What is Drug Abuse?
Abusing drugs can have serious complications for your well-being. Get In TouchBy John Gillen - Last Updated: March 17, 2022
Clinically Reviewed on by Dr Alexander Lapa (Psychiatrist). All information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional.
Abusing drugs can have severe consequences for your well-being and mental health. This is because drugs have major physical and psychological effects on a person’s brain, resulting in behavioural changes such as paranoia, secrecy, over-confidence, irritability, mood swings, anxiety and depression.
Addictive substances can also have long-lasting physical effects on the body depending on the substance being taken and the length of time it is used for. It can be difficult to come to terms with drug abuse and to point out the signs of it in a loved one – this is where we can help at Ocean Recovery through our rehab programmes.
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Signs of Drug Abuse
Common signs that you or a relative may require help or rehabilitation for drug abuse include:
- Attending work, college, university etc. under the influence of drugs
- Behavioural changes such as secrecy, aggression, paranoia, wearing long-sleeved clothing to cover the body, lack of motivation, change in eating patterns or no appetite, loss of libido, lying about drug use, weight loss and depression
- Attempting to carry on with normal life under the influence of drugs
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not taking drugs
- Extreme depression and/or suicidal thoughts
- Runny nose frequently (common with cocaine addiction)
- Coordination issues
- Bloodshot eyes often
- Extreme and sudden changes in weight
- Irregular sleeping patterns
- Marks on the skin
These are just a few of the potential physical and psychological symptoms of drug abuse. If you suspect that someone you care about is abusing drugs, or if you are yourself, get in touch with us today before things spiral out of control, to the point where drug abuse becomes drug addiction.
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Start your Recovery - Call us nowWhat Causes Drug Abuse?
There have been many studies on what causes people to abuse drugs. They have found a number of common genetic and environmental factors. Below is a small selection of the common factors some people may have experienced causing them to abuse drugs:
- A family history of addiction – many addicts have parents or siblings that are/were also addicts.
- A history of mental illness – many addicts use drugs to try and self-medicate for mental health issues.
- Traumatic life events – people handle trauma differently and some will try to use drugs to cope with it.
- A history of abuse or domestic violence
- No social support – a lack of friends or family can lead to people finding comfort in drugs.
- Poverty or homelessness – extreme life situations can
How Drug Abuse Turns into Addiction
If someone is abusing drugs, they are either taking illegal substances to get a ‘fix’ or ‘high’ or are taking prescription medication in a different way or in greater amounts than that advised by their doctor. If action isn’t taken, these behaviours can quickly escalate into drug addiction.
Those who are addicted to drugs have consuming thoughts and behaviours surrounding their drug abuse, with severe physical and mental health consequences. Typically, those who have an addiction to drugs will start to experience withdrawal symptoms when they are not taking them.
The types of side effects experienced will vary greatly depending on a person’s age, build and tolerance to the drugs they are abusing. Typical physical side effects include raised blood pressure, heart palpitations, loss of libido, abdominal pain, appetite loss, nausea and weight loss.
Psychological side effects that can greatly affect the personal relationships of a user include increased mood swings, anxiety, irritability, repetitive behaviour, delusions and paranoia. If you or your relative has been exhibiting such symptoms as a result of drug abuse or addiction, get in touch with us today to see how we can help.
At Ocean Recovery, we have a calming retreat where we can help you or a loved one focus on recovery in a tranquil and luxurious environment with continuous support.
Rehab for Drug Abuse at Ocean Recovery
We offer bespoke rehab programmes for drug abuse, depending on how often you abuse drugs and the substance you are using. We will create a bespoke care plan that is based on your specific needs. We might decide that you require detoxification as part of the process. This is followed by a rehab programme and aftercare workshops.
We offer our clients in-client treatment at our centre, so we can focus on your drug rehab programme properly by having you stay with us in luxurious and comfortable accommodation.
How long you stay is up to you, but we will advise how long we think you need based on your initial consultation with us. Most rehab programmes take up to 28 days.
At Ocean Recovery, we can help you live a life that is free from the oppression of drug abuse. We believe in demonstrating compassion and respect towards others and offer to calm and renewing rehab treatments in homely accommodation based in Blackpool, with beautiful vistas overlooking the sea and Blackpool Beach.
You will receive the highest standards of treatment from our outstanding staff, who have been chosen for their discreet and professional nature, as well as their compassion towards others. They are there to motivate and support you in your rehab journey while offering guidance.
Other therapies we use include group speech therapy sessions, optional speech sessions with your family, and cognitive behavioural therapy to help you understand why you have been abusing drugs and the choices you have made to date.
If you think you might need help or rehabilitation for drug abuse, contact us at Ocean Recovery. We believe that any drug abuser can be cured with the right help and support, and our professional team are waiting to hear from you so they can help you begin your journey to sobriety.
We don’t just focus on healing the physical symptoms of drug abuse – we are aware that drug abuse affects the mind even more than the body. Together we will help you combat your desire for drugs so that you have a clear mind and can tackle your cravings with ease and strength.
Our well-qualified, helpful and supportive staff are why we have been able to successfully cure so many people of their drug abuse. All of our staff members are totally committed to their clients at all times. Contact us today at Ocean Recovery to see how we can help you break free from drug abuse.
Areas We Cover
See below list of just some of the locations our leading alcohol rehab service covers in the United Kingdom.
- Rehab in Liverpool
- Rehab in Manchester
- Rehab in Birmingham
- Rehab in Nottingham
- Rehab in Glasgow
- Rehab in Cardiff
- Rehab in Bristol
- Rehab in Blackpool
- Rehab in Cumbria
- Rehab in Lancashire
- Rehab in Merseyside
- Rehab in Cheshire
- Rehab in Yorkshire
- Rehab in West Midlands
- Rehab in North East
- Rehab in Surrey
- Rehab in Essex
- Rehab in London
John Gillen - Author - Last updated: March 17, 2022
John is one UK’s leading professionals in the addiction recovery industry. Pioneering new treatment techniques such as NAD+ and ongoing research into new therapy techniques such as systematic laser therapy, John is committed to providing the very best treatment for people throughout the UK and Europe. During his extremely busy schedule, John likes to regularly update our blog section with the latest news and trends in the industry to keep visitors to our site as well informed as possible on everything related to addiction treatment.
Dr Alexander Lapa (Psychiatrist) - Clinical Reviewer - Last reviewed:
MBBS, PG Dip Clin Ed, OA Dip CBT, OA Dip Psychology, SCOPE Certified
Dr Lapa graduated in Medicine in 2000 and since this time has accrued much experience working in the widest range of psychiatric settings with differing illness presentations and backgrounds in inpatient, community and secure settings. This has been aligned to continuation of professional development at postgraduate level in clinical research which has been very closely related to the everyday clinical practice conducted by this practitioner as a NHS and Private Psychiatrist.
He is fully indemnified by the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS) and MIAB Expert Insurance for Psychiatric and Private Medical practice. He is fully registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) in the UK with a licence to practice.
Dr Lapa is approved under Section 12(2) of the Mental Health Act (1983)
Member of Independent Doctors Federation (IDF), British Association for Psychopharmacology (BMA) and The Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO)
Dr Lapa’s extensive experience has also concentrated on the following areas of clinical practice:
– Assessment, Diagnosis and Pharmacological Treatment for Adults with ADHD.
– Drug and Alcohol Dependency and maintaining abstinence and continued recovery
– Intravenous and Intramuscular Vitamin and Mineral Infusion Therapy
– Dietary and Weight Management and thorough care from assessment to treatment to end goals and maintenance
– Aesthetic Practice and Procedures
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