News / Health & Wellness
A Disease With Bad Behavior
When a loved one’s cancer or heart disease causes problems, we’re compassionate. It’s not the same when that loved one is battling the disease of addiction.
Illness doesn’t just affect those who are sick, it affects all those around them as well, creating a hardship on the whole family. But when an individual gets a diagnosis of cancer or suffers a heart attack, loved ones are usually sympathetic. When someone is battling the disease of addiction, support is harder to come by, in part due to misunderstandings about the nature of substance abuse and frustration at the behaviors that often accompany it.
Need for Addiction Treatment
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that 23.6 million Americans age 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol abuse problem, but only 10.8 percent of this population received treatment at a facility specializing in the treatment of substance abuse disorders. That would be unheard of, if we were talking about any other disease, but addiction also brings with it a lot of denial. It also can lead to job loss, relationship issues, and financial and health problems. These can lead to shame, making treatment even less likely.
Despite its differences, addiction is a disease and responds best to professional treatment, whether in a residential or outpatient setting. Treatment is the best insurance against relapse, and the best shot at long-term sobriety and health.
Addiction Treatment
If you or someone you love is battling an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
