Drug Abuse or Addiction

Breaking a drug addiction cycle is difficult, but not impossible.

What you should be aware of when using drugs

Drug addiction, also known as substance use disorder*, is the compulsive use of a substance despite detrimental or dangerous consequences. It can affect anyone, regardless of socioeconomic status or class. The important characteristic is an underlying change in brain chemistry when drugs are used excessively. You learn to associate the pleasure of drug use with places, people and things. With this change in brain chemistry and paired associative learning, triggers are embedded into your brain. Each time you are triggered, you will experience cravings.

And the solution to quenching this craving? Relapsing back into drug use!

Repeated relapses and drug cravings, when exposed to a trigger, represent some of the physical symptoms of this brain chemistry change. 

Stopping the drug after frequent use leads to acute withdrawal symptoms. To avoid the uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms, you seek relief through, what else, drug use again!

The addictive cycle reinforces and strengthens itself. When you are caught in its destructive cycle, drug addiction affects your studies, career, relationships and finances. Effectively, it pervades every aspect of your life. 

* as defined in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5)

Signs and Symptoms of drug addiction/dependence

DSM-5 outlined 11 criteria as symptoms of drug addiction.  

• Taking the substance in larger amounts or for longer than intended to
• Unsuccessful attempts to cut down or stop using the substance
• Spending a lot of time getting, using, or recovering from the use of the substance
• Cravings and urges to use the substance
• Recurrent substance use results in failure to fulfil obligations at work, school or home.
• Continuing to use, even when it causes problems in relationships
• Important social, occupational or recreational activities are reduced or given up because of substance use
• Recurrent substance use in situations which are dangerous
• Continuing to use, even when you know you have problems that could have been caused or made worse by the substance
• Needing more of the substance to get the effect you want, or a diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of substance (tolerance)
• Development of withdrawal symptoms, which can be relieved by taking more of the substance.

 

Severity of substance use disorder

Breaking a drug addiction cycle is difficult, but not impossible. Help is available for the individual and family members here at WE CARE, in the form of addiction counselling, educational and therapy programmes and 12-Step self-help recovery support groups. 

 

Drug addiction is viewed as chronic and relapsing 

When you are actively using, addiction hijacks your brain, and makes drug-using its chief priority. During this cycle of active drug use, the brain undergoes chemistry changes where it associates pleasure with drug use and its environment. This memory association embeds itself as a trigger so that you are reminded of the pleasures of drug use. 

You will experience intense craving when the euphoria of the drug wears off. And when you undergo withdrawal, the pain of physical withdrawal symptoms is so great that, you have to use in order to avoid the pain. To address the physiological effects of drugs, you need to seek medical help for detoxification. 

After medical detoxification, the drugs will be expelled out of the body. But because of the brain chemistry changes, a drug user can be triggered by drug-related cues and stimuli, to use the drug again so as to relive the pleasures it brings. When you are triggered, you tend to display an optimistic bias and to ignore the risks and costs associated with drug use. The risk of relapse is increased if you are also undergoing a personal crisis. Counselling is helpful to address these psychological dependencies. 

 

Help and Treatment

Seek professional help early to reduce the harmful consequences and social and economic costs arising from excessive drug use. 

Screening - The aim of the initial session is to identify the presence of the drug use problems and/or effect of negative consequences of excessive drug use. Our professional WE CARE counsellor will screen for any other existing mental health conditions to gain a deeper understanding of our client. 

Assessment - This is a comprehensive understanding of the severity and depth of the drug use problem in the client's life situation. We also evaluate the individual's strengths, weaknesses, problems and needs so we can determine an effective solution. Potential risks, and how they are to be managed, will be integrated into the treatment planning. If medical detoxification is required, the client will be referred to the appropriate agency, as WE CARE does not offer medical detox services. Otherwise, a suitable treatment plan can proceed, after a discussion with the client, and with his approval. 

Treatment Planning + Counselling - Tailored to the client's needs, the treatment plan will also establish immediate and long-term goals. A discussion of WE CARE's holistic services is included in the treatment planning. The length of the recovery approach will depend, among other factors, on the intensity of the client's drug use problem. 

 

Your sessions with WE CARE counsellors are strictly private and confidential.

 

 

 

SOAR (Substance or Alcohol Recovery) Programme

The SOAR (Substance or Alcohol Recovery) Programme is a structured therapy programme designed for people with substance, prescription meds and/or alcohol abuse problems. Counselling is provided by trained addiction specialists.

The basic programme comprises:

• 6 individual sessions
• 2 family sessions (optional)
• 4 group sessions

Depending on their needs, some clients may require further sessions after the initial phase of the programme.

To download the SOAR flyer, click here. 

To make an appointment, call 3165 8017 or email: help@wecare.org.sg