Common Misconceptions About Addiction Drug Abuse Facts

Through a continual commitment to sobriety, you can live a life free of drugs and alcohol. These are just a few of the common misconceptions around addiction. At Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, we seek to educate our guests and their loved ones about the realities of addiction, treatment, and recovery. “Friends and family members cannot help addicts get better.” Addiction is a family disease that affects the entire family system and leads to dysfunctional family dynamics.

Asking for financial assistance is the best option when unable to afford rehabilitation. Individuals under the age of 26 with no insurance are often able to use their parent’s insurance to finance treatment. This is a surprising bit of information, and a myth to most people – drug users, including hard drug users, are not automatically addicted to their drugs. Addicts typically already feel ashamed, especially if they’re in recovery. Shame is one of the powerful emotional drivers behind the continued cycle of addiction, driving addicts to seek solace from their habit or substance. But that doesn’t mean that successfully recovering or recovered addicts somehow have lost the ability or privilege to be talented, capable caretakers.

Some common misconceptions about addiction can be damaging. Learn why drug & alcohol addiction isn’t a moral failing.

Relapse is defined as a series of setbacks along the way to recovery, not as a definite reversion to old ways, so even if you relapse, you can still return to recovery. It takes about two hours for the adult body to fully process one drink, depending on their weight, age, physical health, and gender. Drinking coffee, taking a cold shower, or eating will not enable the liver to process alcohol any more quickly than it usually could. This is a dangerous myth that contributes to drunk driving rates. Every day, 29 people die as a result of drunk driving crashes.

Butch began counseling in 1989 and worked with Cumberland Heights throughout the 90s doing Aftercare, contract work and individual counseling. Dr. Sledge has been named Nashville’s top addiction doctor by the Nashville Business Journal, myths about addiction and recovery a recognition only five percent of physicians in the United States hold. Dr. Sledge served on the board of directors for the American Society of Addiction Medicine and was among the first physicians to receive certification from them.

Myths About Substance Use Disorders

There are biological reasons why one struggles with drugs and alcohol, just as there are environmental factors. Doing or not doing a drug is your choice, but it’s a hard one you may lose power over, especially when your body and mind are https://ecosoberhouse.com/ addicted to the substance. Just as you can’t choose to not have cancer, you cannot choose to not suffer from addiction. If addiction were purely behavioral, it could be cured with a pill that eliminates the desired effects of substances.

Everyone entering treatment receives a clinical assessment in order to determine the best course of action for a person. From there, professionals will work with the person to design an effective treatment plan that is tailored to their medical history, substance habits, mental health, and goals for recovery. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, you’ve probably heard a lot of well-meaning advice from people who don’t truly understand. This makes it difficult to sort out the facts about drug abuse from fiction. Mountainside is proud to be 1 of only 7 addiction treatment centers in the United States to hold a 3.7 ASAM certification as well as dual accreditation from CARF International and The Joint Commission.