Substance Abuse
Substance
Abuse also known as Drug
Abuse is when a person takes legal or illegal drugs/substances continuously
for the purposes of getting intoxicated even with the knowledge that it causes
serious mental or physical problems.
The
most Common types of Drugs/Substances abused by people
Alcohol
Wine, beer, spirits, home-brew (Kachasu),
some medicinal tonics and syrups e.g. cough syrups such as Bronco
Nicotine
Cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewed
tobacco, snuff, Cannabis, Marijuana (Mbanje), ganja, hashish,
Stimulants
Cocaine, crack, khat and "designer"
substances such as Amphetamines
Opioids
Codeine, heroin, morphine, opium,
buprenorphine, methadone, Pethidine
Depressants
Sleeping pills, benzodiazepine,
methaqualone, barbiturates, chloral hydrate
Hallucinogens
LSD, mescaline, psilocybin, peyote, ayahuasca
Volatile
inhalants
Aerosol sprays, butane gas, petrol,
glue, paint thinners, solvents, nitrites
Why
people abuse Substances or drugs
There are many reasons
why people end up abusing substances or drugs, the following are some of the
reasons or causes.
·
People use drugs to help them to address
medical and psychological problems such as taking sleeping pills to help them sleep or pain killers or cough syrups such as Woods or Bron-clear (Bronco) to cure a
cold.
·
Some people just use drugs because they
make them feel good. such substances may include beer, cough syrups like Bronco, mbanje or glue
·
People see family members, friends, role
models or entertainers using drugs and rationalize that they can too.
·
People
become bored and think drugs will help.
·
People
think drugs will help relieve stress.
·
People
figure if a drug is prescribed by a doctor, it must be ok.
·
People
get physically injured and unintentionally get hooked on prescribed drugs.
·
People
use drugs to cover painful memories in their past.
·
People
think drugs will help them fit in.
Symptoms
of substance abuse
Symptoms of substance
abuse are not always the same for all substances but are dependent on the
substance being abused. The following are the most common symptoms for most
substances/drugs abused
·
Loss of coordination (Munhu anotoshaya
kuiva kuti aripi kana kuti arikuitei, kutiota confusion cahaiyo kana adhakwa)
·
Distortions in the sense of time (Munhu
anotoshaya kuziva kuti masikati here kana kuti mangwanani)
·
Seeing or hearing things that are not
actually there after taking drugs
·
Sleepiness (munhu anongobatwa nehope
dzisingaperi kana panzimbo isina kufanira sekuti murikukurura motonzwa munhu
otorova ngonono)
·
Reddening of the eyes (maziso emunhu
anotsvuka zvakapfura mwero)
·
Increased appetite ( munhu anotanga
kunzwa nzara isingaperi)
·
Heightened feelings of happiness ( munhu
anotanga kunyatsonzwa kufara kunyangwe pasina zvingaite kuti munhu afare nazvo
How
to detect substance abuse issues in a person
The following are some
of the ways you can look for as signs that a person is now abusing substances
or drugs:
Inability to cease
using drugs. (Munhu anotadza kusiya kushandisa ma drugs acho kunya
Inability to meet
obligations at work, in the family or to friends ( Munhu anenge avekutadza
kuita basa rake nekuda kwekudhakwa)
Withdrawal symptoms
occur when drug use is stopped ( Munhu anenge asisade kugara panevamwe achida
kugara kwake ega)
Physical tolerance to
the effects of the drug
Compulsive use of the
drug, even when harmful consequences are recognized
Treatment
of substance abuse
A variety of treatment can be used to treat substance abuse
as follows
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT counselling) has
been shown to be effective in treating substance abuse issues. CBT helps the
individual to manage their thought patterns, essentially controlling negative
thought patterns that may lead to substance abuse or other destructive
behavior. Often, patients discover how to identify triggers that cause them to
use drugs, learning to better respond to them without turning to substance
abuse.
Motivational enhancement therapy (MET) is another
therapy often employed in drug abuse treatment. With MET, a therapist helps a
patient to tap into their personal motivations to resist drug use. According to
a study published in Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, those who participated
in MET experienced reduced rates of drug use, fewer arrests, and increased
compliance with treatment.
In addition to individual and group therapy, recovering
addicts benefit from family therapy. Since family members often serve as
the core support system for recovering individuals once they exit a rehab
program, it’s imperative that family members can understand the process of
recovery so they can best serve as sources of encouragement and support. Family
therapy can also be used to addressed underlying familial issues that may have
contributed to the substance abuse issue and repair relationships that were
damaged due to addiction.
Twelve-step programs, such as Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine
Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous, are considered excellent ways to extend and
complement the skills learned during a professional treatment program. However,
for most people, these programs do not provide all of the components needed for
successful recovery
Medicines. You may take medicines to help you quit or to help
you overcome withdrawal symptoms. Medicines often are used for addiction to
opiate drugs like heroin or certain painkillers. Medicines that can help you
include methadone (such as Dolophine) or naltrexone (such as ReVia)
Drug rehabilitation (often drug
rehab or just rehab) is a term for the
processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment,
for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or
amphetamines
Ways
of supporting someone with a substance abuse problem
if you suspect that a person has or is developing a substance
abuse problem do try to talk to them when they are drunk or high and do not try
talking to them when they are drinking alcohol such as talking to them at a
beer hall/bottle store.
Talk about the effect your friend's drinking or drug use has
on whatever the person cares about most like career or children. Your friend
may not be concerned about his or her situation, but may care deeply for the
children and what the problem may be doing to them.
Become aware of treatment or recovery resources available in
your community. Learn what treatment
resources (clinics, hospitals, NGOs) are available in your area so that you can
refer your friend to them for assistance.
If your friend does not want to go to the clinic, talk with
other people who know and care about your friend to see if they have other
ideas.
Avoid self-blame. You can support a person with a substance
abuse problem and encourage treatment, but you can't force an addict to change. You can't control your
loved one's decisions. Letting the person accept responsibility for his or her
actions is an essential step along the way to recovery.
