What Is Comorbidity?

The term “comorbidity” describes two or more disorders or illnesses occurring in the same person. They can occur at the same time or one after the other. Comorbidity also implies interactions between the illnesses that can worsen the course of both.

Is Drug Addiction a Mental Illness?

Yes. Addiction changes the brain in fundamental ways, disturbing a person’s normal hierarchy of needs and desires and substituting new priorities connected with procuring and using the drug. The resulting compulsive behaviors that weaken the ability to control impulses, despite the negative consequences, are similar to hallmarks of other mental illnesses.

How Common Are Comorbid Drug Addiction and Other Mental Illnesses?

Many people who are addicted to drugs are also diagnosed with other mental disorders and vice versa. For example, compared with the general population, people addicted to drugs are roughly twice as likely to suffer from mood and anxiety disorders, with the reverse also true.

Why Do These Disorders Often Co-occur?

Although drug use disorders commonly occur with other mental illnesses, this does not mean that one caused the other, even if one appeared first. In fact, establishing which came first or why can be difficult. However, research suggests the following possibilities for this common co-occurrence:

Drug abuse may bring about symptoms of another mental illness. Increased risk of psychosis in vulnerable marijuana users suggests this possibility.

Mental disorders can lead to drug abuse, possibly as a means of “self-medication.” Patients suffering from anxiety or depression may rely on alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs to temporarily alleviate their symptoms.

These disorders could also be caused by shared risk factors, such as—

Overlapping genetic vulnerabilities. Predisposing genetic factors may make a person susceptible to both addiction and other mental disorders or to having a greater risk of a second disorder once the first appears.

Overlapping environmental triggers. Stress, trauma (such as physical or sexual abuse), and early exposure to drugs are common environmental factors that can lead to addiction and other mental illnesses.

Involvement of similar brain regions. Brain systems that respond to reward and stress, for example, are affected by drugs of abuse and may show abnormalities in patients with certain mental disorders.

Drug use disorders and other mental illnesses are developmental disorders. That means they often begin in the teen years or even younger—periods when the brain experiences dramatic developmental changes. Early exposure to drugs of abuse may change the brain in ways that increase the risk for mental disorders. Also, early symptoms of a mental disorder may indicate an increased risk for later drug use.

How Are These Comorbid Conditions Diagnosed and Treated?

The high rate of comorbidity between drug use disorders and other mental illnesses calls for a comprehensive approach that identifies and evaluates both. Accordingly, anyone seeking help for either drug abuse/addiction or another mental disorder should be checked for both and treated accordingly.

Several behavioral therapies have shown promise for treating comorbid conditions. These approaches can be tailored to patients according to age, specific drug abused, and other factors. Some therapies have proven more effective for adolescents, while others have shown greater effectiveness for adults; some are designed for families and groups, others for individuals.

Effective medications exist for treating opioid, alcohol, and nicotine addiction and for alleviating the symptoms of many other mental disorders, yet most have not been well studied in comorbid populations. Some medications may benefit multiple problems. For example, evidence suggests that bupropion (trade names: Wellbutrin, Zyban), approved for treating depression and nicotine dependence, might also help reduce craving and use of the drug methamphetamine. More research is needed, however, to better understand how these medications work, particularly when combined in patients with comorbidities.

It is true that alcoholism is a major problem in the state of Alabama but more than the problem of alcohol addiction, what troubles more the society of Alabama is the fact that large number of addicts do not get adequate treatment for their addiction. The statistics state that around 246,000 people were troubled with the problem of alcoholism in the year 2005. Among that, a number as large as 229,000 addicts did not receive any help or rehab assistance. Hence it can be understood that proper treatment facilities were not available as such. As a result it is necessary to have proper alcohol rehabs in the state.

In most cases it has been found that people in Alabama do not take alcohol addiction seriously and they have a feeling that they can come out of their addiction problem without any professional help. However, that is not the actual case. It is true that alcohol abuse does not have the same social embarrassment associated as is the case with drug addiction. But one should remember that the consequences of alcohol addiction on the body can be very severe because it often leads to acute withdrawal symptoms.

