Drug addiction impacts all areas of society, something that’s evidenced by the number of rehab centers in Orange County. Before we show you how to fight back against addiction yourself, and how to find the right California rehab, we’ll briefly highlight 5 common drugs that create problems when abused.
Common Drugs of Addiction
Orange County drug rehab centers see clients coming in for a whole battery of addictions, not just to drugs, but also to alcohol, and often with co-occurring mental health disorders. Here are some common drugs of addiction, with the first one likely to surprise you:
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- Marijuana
- Prescription painkillers
- Cocaine
- Benzodiazepines
- Heroin
Marijuana
With the widespread decriminalization and legalization of marijuana in the United States, the drug is becoming more socially acceptable. This can distract people from the drug’s addictive potential. Drug rehab centers Orange County report an uptick in admissions for marijuana use disorder. This may be in part due to the increasing potency of marijuana, and in part due to the effects of the pandemic leading people to self-medicate. Many people use marijuana without incident, often for medical purposes. For others, persistent marijuana usage can lead to dependence. If you need drug rehab Orange County for marijuana use disorder, we’re here to help at Renaissance Recovery.
Prescription painkillers
It’s no secret that America has been battered by an opioid epidemic that started in the late 1990s and still simmers today. The aggressive marketing of opioid painkillers by pharmaceutical companies for applications beyond the original use case of treating pain in cancer patients led to doctors prescribing these painkillers to treat a variety of chronic pain. The addictive potential of these drugs was downplayed resulting in thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands suffering from opioid use disorder. People taking opioids seldom realize they are addicted until they try to stop. At this point, they experience adverse withdrawal symptoms. Fortunately, there are many rehabilitation centers in Orange County CA that can help you beat opioid addiction.
Cocaine
While overall rates of cocaine addiction might be stable in the United States, there are still roughly 1.5 million current cocaine users. Rehabilitation centers in Orange County see a constant throughput of clients grappling with an addiction to coke and crack. With no FDA-approved medication capable of easing withdrawal, outpatient drug rehab Orange County is typically recommended for cocaine use disorder.
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines, commonly known as benzos, belong to a class of drug including Valium, Klonopin, and Xanax. Prescribed to manage anxiety disorder and panic disorder, tolerance easily builds, and addiction often follows. Benzos are particularly dangerous as they impact the chemical structure of the brain. Benzo withdrawal can be life-threatening without the proper medical assistance on hand during detox.
Heroin
Someone addicted to heroin experiences severe withdrawal symptoms in the absence of the drug. The successful treatment of heroin use disorder normally requires medication-assisted treatment in combination with various therapies. This helps to manage the cravings and withdrawal symptoms. If you or a loved one has a heroin problem, don’t delay in taking action and seeking treatment. OK, with that snapshot of common drugs of abuse in place, we’ll give you a brief guide to conquering addiction long-term. Remember: recovery is a process and not an event.
10 Ways To Beat Drug Addiction
- Come to terms with your addiction then take action
- Discover your tribe
- Lean on your friends and family for support
- Practice CBT
- Clear your mind and work through your emotions with meditation
- Healthy body, healthy mind
- Experiment with holistic healing
- Join an appropriate support group
- Manage your triggers and keep cravings in check
- Drug addiction treatment: inpatient or outpatient rehab
1) Come to terms with your addiction then take action
Sometimes, drug addiction comes about In response to trauma in your life. For others, drug addiction can sneak up unawares. Athletes, for instance, commonly become addicted to painkillers without ever intending to abuse drugs. Others prescribed opioid painkillers to manage pain can develop a tolerance and dependence unintentionally. If you are abusing any drug to the extent of addiction, admitting that you have a problem is the first vital step before you can even consider recovery. What follows admitting your problem requires committed to action and the relevant treatment program if you want to maximize your chances of recovery.
2) Discover your tribe
If you’ve accepted that you have a problem with drink or drugs, it’s crucial to surround yourself with positive influences as you start on the tentative road to recovery. Once you start trying to live substance-free, hanging around with the people you used drugs with is a recipe for disaster. Instead, look to build new and healthier friendships where drugs are not the focal point.
3) Lean on your friends and family for support
Look for the people in your life who can offer the most robust support as you engage with drug addiction treatment and recovery. You should start your search for help with family and friends, but don’t be afraid to cast the net wider if you’re not able to muster up support from the home front. You don’t need to do this alone, whatever your circumstances.
4) Practice CBT
Most drug addiction treatment programs offer CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) sessions. You can also find plenty of online classes and exercises. With CBT, you’ll learn how to identify common triggers that make you crave drugs. You’ll also learn coping strategies to help you counter these cravings without relapsing. By practicing CBT, you’ll learn to think more objectively and to spot any distorted thoughts that historically led you to use drugs.
5) Clear your mind and work through your emotions with meditation
To beat addiction requires more than simply stopping your intake of drugs. To recover from addiction long-term, you’ll need to develop healthy methods of dealing with life’s everyday stressors that don’t involve drink or drugs. Meditation is a great way of managing your headspace, and it can be highly beneficial if you’re struggling to relax. When you meditate, you’ll have time to spend processing your emotions and your feelings without being barraged by the distractions of modern life. Eventually, and with practice, you can learn to master your emotions rather than feeling like you are at their mercy.
6) Healthy body, healthy mind
Most people in the throes of any drug addiction are unlikely to be especially active. When you’re moving away from drugs, though, regular exercise should be a core component of any treatment program. Aim for 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity each day. You’ll increase levels of dopamine and endorphins to give yourself a natural high. You will also find exercise boosts your confidence, destresses, helps with sleep, and can also help weaken cravings. If you don’t like the idea of this sort of aerobic exercise, why not consider yoga instead? You can work on your strength and flexibility in a calming and healthy environment while clearing your mind at the same time.
7) Experiment with holistic healing
You should look to heal your whole body when you’re detoxing from drug addiction. Aromatherapy and massage therapy are two commonly used treatments that can be beneficial as you’re trying to create a more healthy lifestyle that doesn’t involve using drugs.
8) Join an appropriate support group
Support groups like AA and NA can be invaluable for many people in recovery from drug addiction. Why not attend a meeting of an appropriate local group? You have nothing to lose except an hour of your time, and if you’re no longer using drugs, filling time can seem like hard work. With the proper support in place, you’ll be better placed to manage the triggers that lead you to crave drugs…
9) Manage your triggers and keep your cravings in check
Ultimately, whatever treatment program you follow for drug addiction, you’ll need to resist the inevitable cravings you’ll experience for drugs. To minimize your chance of relapse, be on guard for the people, places, and things that trigger these cravings. Stay away from them if possible. In the event of craving drugs, have some pre-formulated coping strategies in place. This allows you to act quickly and decisively rather than buckling and relapsing.
10) Drug addiction treatment: inpatient or outpatient rehab
If you need rehab in Orange County CA, you’ll need to decide whether inpatient or outpatient treatment makes most sense. For milder addictions, outpatient Orange County rehab will be cheaper and easier to slot in around existing commitments. If you have a more severe drug addiction, you’ll typically benefit from a residential rehab program or a partial-hospitalization program.
Get Help Now at Renaissance Recovery
If you need help with drug addiction in Orange County, we’re here to guide you every step of the way at Renaissance Recovery Center. We’ll create a personalized treatment program, taking into account any co-occurring disorders. In the event of an underlying mental health condition accompanying your addiction, we have a dual-diagnosis treatment program to treat both issues simultaneously. To get things started, call our addiction hotline today at 866.330.9449.
