Teaching Yourself About Addiction

Addiction can be a hard thing to understand. Countless taboos, stereotypes and assumptions surround the topic of addiction, making it difficult to know what is true and what is false, especially if it is something you have never experienced yourself.

When you are faced with a loved one battling addiction, or you find yourself personally struggling with addictive substances, it can be helpful to educate yourself. By learning what addiction is, how it affects the brain and what steps you need to take to overcome it, you can become an asset to both your own and another’s recovery journey.

Addiction topics to research

If you’re unfamiliar with addiction as a whole, begin by researching just that — “What is addiction?” You will learn how addiction isn’t ever something someone chooses, but a slippery slope you may slide down. You can research how substances like drugs and alcohol affect the brain and make it incredibly challenging to recover from – simply because overcoming addiction requires a complete rewiring of the brain and retraining of the body’s reward systems.

You can research specific drugs and learn what impacts they have on the body, including long and short-term effects and withdrawal symptoms. You can self-educate on dual diagnosis, and begin to understand how certain risk factors make some people more prone to addiction than others, especially those who have a pre-existing mental health illness. You might also research holistic methods used in recovery, and tips for making sobriety a permanent lifestyle.

How can I educate myself about addiction?

There are countless ways to self-educate on addiction, including researching on your own or even speaking with an addiction counselor.

Surf the internet

With all the sources of the internet at our fingertips, we have access to information about addiction from a number of reputable places, including:

• Mayo Clinic
• The National Institute on Drug Abuse
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Addiction Center

There are countless more sources on the web with a plethora of helpful information, including the websites of individual addiction treatment centers, such as Freedom Detox. Just be sure that the sources you take information from are reputable, to ensure you’re getting the correct, scientific facts.

Have a conversation with others

There are many people in this world who struggle with addiction or have had experiences with a loved one and addiction. You may be able to learn a great deal of information just by talking to those you come in contact with. Sometimes, personal experiences are far more enlightening than those you’ll find in the resources on the Internet.

By talking with someone else, you can find recommendations on where to find the best help and tips on what worked for them and what didn’t when overcoming addiction.

Rehabilitation programs

Whether you or someone you know are battling addiction, learning more about rehab and detox programs can help and provide you with options for support and treatment. Even if you’re not the one struggling with addiction, there are meetings you can attend to gain information and learn how to support a loved one. Look for accredited treatment centers in your area, or even see if a treatment center has the option of teletherapy so you can receive the best care from the comfort of home.

Work with a counselor

Choosing a therapist you work well with can help you find the information you need, in addition to helping you achieve a successful, maintained recovery. You might even want to find a therapist to meet with regularly for the sake of your own mental health while dealing with a loved one struggling with addiction. Plus, meeting with a therapist during active addiction can put you on the right path towards treatment and sobriety long-term.

Looking for more information, or for help with addiction?

No matter if you are simply trying to learn more about addiction for education’s sake, are trying to better understand the struggle of a loved one or are wanting to self-educate because you yourself are fighting addiction, there are resources and people available to help.

Freedom Detox provides educational resources on our blog, therapy for families and personalized, individual detox treatment for individuals seeking mental and physical health care. Contact us anytime by visiting our website or calling our office at 800-475-2312 to get in touch with someone about addiction and recovery today.