Alcohol is a legal substance but that does not mean that you can take the de-addiction process lightly. In fact it is necessary to approach a professional treatment center to come out of alcoholism. As far as alcohol rehabs in Alabama are concerned, the programs offered generally include the inpatient treatment and outpatient treatment options.

The fact that you can get treatment based on your needs is an important reason for you to rejoice. That is an important factor that makes the treatment program overwhelmingly successful. Suppose you are an addict who is in the milder stages of addiction; in that case you can very well approach an alcohol rehab in Alabama which offers outpatient treatment to the addicts. In this mode of treatment you can continue your daily life and at the same time seek the requisite help for your problem.

On the other hand if you are an addict who is in the severe stages of addiction, it is better if you take the inpatient treatment. This is because during the advanced stages of addiction, it is mandatory that an addict receives constant care from the trained staffs of the treatment center. This is needed to tackle the withdrawal symptoms and prevent the addicts from falling back to their alcohol addiction.

Besides, there are various alcohol treatment centers in the state which adhere to Christian method of healing an addict. This method is aimed to bring about changes in a person by following religious approach and inspire him to lead a healthy life.

There may be several reasons why an individual resorts to alcoholism. It may be depression, work pressure, peer pressure, set back in relationships, stress in life and a lot more. Along with adults, today more and more youngsters are getting addicted to alcohol. Whatever is the reason of addiction, it is advised that the moment you notice the symptoms of alcoholism in a person, you should immediately seek the help of an alcohol addiction treatment center.

Dependency on drugs can affect anyone and affects a lot more people than the statistics tell us. When I talk about drugs I mean all drugs, legal and illegal. This could be cocaine, cannabis, alcohol, tobacco and even prescription drugs. We could even be talking about caffeine here. Strangely it’s the legal ones that cause the most problems in society, alcohol and tobacco being the main offenders. You only have to read the UK’s top expert Professor Nuts reports to see this. But then you only have to drive around most towns late on a Friday or Saturday to see for yourself the problems it causes. Or ask any nurse or doctor. They see thousands of people suffering from heath problems caused by alcohol and tobacco.

Alcohol is one of the worst drugs out there but because its legal people think it’s ok to take it. But if your alcohol use has a negative effect on you, such as wanting to take more, then you are probably suffering from drug dependency. The symptoms are easy to see. If you can’t go a few days without alcohol then you have a dependency on the drug. You could also be dependant if you only have one pint a week on a Sunday for instance. If you miss that Sunday and suffer from withdrawal symptoms then you have a once a week dependency on the drug. The withdrawal symptoms are symptoms such as sweating, shaking and feeling sick. If you feel like this when you have missed your daily/week or monthly dose of your chosen drug then you are definitely dependent on it. If you feel irritable, depressed or tired then you have a psychological dependency. Either way it is a problem and could lead to much more serious issues later in life, so getting yourself off the drug should be top of your priority.

The first step to recovery of any drug is acceptance. Until you admit to yourself that you have a problem only then can you get help. Detoxification and psychotherapy are some of the options used to treat drug dependency. The main goal is complete abstinence and to get this far will not be easy. Support from family and friends is very important and if your friends are drug takers then you may need to distance yourself from these people and find new friends. Finding a support group will other like minded people should be part of the plan. Opening up and talking about your problems is not so difficult if you are talking to people who are or have gone through the same issues.

Today there are lots of services available for treating drug problems. There are plenty of private clinics or hospital some of which specialist in particular drugs. With the internet you can now join online communities which can also be a great support. You are not alone, so don’t feel ashamed. Sadly drug use such as alcohol is widely accepted as part of our society, but it is a serious problem. You should ask yourself if alcohol were invented in this day and age, would it be legal and what class would be put under? You only have to watch someone walking down the street after a few too many to see that it’s a seriously mind altering drug which should not be legal.