Drug Addiction and Rehab in Durham, NC – (919) 267-1662

An addiction to drugs or alcohol can be incredibly difficult to overcome, both because of a physical dependence on the substance as well as a mental dependence. For the vast majority of addicts, treatment in a quality, professional drug addiction and rehab facility is essential to quitting substance abuse for good. Without help from a rehab center, your chance of relapse skyrockets to 60 percent or more. 

How Does an Addiction Develop?

Addiction is a complicated process; and although it looks the same in most addicts, the factors that contributed to its development vary greatly from person to person. While most experts agree that the physical dependence on a substance develops before a mental addiction, the causes of the mental addiction were often in place even long before the first time an addict used. 

Physical dependence develops as your body and brain develop a tolerance to a drug. Whether you have used a street drug such as cocaine, heroin, or meth, or a prescription medication — even legally — any synthetic drug will actually alter the way that your brain works to compensate for the effects of the drug on your brain. Over time, your brain will be unable to sustain the compensatory effects, and brain structure will become altered as you need to take more of a substance to feel the ‘high’ – or even to feel and act ‘normal’. These changes can become permanent with long-term use. 

Mental addiction, however, can be even more complicated than physical dependence. This explains why many people can become severely addicted to things that normally shouldn’t be addictive, such as eating, shopping, or playing video games. Psychosocial factors, often having to do with things such as income level, your peer group, or whether or not your parents used, are usually major factors in addiction. However, the underlying causes are different for everyone, which is why a holistic approach to treatment is universally acknowledged as the most effective approach. 

A Holistic Approach to Drug Addiction and Rehab 

In any medical field, holism refers to the practice of looking at each individual as a whole, rather than just as a collection of symptoms. A quality rehab program will address the psychological and spiritual aspects of a person as well as the physical to help determine the true cause of an addiction. As such, each treatment is specifically tailored to each individual, utilizing natural treatments and alternative therapies, such as art, music, or equine therapies, whenever possible.

Addiction aftercare is also necessary to help prevent relapse after rehab. Aftercare can involve gradually introducing addicts back into society and normal life, helping them remember the coping techniques and trigger avoidance strategies they learned during treatment, and simply providing a support system and a new social circle. At Durham Drug Rehab Centers, we understand the importance of a holistic approach to rehab and addiction aftercare afterward. Contact us today at (919) 267-1662 to get your individualized treatment started, and find the path to a drug-free and more rewarding life.