Chemical dependency is a term that is often used interchangeably with substance abuse and drug addiction. According to Dual Recovery Anonymous, a 12-step program for addicts who also have a mental illness, chemical dependency is characterized by a physical and psychological addiction to mood and mind-altering substances. Despite health, financial, emotional and legal consequences, people who are chemically dependent on drugs or alcohol cannot stop using.
Mental Effects
Chemical dependency produces changes in the thinking process that drives addicts to make poor decisions and to deny there is a problem. Denial is one of the hallmarks of chemical dependency and often must be confronted through a family or medical intervention. Drug addicts lose the ability to make a choice whether to use or not and become enslaved to the substance. Both illegal and prescription drugs, as well alcohol, can create a chemical dependency. Drug addicts become preoccupied with getting and using their drug of choice. While many addicts start using substances at a young age in response to peer pressure or a need to experiment, others turn to drugs to self-medicate an existing mental illness.
Disease
Chemical dependency is a recognized disease by the American Medical Association (AMA). As such, it is treated with both pharmacological and psychological therapies. Treatment for substance abuse is covered by most insurance plans, though the time and level of treatment varies. Inpatient and outpatient programs are available. While the AMA defines drug addiction as a brain disease, there are many physical consequences associated with chemical dependency. Cardiovascular side effects include collapsed veins, blood infections and heart attack. Negative brain damage results in memory loss, seizures and stroke. HIV, hepatitis and other infectious disease are rampant in drug-using communities.
Treatment
While drug addicts can choose from a plethora of treatment options, the AMA reports that relapse is still the number-one concern of chemical dependence treatment. They liken the relapse rates to those of patients with diabetes, hypertension and asthma, chronic diseases that can be triggered by negative behaviors that end in relapse. Long-term recovery is sustainable through continued treatment in self-help recovery groups such as Narcotics Anonymous or ongoing cognitive behavioral therapy. Medications to maintain mood levels also can help maintain sobriety. Motivational incentives such as keeping a job or staying out of jail also can prove helpful in sustaining long-term recovery from chemical dependency.
