Substance abuse and mental health disorders require lifelong management and treatment. Treatments, including inpatient and outpatient care and a recreation therapy program, can greatly improve your chances of successfully recovering at a structured sober living program in Northern IL.
In the United States, tens of millions of adults struggle with substance abuse and mental health disorders each year. Both mental health and substance abuse disorders are chronic and incurable, which is why early treatment is incredibly important. Mental health conditions and addiction worsen over time. The longer you neglect treatment, the more severe symptoms become.
Substance abuse disorders have reached epidemic rates in the United States as drug overdoses have become the leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50. Drug overdoses are now the overall leading cause of accidental death nationwide.
Mental Health Disorders
Mental health disorders can interfere with your thinking process, mood, and judgment. Many mental health disorders create disruptive and damaging neurotransmitter imbalances. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are responsible for positive emotions, like happiness, relaxation, and euphoria. Some of the most common mental health disorders are:
- Depression and major depressive disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social phobia
- Trauma-related disorders, like PTSD
- Mood disorders, including bipolar disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Eating disorders
- Psychotic disorders
Conditions like depression are linked to neurotransmitter imbalances and deficiencies. Depression can prevent your brain from releasing enough serotonin. Since serotonin is responsible for producing positive emotions, like happiness, a depletion can lead to depression and sadness. Mental health disorders typically worsen when left untreated. For example, is you have acute stress disorder and fail to get timely treatment, you can develop PTSD. While acute stress disorder is curable, PTSD is chronic.
Having a mental health disorder can also increase your chances of using or abusing drugs and alcohol. Uncontrolled symptoms can lead to self-medicating with drugs and alcohol, which ultimately aggravates your mental health disorder.
Addiction
Addiction causes you to compulsively abuse drugs and alcohol despite serious negative consequences and a strong desire to quit. During addiction, your brain and body can become dependent on your substance of choice. Your brain associates your substance of choice with pleasure and rewards your drug and alcohol use while punishing your abstinence by controlling the release of pleasurable neurotransmitters.
When you become addicted to psychoactive substances, you can deal with painful withdrawal symptoms and intense cravings. Withdrawal symptoms can include potentially life-threatening complications, including:
- Dehydration
- Seizures
- Breathing problems
- Changes to your heart rate and blood pressure
- Mood changes and suicidal ideation
Withdrawal symptoms will stop if you begin using your substance of choice, making it difficult to complete detox without treatment successfully.
What a Recreation Therapy Program Offers
A recreation therapy program Crystal Lake Il offers can provide you with healthy coping strategies that help you combat cravings and triggers. During recovery, you will deal with reminders of your substance of choice as well as cravings, which increase your risk of relapsing. A recreation therapy program utilizes evidence-based addiction treatments and holistic treatments. Some examples of recreation therapy include:
- Nature therapy
- Arts and crafts
- Sports
- Dance therapy
- Drama and role-playing activities
A recreation therapy program is used in both inpatient and outpatient treatment settings. Recreation therapy is also commonly used when you reside at a structured sober living program Northern Il offers.
Reaching Out for Treatment Today
When you are struggling to regain control of your life because of a mental health or substance abuse disorder, reaching out for help is the first and most important step in your recovery journey. Inpatient treatment and a recreation therapy program can help you learn the skills you need to recover. Call us today at 855.786.1978 to learn more about your treatment options.
