What causes addiction?

Addiction describes an intense craving for drugs or alcohol and a loss of control over their use. When you misuse drugs and alcohol, it affects your brain by changing how it processes pleasure sensations and interferes with many mental processes. Because of this effect on your brain, overcoming an addiction can be difficult, especially without professional health. The intense cravings, as well as the side effects of withdrawal from drugs or alcohol, can make the road to recovery seem overwhelming. Many triggers that can lead to an addiction to alcohol or drugs, including:

For those who have underlying chronic medical conditions that cause chronic pain, the use of certain prescription medicines can lead to addiction. If you have a co-occurring mental health disorder, such as anxiety or depression, you may be prone to addiction if you self-medicate with prescription medications or illegal drugs.

When should I seek addiction treatment?

An addiction to drugs or alcohol may develop gradually over time, and it will be difficult for you to realize just how addicted you are. It’s important that you seek treatment. If you’re questioning whether or not you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, the Behavior Health Clinic team can help if you’re addicted to highly addictive substances like opioids (e.g., heroin, oxycodone, methadone) and benzodiazepines (e.g., Ativan®, Valium®, Xanax®). Some warning signs you should not ignore that may indicate you have an addiction include:

Difficulties keeping up with your responsibilities within your family or your job because of your drug or alcohol use is also an indication you may need addiction recovery services.

What are the available addiction recovery services?

The Behavioral Health Clinic team is a leader in offering a comprehensive addiction treatment services program that uses a number of modalities for treating addictions to a variety of drugs, including prescription narcotics and heroin. The team offers medication-assisted therapies such as buprenorphine (Suboxone®) and long-acting naltrexone (Vivitrol®) to assist with a safe detox from drugs. Other drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat substance abuse disorders are also available. Additionally, they provide medically supervised services to help patients safely taper off Suboxone. To support long-term recovery, the Behavioral Health Clinic provides individual and group counseling services. They also work with community outreach programs and provide independent living counseling, wellness management, and educational and vocational training for those in need. If you’re unable to travel to the office for counseling or other services, you can access your Behavioral Health Clinic provider through teletherapy.