Addictive Disorders
From the medical point of view, a person is considered to be addicted to a substance or an activity when there is no self-control over using this substance or engaging in this activity; such as drinking more alcohol on a regular basis or taking more pills than you actually want. Workaholism would be one example of an addictive disorder that is related to an activity.
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Development of tolerance: this means that increasingly larger amounts of a given drug are needed to achieve the same effect - the personal freedom of those concerned is reduced dramatically.
Loss of control: Affected persons lose the ability to choose if they want to take an addictive substance or not; they can no longer determine the amount they want to take and use more than they actually intended.
An inner urge to constantly think about getting more of this substance
Physical withdrawal symptoms: sweating, circulatory collapse, breakdown of the vegetative nervous system with panic attacks
Loss of interest in everything but the substance; continued use despite obvious and harmful consequences
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Loss of control: Affected persons lose the ability to choose if they want to take an addictive substance or not; they can no longer determine the amount they want to take and use more than they actually intended.
An inner urge to constantly think about getting more of this substance
Physical withdrawal symptoms: sweating, circulatory collapse, breakdown of the vegetative nervous system with panic attacks
Loss of interest in everything but the substance; continued use despite obvious and harmful consequences
weiter zur Therapie...
zurück zur Definition...
Initially, detoxification treatment is necessary: The body needs to readjust to function normally without the substance, without causing severe symptoms of withdrawal.
The first step of rehabilitation treatment is to understand the specific function of a drug for the individual patient. For instance, an addictive substance may serve as a reward (“now I’ve really earned a drink“); it can be used to relieve sleep disorders or pain; it can create the illusion of making adverse circumstances more tolerable, etc.
In the next step, a strategy needs to be developed to achieve the desired effect without the use of the substance.
Finally, relapse prevention needs to be taken into account: Where are the potential risk factors in the everyday life of an affected person? What kind of early indications are there? What measures need to be taken in case of emergency?
The goal is to achieve lasting and satisfied abstinence: Finding a way to overcome an addiction without constant struggling that is easily applicable in everyday life.
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The first step of rehabilitation treatment is to understand the specific function of a drug for the individual patient. For instance, an addictive substance may serve as a reward (“now I’ve really earned a drink“); it can be used to relieve sleep disorders or pain; it can create the illusion of making adverse circumstances more tolerable, etc.
In the next step, a strategy needs to be developed to achieve the desired effect without the use of the substance.
Finally, relapse prevention needs to be taken into account: Where are the potential risk factors in the everyday life of an affected person? What kind of early indications are there? What measures need to be taken in case of emergency?
The goal is to achieve lasting and satisfied abstinence: Finding a way to overcome an addiction without constant struggling that is easily applicable in everyday life.
zurück zur Definition
zurück zu Symptome...
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