So you’ve admitted that you have a problem and decided to seek help. Now you just need to find a good rehab center near Buckhannon WV to recover at. But where should you look? And what exactly are you even looking for? When you’re already at rock bottom, researching and comparing rehab centers in West Virginia can feel very overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to start. But this is an important part of the process if you want to ensure that you’re getting the best care possible. So let’s make this easier for you with a few tips.
Many factors contribute to a person’s likelihood of developing an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Scientists have debated whether substance use disorders are born of nature or nurture, or a combination of both. Presently, there is widespread acceptance of the latter, with most research pointing to addiction as the result of genetics and the environment. Consequently, a family history of addiction has proven to be one of the highest risk factors for addiction.
From a research perspective, it would be naïve to deny the association between our family history of alcoholism or drug abuse and our own patterns. Various research groups have studied twins to examine how much of our risk for alcoholism can be attributed to our genes compared to our environment. According to Psychology Today, it’s been estimated that approximately 40 to 60 percent of the risk for developing an Alcohol Use Disorder can be accounted for by genetic factors. It may even be as high as 60 to 80 percent for other substances, such as nicotine or cocaine.
How Does Family History Play a Role?
Ultimately, family history plays a major role in addiction risk in numerous ways. Of course, genetics is a major factor. However, substance abuse and drug addiction are complex when it comes to genetics.
A tremendous amount of research has recently been completed that has identified countless genes and variations of those genes that can be associated with addiction. For example, one specific gene may impact someone’s ability to metabolize alcohol, impacting how it impacts the nervous system. Another gene may impact how nerve cells signal one another when they are exposed to addictive substances. Because these genes can be passed down from one generation to the next, this may be one example of how family history plays a role in addiction.
Family History – Avoiding Addiction
Many people with family members who have struggled with substance abuse never develop a problem. Although there’s no guarantee that you won’t develop an addiction, the good news is that there are steps you can take to prevent it if you have a family history of substance abuse.
Find Out More About Your Family History
You may have heard about addiction in your family. Maybe you even have first-hand experience of someone in your family who has an addiction. However, it can be helpful to find out even more about your family history. When there’s a history of alcoholism in the family, it may be more difficult for someone to drink moderately or even know where that line is for their own mind and body. That’s when participating in a support group and getting input from medical professionals can be particularly helpful. And if you’re concerned about your own biological vulnerability to addiction, abstinence is always the best proactive prevention approach.
Stay Aware of Your Consumption
You don’t necessarily need to be sober if you have a family history of addiction. However it’s important to be aware of your consumption habits if you do choose to drink. People with a family history of alcohol abuse are up to 4 times more likely to develop problems with alcohol. Additionally, if you have a parent who has a drug problem, you may be up to 8 times more likely to develop an addiction. Regardless of your choice, try to monitor your use of alcohol and drugs, and reach out for help if you feel that it’s becoming a problem.
Tell Your Doctor About Your Family History of Addiction
It’s a good idea to inform your primary care practitioner if you have a family history of addiction, as this may impact the way they treat different conditions. For example, you may prefer to avoid certain types of medications, such as prescription opioids. Collecting as much information about your family history as possible can help you and your doctor determine the care that’s best for you.
Know the Signs of Addiction
Be aware of the warning signs to support the early detection of a substance use problem. For example, if you feel like you need a drink to relax or cope with stress, that should be a huge red flag. When you find yourself lying about how much you drink or trying to hide your drinking from people, that’s yet another cause for concern. More serious signs include canceling plans or defaulting on obligations because you’d rather stay home and drink. Another serious indication of addiction is the inability to stop drinking once you start, even if you don’t drink very often. Watch out for these signs in yourself and your family. Catching a problem early will save you a lot of trouble down the road.
Find a Support System
Social support is a preventative factor for addiction; staying connected with others may help you avoid substance abuse problems if you have a family history of addiction. One of the best ways to connect with people is to join a 12-step group designed for friends and family of people with addictions. Such as Al-Anon or Nar-Anon. Even when external circumstances don’t allow for participation at in-person meetings, you can still connect with many groups through online platforms.
