If you find yourself relying more and more on alcohol or drugs to get through the day, you may not become aware when you reach the tipping point from casual use, to addiction and into abuse. Reaching this point takes a level of self-awareness, but very often, even realizing that you have a problem can take professional help. Substance abuse can be difficult to overcome alone, so if you need help and live in or around the area of Oklahoma City, OK, you can contact Dr. Kent Smalley of Neurowellness Clinic.
Effects of Addiction
Addiction can take many forms and can involve a variety of substances, so when speaking about substance abuse the implication is that the use of these substances is so excessive as to interfere with every aspect of your daily life. From physical, to social, substance abuse can negatively impact your home life, your work life, and you, physically and mentally.
Brain Chemistry
The biggest problem with substance addiction is how these affect your brain's chemistry, by overwhelming your brain's reward system they chemically alter it to crave the substance. It is doubly dangerous as your body also becomes more tolerant to them, requiring you to take more and more to fill the cravings.
Too often, quitting a substance to which you are addicted isn't simply a matter of making the decision to quit. Depending on how entrenched your addiction is it may even be dangerous to do so without help.
Substance Abuse Treatment in Oklahoma City, OK
Making the decision to quit means making the decision to seek treatment for your addiction, as it's with the help of a professional team that most find success. Treatment involves multifaceted approaches that tackle more than just the addiction itself, with medication to help you safely overcome the cravings and counseling that helps address the underlying causes of your addiction.
If you are struggling with substance abuse and want help quitting, you can schedule a consultation in Oklahoma City, OK, with Dr. Smalley of Neurowellness Clinic by dialing (405) 696-3773.