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    Addiction & Mental Health Treatment

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Depression and Addiction

People entering drug rehab centers in South Africa often show signs of being depressed. It is sometimes difficult in the early stages to tell the difference between depression as a result of the losses of addiction and depression that is caused by a seperate mental disorder. Addicts in the early stages of recovery can display symptoms of several mood disorders (like bipolar mood disorder or major depressive episode).

Drug addiction treatment facilities in South Africa regularly treat co-occurring mood disorders like depression. A comprehensive addiction treatment program will employ a multi-disciplinary team of specialists who will have expertise in treating substance abuse and co-occurring disorders.

A lot of people start using drugs as a way to deal with stress. They may have a drink at the end of the day to unwind from work, or smoke a marijuana joint to relax. People who are depressed may feel the urge to relieve the pressure of their depression by drinking or drugging every day. If you use a substance regularly the chances are that you are going to become dependent on it. Addiction and alcoholism are likely to follow dependence for most users. Admission to a detoxification (detox) facility and subsequent addiction treatment in a drug rehabilitation center in South Africa can address the problems of dependence and addiction without losing sight of the underlying depression that initiated the cycle of substance abuse.

Addiction is often referred to as a “progressive” illness because it has been noticed that it gets worse as time goes by. People who initially experiment with drugs or alcohol may find that they start using “harder” drugs or quantities that they would previously have felt are unacceptable. People who are depressed may initially experience relief from their symptoms but this doesn’t last past the effect of the drug. When the effects of the drugs wear off the sense of depression may deepen until another dose is taken. People try to self-medicate their depression by taking repeated doses of drugs or alcohol instead of reaching out for professional help. Ultimately this method of coping is doomed to failure as the brain and body cannot cope indefinitely with this cycle of binge and crash. Detoxification (detox) will help the alcoholic to stabilize his/her mood and enter the alcohol treatment rehab with a sound mind and emotionally equipped to find alcohol recovery.

It is not clear whether depression is caused by addiction or whether depression makes a person more likely to become an addict. There is abundant evidence that depression is made worse by abusing substances. The initial relief and euphoria that a depressed person feels is quickly replaced with an even deeper level of depresison, fatigue, and anxiety. Using chemicals regularly will lead to addiction and the brain will adapt to require the presence of the chemical to function normally (see the article on emotional memory). The only way for somebody to break free of the vicious cycle of bingeing and crashing is to receive comprehensive substance abuse treatment in a suitably qualified drug rehab center. Drug rehabilitation centers in South Africa are equipped to skillfully deal with co-occurring disorders and address the individual holistically, sensibly, and effectively.

If you would like help to address your depression or other mood disorder along with a substance abuse problem (alcohoism or addiction) then please contact us. We will be glad to help you find an addiction rehab center in South Africa that will help you address your depression and addiction simultaneously. It is very difficult to treat one of these problems without adequately dealing with the other. They are linked together and need to be treated together.

A comprehensive addiction treatment program offered at drug rehab facilities in South Africa will offer a blend of therapies chosen to address the many facets that make up an individual. Support groups, one-to-one therapy sessions, nutritional assessment, psychiatric evaluation, medical evaluation, yoga, equine therapy, art therapy, and other treatments await somebody who is admitted to an alcohol rehabilitation center in South Africa.

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