The need for drug rehab to heal alcoholism and drug addiction goes far beyond physical reliance. There are often much deeper, underlying psychological issues that contribute to drinking and these factors need to be rooted out and addressed for recovery to be successful.
The psychological need or craving for drugs and alcohol is the most difficult part of the recovery process to treat. Oftentimes there is chemical imbalance present that may create mood disorders and a person will self-medicate with drugs and alcohol in order to stabilize their emotions. For instance, someone who is depressed may turn to stimulants to boost their mood while someone who suffers from anxiety may take a drink or a Xanax to calm down. Individuals may not even be aware they are using drugs and alcohol to balance out a chemical imbalance. In the process of self-medicating, they become addicted to drugs and alcohol. For this reason, it’s necessary for an individual to be properly diagnosed with a clinical evaluation for successful treatment in drug rehab and dual diagnosis .
A clinical evaluation is generally given by a psychologist using proven diagnostic tests to determine whether an underlying chemical imbalance is present that could be contributing to the addiction. If an individual is diagnosed with bi-polar disorder or anxiety in addition to alcoholism or drug addiction, this is referred to as dual diagnosis in drug rehab or co-occurring disorders. Once ...
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