Early 5 Stages of Addiction Most People Tend to Ignore

Fighting addiction is hard, and recognizing that you are suffering from it is even more challenging. What starts as fun and intentionally ignoring the 5 stages of addiction may lead to an unfulfilled life. 

Addiction can happen to anyone regardless of background, ethnicity, or social status. Falling prey to substance dependence might not be your fault, but ruining your life by not giving up an addiction may cost you an unhappy future.

According to the CDC government (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), approximately 71,000 people died from a drug overdose, making it a leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States.

So, learn with us what are the early 5 stages of addiction to help you save your life from addiction and mental illness.

 

                 

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Stage4: Tolerance and Dependence 

Tolerance happens when a user feels unwell until he/she takes an increased dose level. Regular use increases psychological and physical reliance on drugs. Thus, users must intake higher, stronger, and more frequent doses to reach the same physical response and mental relief. 

Tolerance is categorized as short-term, long-term, or learned based on the type of substance and period required to develop tolerance.  Dependence is when a person stops substance intake and their body withdraws. Withdrawal is the combination of physical and mental responses that appear when a person stops or lessens drug use. As a result, the user’s body requires a drug dose to avoid withdrawal symptoms. 

 

 

Intensity and type of withdrawal symptoms vary concerning the type of drug. The most common withdrawal symptoms include:

• Congestion
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Muscle pain
• Nausea
• Changes in appetite, 
• Restlessness
• Irritability

Coping with withdrawal symptoms alone is difficult as some intense symptoms force relapse. Do you have drug dependence? Feel welcome to contact ChoicePoint Health; we’ll help you cope.

 

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Stage5: Substance Use Disorder

At the final stage, the substance of choice becomes a part of the patient’s life. Patients cannot live and perform everyday life functions without intaking them. Patients continue taking drugs despite devastating consequences on mental and physical health, personal relationships, and social image. If you have ignored the earlier four stages of addiction, you don’t need to worry, as you still have a chance to cure it. 

Substance use treatment requires:

• Detox
• Medication-assisted addiction treatment
• Therapeutic counseling

Moreover, you must take the various behavior-changing therapies for changing the destructive mindset with constructive ones for lifelong recovery. 

 

Conclusion: Recognizing the 5 Stages of Addiction

 

At ChoicePoint, we provide all personalized addiction treatment programs, including telephone-based treatment and outpatient and intensive outpatient addiction treatment programs. Patients can avail these programs according to their schedule and comfort. We start the process of treating addiction by knowing the underlying causes of addiction. Our seasoned therapists spend time with each patient through individualized therapy programs and correlate with medical experts and detox specialists to design your addiction recovery plan.