Life throws many hurdles our way – some easily cleared, others leaving us feeling overwhelmed. Childhood trauma, stress from our environment, or challenges in relationships with spouses, family, friends, or colleagues can all push us to seek unhealthy coping mechanisms that involve addiction to alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.
Rishika (name changed), 44, an engineer, began drinking socially when she was 23. Over the next seven years, as her relationship crumbled, alcohol became a crutch. What started as drinking occasionally morphed into a daily habit, affecting her work performance. It even led to her drinking at the office. Eventually, she was fired.
The wake-up call came in 2020 when doctors diagnosed her with pancreatitis, a direct consequence of her drinking. Shame, spurred on by her parents’ disappointment, led to a temporary break of 6-7 months. But she fell back into the abyss under the pretence of “controlled drinking”.
Rishika relapsed four times, each time turning to a drink for comfort. Such behaviour, where dependence on substances becomes uncontrollable, is known as addiction or substance use disorder (SUD).
What is addiction?
In simple terms, addiction is a neuropsychological chronic condition where a person compulsively seeks to consume substances despite the negative consequences.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse compares addiction to chronic illnesses like heart disease. Both disrupt normal organ function and harm the body. While this is preventable, it can become a lifelong issue or turn fatal when left untreated.
Addiction can affect our health, relationships, and overall quality of life. Identifying early symptoms to intervene as soon as possible is a must, experts say.
Dr Sunil MR, director of clinical services and facilitator, Cadabams Group, explains three categories of people who use substances:
- Social use: They drink alcohol socially or use other substances occasionally. They have complete control over their dosage.
- Harmful use and abuse: People in this category may use substances in risky situations (think drinking and driving), putting themselves and others in danger.
- Addiction (SUD): People with addiction lose control over their substance use and experience severe cravings. They develop high tolerance (needing more of the substance to feel the same effect) and withdrawal symptoms when they stop. They may even prioritise substance use over responsibilities and relationships despite the adverse effects. At this stage, intervention and professional support are necessary.
When to seek professional help?
“If you see someone so dependent on substance that losing a job and alienating friends and family does not bother them, they need help” stresses Dr Sunil.
Just like a person needs food when hungry, a person with SUD craves the substance at any cost. They show significant downfall in their physical and mental well-being. You will notice that such a person will beg, borrow, or steal to get their hands on some quantity of drugs/alcohol.
If they are unable to get it, they start showing withdrawal symptoms. They may experience palpitations, anxiety, sweating and seizures when they abruptly stop using the substance. A person’s mind with SUD is constantly preoccupied with the urge to consume drugs or alcohol. These are core symptoms which help understand that the person is addicted to a substance and needs help.
People who consume heroin, opioids and other similar stimulants may develop psychosis. In this condition, the person loses contact with reality and has difficulty understanding what is real and what is not. It may be temporary, but it could also be permanent. Those with alcohol addiction tend to develop anxiety, stress, or depression and may start seeking out drugs to get relief from it.
Many families fail to provide the right care and support in such scenarios. Given the stigma society attaches to addiction, many who suffer from it choose to suffer in silence, often at home.
Rishika was recently admitted again to the Cadabams Anunitha Deaddiction Centre in Bengaluru following her fourth relapse. She had tried detox before, but she was not devoted to it, she admits. “This time at the centre, I was dedicated to getting my act together and completely surrendered to the programme. It’s not easy to give up [addiction], but I have learnt to take it one day at a time,” she says. As she approaches the end of her programme, Rishika has shown notable progress. She is now in a better mental state with no cravings for nearly three months.
Dr Sunil points out, “Relapse is a part of recovery, and the person might experience it 10-12 times.” Experts have observed that despite the person being prone to relapse, the amount of substance consumption reduces significantly after taking deaddiction therapy, he says.
A day at the de-addiction centre
In a conversation with Happiest Health, she describes her day at the centre. She wakes up at 6 am and has her morning coffee, followed by a brisk walk for 15-20 minutes. She proceeds with breakfast, group activities, and counselling and therapy sessions scheduled for the day. Her day concludes with dinner at 6.30 pm. The programme has helped her discover new sources of enjoyment.
The deaddiction centre will initially help us get out of our physical dependence on the substance at the surface level (withdrawal phase). It could take a few weeks to a few months. As the cause of addiction is multi-fold, therapy sessions are needed to understand the deeper roots of addiction, explains Dr Sunil. The therapists at the centre help us walk through different phases of addiction – mainly denial, pre-contemplation, contemplation, decision-making and acting, to resolve the addiction issue.
The de-addiction centres take a holistic approach towards fighting their addiction. They run multiple activities like yoga, art therapy, music therapy, and counselling/therapy sessions. The counsellors recommend a personalised plan after carefully assessing the person’s history.
In the past few years, there has been a steep rise in the consumption of drugs and alcohol. Earlier, this issue was more common in men, but now, many women are in the same boat as them. Perhaps it is due to the increased availability of the substances. Maybe it is due to a lack of healthy coping mechanisms. Whatever may be the reason, there is a dire need to educate ourselves about overcoming substance abuse, now more than ever.
