Substance abuse disorder, a disease that has come down to us from ancient times, traces its origins to the era of the Egyptian pharaohs’ reign. Strangely enough, it was the rulers of ancient civilizations who were the first substance abusers on Earth, subjecting their bodies to various toxins and spreading harmful habits among their subjects.
In modern understanding, substance abuse refers to a person’s addiction to psychoactive substances that do not belong to the category of narcotics. It has been proven that substance abuse destroys personality, causing serious mental disorders and imposing certain physical limitations on the patient.
Types of Substance Abuse
Abuse of tranquilizers. Pathological dependence with the abuse of tranquilizers occurs quite rarely, but over time, a person undergoes drastic personality changes. Increased irritability, egotism, and narrowing of interests are just some of the consequences of this type of substance abuse.
Abuse of CNS stimulants. Substance abuse caused by excessive use of central nervous system stimulants is very similar to the development of drug addiction. The patient constantly increases the doses of drugs and eventually cannot give them up. The simplest CNS stimulants are coffee, energy drinks, and other substances that provide alertness, increase productivity, and improve mood.
Abuse of antiparkinsonian drugs. Parkinson’s disease is well known, and this type of substance abuse is associated with neuroleptics prescribed by doctors for its treatment. Neuroleptics induce euphoria, make the world brighter and more sophisticated, but after the effect wears off, the patient feels exhausted and often falls into depression.
Inhalation of industrial and household chemicals. Various lacquer and paint materials, gasoline, solvents – all of these cause intoxication, allowing a person to relax and forget about pressing problems. However, over time, the patient develops problems with the functioning of internal organs and sensory organs. Given the accessibility and affordability, this type of substance abuse is most often found in children and adolescents.
Nicotine addiction. Smoking tobacco products is also a form of substance abuse that reduces a person’s efficiency and disturbs their psyche.
Polytoxicomania. Polytoxicomania is an addiction to several psychoactive substances simultaneously.
Signs of Substance Abuse
Harmful habits do not go unnoticed, so the problem can be identified at an early stage of development.
Sudden mood swings.
Slowed speech, reaction, deterioration of cognitive function.
Physical signs: exhaustion, tooth loss, premature aging.
Specific odor from the patient, explained by the rapid absorption of substances into the blood with their subsequent distribution throughout the body.
Regular euphoria.
Treatment of Substance Abuse
Substance abuse disorder is a disease that is practically impossible to get rid of at home, so its treatment in the vast majority of cases is carried out in a hospital setting.
Treatment of substance abuse proceeds through several stages. At the first stage, doctors neutralize the action of psychoactive substances in the body, then bring the patient to a normal mental state and suppress their addiction to psychoactive drugs.
After undergoing all the procedures, the patient awaits prevention and final rehabilitation. Prevention of substance abuse is carried out only by qualified doctors and psychologists, and if successful, the patient never returns to this problem again.