Addicts Use Drugs

Almost every addicted individual believes at the outset stopping using drugs without help is easy and most people try to quit without seeking treatment. Although some people are successful, many attempts result in failure to achieve permanent abstinence. Research suggests that long term drug abuse results in changes in the brain that last long after a person stops using drugs. These changes in brain function from drugs can have many behavioral consequences, including an inability to exert control over the impulse to use drugs, despite adverse consequences the defining characteristic of addiction. Understanding that addiction has a fundamental biological component may help explain the difficulty of achieving and maintaining abstinence without treatment. Psychological stress from work, family problems, psychiatric illness, pain associated with medical problems, social cues or environmental cues like encountering streets, objects or even smells associated with drug abuse, can trigger intense cravings without the individual being consciously aware of the triggering event. Any one of these factors can hinder attainment of sustained abstinence and make relapse more likely. Nevertheless, research indicates that active participation in treatment is an essential component for good outcomes and can benefit even the most severely addicted individuals.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Doctors developed cognitive behavioral therapy as a method of preventing relapse when treating a patient with problem drinking. Later cognitive doctors adapted behavioral therapies to help individuals addicted to cocaine. Cognitive behavioral strategies stem from the theory that learning processes play a critical role in the development of maladaptive behavioral patterns. Individuals learn to identify and correct problematic behaviors by applying a range of different skills to stop drug abuse and to address other problems that often exist with it. Therapies for treating alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and nicotine exist. Cognitive behavioral therapy generally consists of a collection of strategies that aim to enhance self control. Specific techniques include: exploring the positive and negative consequences of continued use, monitoring oneself to recognize drug cravings early on and to identify risky situations for use and developing strategies for coping with and avoiding risky situations associated with the desire to use. A central element of cognitive behavioral therapy is anticipating problems and helping patients develop effective coping strategies. Research indicates that the skills individuals learn through cognitive behavioral approaches remain in use after the completion of treatment. In several studies, most people who choose a cognitive behavioral approach to recovery showed progress throughout the following year. Current research focuses on how to produce effects that are even more powerful by combining cognitive behavioral therapy with medications for drug abuse and with other types of behavioral therapies. Researchers are also evaluating how best to train treatment providers to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy.

Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver disease occurs when fat builds up in the liver cells and causes injury and inflammation in the liver. Fat build up can sometimes lead to severe liver damage, cirrhosis, a build up of scar tissue that blocks proper blood flow in the liver or even liver failure. Fatty liver disease is like alcoholic liver damage and can occur in people who drink little or no alcohol.
People who have diabetes or pre-diabetes, which is when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet in the diabetic range, are more likely to have fatty liver disease than people without these conditions. Overweight people are more likely to develop diabetes. Doctors do not know why some people who are overweight or diabetic get fatty liver disease and others do not.
Losing weight and being physically active can help control the blood sugar levels in the body. Losing weight can also reduce the build up of fat in the liver and prevent further injury. People with fatty liver disease should avoid drinking alcohol.