Drug + Alcohol Rehab Near Mesa, Arizona

So many misconceptions surround addiction, despite decades of research that have shed more light on it. We have a much greater understanding of how addiction occurs and why than we did even a few decades ago, but despite that, people worry about stigma, which can serve as a barrier to treatment.

Addiction isn’t a lack of willpower or a personal failing. It’s a complicated disorder that causes changes in the brain. Even when someone wants to quit using drugs or alcohol, these brain changes make it difficult.

The defining characteristics of addiction are compulsive, out-of-control substance seeking and use, even though known harmful effects come with it.

Repeated use of certain substances affects the parts of the brain that play a role in self-control. Brain changes can be ongoing for some people, leading to relapses. While relapse can occur after treatment, it’s not inevitable. It also doesn’t mean treatment was a failure, but rather that the treatment plan needs to be adjusted.

Most addictive drugs, as well as alcohol, affect the reward circuit in the brain. They flood the brain with dopamine and other feel-good chemical messengers. The reward system is heavily affected by dopamine surges, leading to reinforcement of the behaviors. That causes someone to repeat these pleasurable activities repeatedly, even though they’re harmful.

As someone continues using drugs or alcohol, the brain adapts to their presence. Then, the high that person felt when first using a substance doesn’t occur anymore, so they might use more and more to try and achieve those initial effects. It also becomes increasingly difficult to experience pleasure from other things in life with repeated substance exposure.

Areas of the brain controlling learning, judgment, decision-making, behavior, memory, and stress can all be affected by drug use.

Seven Arrows Recovery offers programs including medical detoxification, residential inpatient care, and dual diagnosis treatment if you are looking for addiction treatment in Mesa or nearby.