In this present day world of intense pressure and competition,Addiction of several substances has reached an immense proportion,both in developed and developing countries.
It is a tip of the iceberg situation,what we see is just the tip,a lot remains unrevealed.
For better explanation drug abuse disorders may be classified into four overlapping classes,that is acute intoxication,withdrawal symptoms,dependence state and harmful use of a drug.
The substances that are commonly abuse are alcohol,cannabis,opioid,cocaine,hallucinogens like LSD,phencyclidine etc.sedatives like barbiturates,volatile solvents,nicotine and many more.
Addiction problems are prevalent in all age groups and fairly common in adolescents.
Acute intoxication may be defined disturbance in consciousness,alternation of behavior due to excess consumption of different psychoactive substances like alcohol.
Withdrawal symptoms are those usually short lasting symptoms,that arise on partial or complete withdrawal of a drug.
Dependence state,can be defined as a state where there is difficulty in controlling substance taking behavior,there is a strong desire to take the substance,along with appearance of withdrawal symptoms,when the substance abuse have been ceased.
Addiction treatment can be broadly divided into detoxification,that is the treatment of withdrawal symptoms,treatment of drug overdose,treatment of drug dependence.Last but not the least,maintenance therapy,forms an integral component of any drug rehab program,which primarily attempts to keep the individual out of the addictive behavior.
Finally to conclude this overview i would like to at least present the drugs and protocols used in the management of common substance abuses.
The drugs used in the treatment of alcohol addiction are chlordiazepoxide,diazepam for treating withdrawal symptoms.Treatment of alcohol dependence consists of behavior therapy,group therapy,psychotherapy,anti craving agents like acamprosate etc.Vitamins like thiamine also form an important component.
Management of opioid addiction mainly consists drugs like naloxone,naltrexone for treating opioid overdose.For maintenance therapy drugs like methadone,naltrexone are used.Other drugs like LAAM,synanon and psychosocial therapy also form a part of the regimen.
I have explained the management of nicotine addiction in one of my previous post,you can check here
Now,an overview about addiction can not be concluded,without mentioning a few words
about the drug treatment of cannabis addiction.Management of cannabis addiction predominantly comprises of supportive and symptomatic therapy.Family therapy and psychosocial therapy also forms an important component of the treatment protocol.
