The Drug Addiction Support Center

Every person is unique, but when you face a challenge like drug addiction, you are never alone. Countless men and women have faced exactly the same problem and have survived and thrived. The following guide is designed to help you navigate your journey with the best information and resources that helped other survivors when they faced the same challenge.

TSC has scoured the Web to gather links to the very best drug addiction resources: articles, blogs, forums, and tools that can help you make better decisions and take action to overcome the range of physical, emotional, and other challenges you're facing now.

As you’ll see, we always welcome your ideas and suggestions to make this drug addiction duide even more helpful to survivors like you.

JUST FOUND OUT

Survivors Say: Best Resources for Drug Addiction

• Narcotics Anonymous
• National Institute on Drug Abuse
• MedlinePlus: Drug Abuse

The Big Picture

Many people do not understand why others become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to encourage compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and resume their productive lives. Here's a list of commonly abused drugs from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Signs of Drug Addiction

• Mayoclinic.com: Drug Addiction - Symptoms
• American Council for Drug Education-Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use

Your Drug Addiction

It helps to understand more about drug addiction as you start your survivor journey toward recovery. This page, from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, can be very helpful:

Understanding Addiction

When you're ready to admit that you have a drug problem, this page can help you understand how to stop using drugs:

Partnership for a Drug-Free America: I Have a Drug or Alcohol Problem

5 Questions You Should Ask Your Drug Addiction Treatment Provider

• Does the drug treatment program have an on-site detox center?
• Is the program accredited and licensed?
• Does the program offer individualized treatment plans?
• Does the program offer an extensive after-care program?
• Will my health insurance cover my treatment?

For more questions to talk through with your doctor (or a loved one) go to:

PBS.org - Second Opinion - Addiction - What Your Doctor Should Ask You

Your World

Leaving a drug addiction behind can be very difficult emotionally, as feelings you may have controlled with drugs come to the surface. (In fact, experts often refer to drug abuse as a form of "self-medication" against difficult emotions or memories.) Your body will also need to withdraw from having drugs in your system, and that too can unleash a lot emotionally. It can help to share what you're going through with others who've been in the same boat:

MDjunction.com: Drug Addiction Support Group

How to Explain Your Diagnosis to Your Friends and Family

It can be very hard to tell your friends and family that you are addicted to drugs; this site will help you tackle this delicate subject so those closest to you will understand what you are going through and how best to support you:

eHow.com: How to Explain a Drug Addiction to Loved Ones

Drug Addiction Myths

• "Drug addiction is a voluntary problem."
• "Detox and rehab work every time."
  "People with drug addiction only need to stop taking the drugs and they'll recover."
• "People who relapse are hopeless cases."

For more, check out these links:

• HBO "Addiction" - Understanding Addiction
• DrugFree.org - Myths and Facts - Drug Abuse - Treatment

Survivors say these are the best guides for those working to end a drug addiction

• National Institute on Drug Abuse: Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research Based Guide
• NIDA InfoFacts: Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction

Types of Treatments

This article provides a good summary of the different types of treatments available for drug addiction, which usually includes a combination of inpatient or outpatient treatment (for detoxing/withdrawal from drugs); medications like naltrexone or methadone; 12-step program approaches; and/or individual or group therapy:

• Partnership for a Drug-Free America: Types of Treatment
• Partnership for a Drug-Free America: 13 Questions to Ask When Choosing an Addiction Treatment Program

Holistic Treatments

Natural therapies for treating drug addiction are becoming popular; these therapies focus on healing body, mind, and spirit:

Howstuffworks.com: Alternative Medicines for Alcohol & Drug Addiction

Creating a Support Circle

• Set up your TSC survivor profile.
• Join support groups of other survivors or start your own.
• Interact with other groups and survivors and provide updates on your recovery.

Insurance, Work & Money Matters

Insurance – Not all health insurance providers cover treatment for drug addiction. This page from Betty Ford Center President and CEO, John Schwarzlose explains what you can do to fight for fairness:

Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation

Work – Do you know what you're entitled to when it comes to your job (and more)? Find out here:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Are You in Recovery from Alcohol or Drug Problems? Know Your Rights

Health-care Providers Who Can Help

Physicians certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) are specially trained in dealing with drug dependency:

ASAM Certification

Resources for Finding Treatment

• Drug-rehabs.com
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator
• Addictionsearch.com

Books Suggested by Survivors

• Addict In The Family: Stories of Loss, Hope, and Recovery by Beverly Conyers
• 800 Meters: A Journey of Addiction Recovery and Redemption by Mikael D. Luman
• How to Quit Drugs for Good: A Complete Self-Help Guide by Jerry Dorsman
• Overcoming Prescription Drug Addiction: A Guide to Coping and Understanding by Rod Colvin

Communicating with Your Health-care Providers

• Share with your doctor any other symptoms you have, or conditions you've been diagnosed with; many people addicted to drugs also suffer from other health conditions.
• Ask questions if there's anything about your treatment plan you don't understand.
• Let your doctor know immediately if the urge to do drugs again is becoming overwhelming.

Dealing with Drug Addiction: Information for Co-Survivors

How to Help

• Connect with other co-survivors.
• Share your journey as a co-survivor, or share how you got through your own health crisis or another hardship.
• Talk about the benefits of recovery from drug addiction.

What to Say

• "I'll help you get through this."
• "How can I help you stay strong?"
• "Your health is important to me."

What Not to Say

• "Just stop taking the drugs."
• "If you had willpower, this wouldn't be an issue."
• "You're hopeless."

Things You Can Do for a Survivor Today and Every Day

• Tell them you love them.
• Call or email with offers of help or support.
• Let them know that they can count on you.

How to Build a Support Network

• Set up a TSC co-survivor profile for yourself.
• Start a drug addiction support group for your loved one.
• Provide updates and interact with your group.

How Can You Help at This Stage?

• Help your survivor avoid potential triggers.
• Accompany them to doctor visits.
• Encourage them to live healthy by making it easier to exercise and eat right.

When you are addicted to drugs you may think that you will never live a normal life again. Don’t give up hope! Recovery is possible and while the road is not an easy one, you can make your way to long-term recovery -- as thousands have before you. Take things one day at a time, build a strong support system, and you will discover that a healthier life is within your reach.

Best Ways to Thrive

• Stay in touch with your emotions; don't try to tamp them down.
• Accept help when you need it.
• Fight against relapse, but understand that it does occur and it doesn't mean that you are weak.
• Maintain hope.
• Connect with other survivors of drug addiction.

Preventing a relapse into drug dependence can be a tremendous challenge, but there are resources to help:

• Drugfree.org: How to Cope with Life After Treatment
• Dual Recovery Anonymous - Relapse Prevention
• Yahoo! Recovery Support Group Listing

Never lose hope; new treatments are being developed all the time:

National Institute on Drug Abuse: Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction

Give Back

Once you overcome your addiction to drugs, you will have knowledge and experience that others may find inspiring on their own road to recovery. One of the greatest gifts you could give is to offer your guidance to those who desperately need it now. Become a Survivor Mentor on TSC and help others with the struggle that you have battled and won.

Untreated drug addiction can lead to a host of health problems and being high makes it more likely you'll experience an accident that could seriously hurt your health, or even kill you. And, of course, you could die from the drugs themselves, if you overdose (OD).

But treatment -- even if you have to go through it multiple times because you've relapsed -- does work for a great many people. For treatment to be effective you will have to accept that you have a problem that requires a lifelong commitment to overcome.

If you have lost someone to drugs, consider creating a memorial to them on Drugfree.org:

Memorials