For a Drug Addict, the Clock is Always Ticking

Posted by Tony Bylsma on April 17, 2010 under Effective Drug Detox Rehab | Read the First Comment

When is the best time to seek effective detox rehab for drug addiction?

Ask Michael Jackson. Ask Corey Haim. Ask Heath Ledger. Ask the hundreds of thousands who die every year from addiction to alcohol, prescription drugs and nicotine. Probably 90% of those who die from drug abuse and addiction each year in the U.S. know there is something wrong long before they die.

But they continue to make the same mistakes and they continue to show up on the news and in the obituaries.

There are several important reasons why time is of the essence when dealing with addiction to drugs or alcohol;

• Addiction is progressive.

The longer the addict uses, the stronger the urges become. And when he gets away with certain risky behaviors, those activities can begin to seem more normal. What was unacceptable before becomes common as the addicted person sinks deeper and deeper into the abyss.

Therefore, getting treatment NOW makes a full recovery more likely. The sooner the better—tomorrow will be even more difficult than today!

• The user’s body builds a tolerance.

The poisonous nature of drugs of abuse is one that is overlooked too often. When a poison enters the body, the body has to fight of the effects in order to survive. If it isn’t a fatal dose, there is new resistance built up in the body to that particular toxin. So the next time he takes it, the addict does not experience quite the same effect.  What is the usual response to the reduced high? Of course, take more of the toxin. Every day gone by increases the chances of permanent nerve or lung or liver damage.

• As addiction increases, awareness of the danger decreases.

This is probably the most deadly of the progressive aspects of addiction. Over time, the use of dangerous drugs becomes more and more casual. Drug use seems increasingly normal to the addict. Before long, the fact that deadly poisons are being eaten or snorted or injected or smoked seems like a usual activity and extremely risky behaviors now appear safe.

This is NOT because they ARE safe, they are actually becoming more and more dangerous as the dosage increases. But they SEEM safe to the addict. His or her awareness of the reality of drug addiction is decreasing.

The longer the addict waits to get treatment, the harder it could be. Obviously, there is no better time to seek detox rehab for drug addiction than today, now.