The link between depression and drug addiction may be complicated. But it’s no secret. Those with diagnosed depression drink 69% of the alcohol in the US. They use 84% of the nation’s cocaine.
In many people, addiction also intensifies feelings of loneliness, despair, and lack of interest in normally enjoyable activities. So drugs accentuate hallmarks of depression. Hand in hand, depression and drug addiction create a downward spiral that destroys lives, loved ones, and a hopeful future. But when you understand this link, you can break the cycle.
The Complex Nature Between Depression and Drug Addiction
Depression is a mental illness that takes a person through several painful emotions. You may experience profound sadness that you want to escape. At that moment, a drug like alcohol looks like the only way to escape these feelings. And as contrary as it sounds, you may turn to a depressant drug, like heroin, to zone out.
But a person with depression also has trouble getting up in the morning. You can’t find the motivation to get through your day. You also feel like you’re in a mental fog with fuzzy memory, slow response time, and trouble concentrating. When depression hits you in this way, you might turn to a stimulant like cocaine or meth.
These drugs can temporarily clear mental fog. But they also do long-term damage to the brain, heart, digestion, skin, and more. Then, the impact of depression and drug addiction on finances, job, family relationships, and health makes matters worse. And, therefore, you have a downward spiral. That is unless you get treatment from a professional rehab center, such as Sagebrush Treatment Centers in McLean, VA, that offers dual diagnosis treatment.
Why You Must Treat Drug Addiction and Depression Together
Because drug addiction and depression are connected, you can’t just treat the addiction and expect to stay in recovery. You will relapse as soon as depression intensifies your cravings.
On the other hand, just treating the depression without addressing addiction is like only washing one side of a dirty window and expecting to see through it. If the addiction continues, the depression will come back. So you must treat drug addiction and depression together to experience a lifetime of health and happiness in recovery.
What Is Dual-Diagnosis Addiction Treatment?
When a person has an addiction and another mental health challenge, they are said to have “co-occurring disorders.”
Some common ones include mental health challenges like:
- PTSD
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Borderline personality
- Bipolar
A dual diagnosis program is specifically designed to treat the (two or more) together through a combination of medicine, therapy as well as other supplementary treatments to help you heal body and mind.
As depression and drug addiction lose their hold, you develop skills to manage both more effectively. You’ll have the mental tools you need to do things like:
- Defuse tense interpersonal relationships
- Deal with difficult emotions (disappointment, fear, anger)
- Motivate yourself to stay healthy
- Cope with life without the need for addictive drugs
Depending on your personal needs and severity of your addiction, you might develop these skills in one of several levels of care, such as:
- Outpatient treatment program
- Intensive outpatient treatment
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP)
- Residential Treatment (24/7 supervision and treatment is a home-like setting)
How Sagebrush Treatment Centers Do Dual-Diagnosis Care
Sagebrush Treatment Centers in Northern VA welcomes every client who walks through our doors with the comforts of home and a caring team of skilled professionals. We’re prepared to support you in your decision to address your depression and addiction together for a more meaningful and lasting recovery.
Our small, holistic, and individualized approach means we build our program about your unique needs. We help you restore lost self-esteem and gain the confidence to reclaim your life.
Even if you’ve tried before and relapsed, our dual-diagnosis program may be just what you need for a successful recovery. You’re a whole person, not an addiction. We recognize that.
Are depression and drug addiction sending you on a downward spiral into a pit from which you could never climb alone? We offer you the support and tools you need to free yourself from this vicious cycle and live a more fulfilling life in recovery. Contact Sagebrush Treatment Centers today at 866.488.1156 to start your healing journey with us.
