What is Substance Use Disorder?
Substance Use Disorder is a mental disorder in which a person has lost their ability to control the use of legal or illegal substances. Addiction is the most severe form of substance use disorder. There are many causes to why a person may start to use substances such as: stress, relationships, work, change in health conditions whether it’s physical or mental, etc. Environmental factors and genetic factors play a huge role in the cause of mental health disorders. Some mental health conditions that can cause people to struggle with substance abuse can be depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, anxiety, personality disorders, etc. Not all people with mental health disorders use substances and vice versa, however, it is more common for people with disorders to abuse substances as it can temporarily relieve symptoms of their disorder.
When to ask for help?
If you find that you are experiencing the following, you may want to seek help:
- Extreme cravings for the substance
- Feeling like you need to use the substance daily
- Needing to use more of the drug to feel the same effect
- Spending money on the substance, even when you can’t afford it
- Continuing to use the substance when it’s causing problems
- Always having a supply of the substance
- Canceling events or missing work to use the substance
- Being unable to stop the use of the substance
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not using the substance
There are many treatment options available for people suffering from mental health disorders or substance use disorder such as:
- Medication Assistant Therapy
- Rehab/Detox treatment center
- Seeing a psychiatrist
- Seeing a therapist
- Doing an in-patient or out-patient treatment program
You don’t have to suffer alone. Knowing when you need help and reaching out when you do, is the key to stopping the suffering. There are many resources out there to help, so doing the proper research to find the best fit for you can help you on your journey to recovery.
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