levels of self control."
Some people just don't have as much self control as others.
We know, right? Everybody's different.
But they say it may reflect impairments
of the brain's inhibitory mechanisms.
So the parts of our brain that actually help us make
good decisions, think clearly,
not act out, like impulsively.
And they say that because of this, a lot of people who may
in their future struggle with substance use or addiction,
you can see some behaviors in them early on.
Now, I know that people throw around
the word addiction a lot.
They'll say it nonchalantly as if it's not a big deal,
but know that it is very serious.
Those who seriously struggle with drug addiction or
substance use disorders will go out of their way
to get the substance that they want.
They may put themselves in extremely dangerous situations.
They may do things that morally they wouldn't normally do,
but they do it in order to get what they need,
which is that substance.
They also have a tolerance, so they need to get more
and more and more to get that same level of high.
And they also, if they stop cold turkey,
can go through withdrawal.
And so if you or any one you know is struggling
with addiction, please, please, please reach out to them
reach out to someone who can help you
because there are tons of treatment options available.
Now there are many treatment options available.
But I'm going to talk about five today.
The first is your your General Practitioner, your GP,
your regular doctor that you go to when you feel sick.
And the reason for this is that
we need to get a full physical.
We want to make sure that our body is okay.
Not only are people who struggle with addiction
at a higher risk for STDs and other transmittable diseases,
but often we're putting so much of a certain substance
in our body that it can affect us physically in a bad way.
And we want to get a hold of that as soon as possible.
The second one I want to talk about is group therapy.
NA, AA, there are all sorts of
free options out there as well.
And we find that, as a whole,
group therapy helps us not only feel more understood
and feel like what we're going through
isn't weird or making us a bad person.
It also helps support us when we're really struggling.
They have sponsors, like a whole sponsorship program,
with NA, AA that can help give you a little extra support
when you're working on your recovery.
The third is medication.
And I know there's a lot of stigma
attached to taking medication, but these can be two-fold.
One, we may want to take medication to
help us with a co-occurring disorder.
We often use addiction as a way to cope and to "numb out",
just like I talk about eating disorders and self-harm,
whatever it is we are trying to numb out from.
Maybe it's intense anxiety or PTSD.
We might need medication to better manage those symptoms
so that we can focus on working on our recovery.
And the second part of this, is that often when we are
coming off of this substance that
we have been using and abusing,
there may be other drugs that they will have us take
to ease the withdrawal and to help our bodies feel okay
while we we go through that process.
The fourth options is therapy.
We find that behavioral therapies work best because
we are trying to behaviorally change what we're doing.
Right, we're not now going out to get the substance,
using it and waiting for the high.
But any kind of talk therapy helps
because just like I said,
addiction is often a way to cope and numb out.
It's one of those unhealthy coping skills
that we're using to help get through a situation.
And so talking about what's going on,
talking about the reason that we started using
and figuring out, kind of, the root of the problem
can really help us in our recovery.
And the fifth, and I what I think is the best option
for treatment if it's available to you, is Inpatient.
That's where you go and you stay at the facility
and get the help that you need.
All of the things that I talked about before are things
they offer at Inpatient Treatment Centers.
And the cool things is that Seasons in Malibu reached
out to me to sponsor this video
so that I can talk about addiction with you.
And Seasons In Malibu is a
CARF-accredited, dual-diagnosis treatment center.
And what dual-diagnosis means,
I know a lot of treatment centers use that term,
is that it works when we have more than one thing going on.
There are two diagnoses.
Maybe we have PTSD and we also
struggle with alcohol addiction.
We have both these things going on
and this treatment center has the ability to
simultaneously help us with both.
And they specialize in treating
a wide variety of addictions.
Whether it's cocaine, alcohol, opioids, prescription drugs.
And they also treat both men and women.
I find a lot of treatment centers tend
to focus on one or the other.
It's nice that they have the ability to treat both.
And their located in beautiful Malibu.
That's where I went to school, if you remember, Pepperdine.
Beautiful views of the beach. Oh, It's so nice out there.
And at Seasons in Malibu they work to treat drug addiction
with a multi-dimensional and holistic approach.
Where each person kind of gets
their own individualized plan.
And I know that you know, as well as I do,
how important that is because each
and everyone's experience is different.
Like I talk about, I'm always like,
leave your experiences in the comments
because everyone is going to be different.
And it's great to know that a treatment center
actually works with you individually
to give you the care that you really need.
I hope you found this video helpful.
I know that addiction and getting treatment for it
can be really scary, but know that you're not alone.
And I would encourage each of you,
if you have been inpatient or tried any
of the other treatment options I mentioned,
leave it in the comments below.
Let us know what your experience was like
because it's so important that we as a community help others
understand what to expect and know that
it's really not as scary as we're making it out to be.
And if you're new to my channel
and haven't subscribed click over here.
And for more on this topic click over here.
And if you want to see what I'm up to
on my regular everyday life follow me
on all of the social medias. And I'll see you next time.