Reach Out for Help
Clearly, it is important for anyone with a family history of addiction to be very careful around drugs and alcohol. Your genes and your family do not guarantee that you will become an addict, but they make it more likely. It’s like having a handicap that other people don’t have. Maybe your friends can get drunk one day and not pick up another drink for a month, but you may need to be more careful. If you feel that your drinking or drug use is starting to become a problem, it’s a good idea to address it before it becomes a bigger issue.
Consider Therapy Before There is a Problem
Addiction is typically the result of a combination of genes and the environment. There’s nothing you can do about your genes and, unfortunately, you can’t go back in time to change your childhood environment. You can, however, change how that environment affects you presently. Individuals who grew up in a house with addiction are often victims of abuse and/or neglect. Talking to a therapist about these experiences can prove to be quite helpful, even if you aren’t fully aware of any psychological issues they may have caused. Often, people discover that they’ve been living with depression, anxiety, and/or other mental health issues as a result of seeking help for substance use. Accepting support in the form of therapy can save you a lot of pain in the future.
Helping Your Children Understand the Risk of Family History of Addiction
Our family history of addiction means that you are more likely to end up with a problem than other kids who don’t have this in their family.
We don’t know how our family history affects our genes.
This is why we don’t want you drinking or using other drugs.
For older teens, turn your focus to how family history could impact their use
Some brains are more hard-wired to have problems with substance use than others, especially in families like ours, where there is a history of addiction.
You may see friends using substances with seemingly no consequences, while your use could escalate to difficulty stopping or to addiction.
It takes time to develop addiction. So, while it may seem like you are not different from other kids, addiction has a way of tricking you into think you’re okay, and then it hits you. It’s an especially slippery slope for you because of your genetic make-up. This is why we don’t want you to drink or use other substances.
If your child is adopted, you might not know their biological background. It’s still worth having conversations about genetic risks and taking precautions against using substances.
Family History of Addiction – Harmony Ridge Recovery Center
Addiction is a complicated disease. It has genetic components, but having a gene or a set of genes for addiction does not mean you will become an addict. It isn’t a death sentence or even a life sentence for that matter. But it is scary. Whether you just found out the truth about those skeletons in your family’s closet or you have seen the addiction in your relatives up close, having a family history of addiction can be daunting.
At Harmony Ridge Recovery Center, we believe everyone deserves a life free from the restrictions of drug and alcohol addiction. Thousands of people, like you, have achieved recovery from drug and alcohol addiction with the help of our kind and compassionate team of medical professionals. The first step towards achieving recovery is giving us a call. Our team of admissions professionals are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Give us a call today! (855) 942-3922
Even if you’ve never been to rehab yourself, you probably have an idea of how it goes. Maybe you’ve seen the AA meetings in TV shows or heard about the discomfort of detox from someone who’s already been through it. But here’s the thing – rehab looks different for different people at different times and in different rehab centers in West Virginia. While it’s never easy, it doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, unpleasant, or ineffective. There are plenty of options when it comes to rehab Marietta OH; you just have to find what works for you.
Drug rehab may seem intimidating, and understandably so. For most of us, it’s a new and unknown experience, and one that sounds like a long-term commitment. It also comes with notable costs, and health insurance coverage can be quite unclear. What’s more, there’s such an abundance of services and treatments that you may feel more lost and confused than comforted. For every drug rehab center Athens OH has to offer there’s at least one of these discouraging factors at play. Continue reading →
Drug addiction and Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) are among the most pressing issues of our times. Prescription drug overprescription, the ongoing opioid epidemic, and rising SUD rates across different demographics and occupations paint a bleak picture. Worse still, SUDs are truly complex to address, often requiring lengthy, specialized, and ultimately costly rehab services. An Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) alone, best suited for moderate cases, might extend beyond 3 months, becoming prohibitive for many. So, you may rightfully wonder if health insurance covers IOP in Parkersburg WV – or other rehab programs, for that matter. Continue reading →
Addiction is well known to impact your relationships negatively. In the pursuit of substances, you may distance yourself from friends and family or even cut them off entirely. So when you start drug and alcohol rehab in West Virginia, you’ll want to work on repairing those relationships. This is an incredibly important step in your recovery. But when taking it, you should remember to also focus on one of the most important relationships in your life – the relationship you have with yourself. Substance use can greatly impact your own self-image, making it difficult for you to accept who you’ve become. A negative self-image can, in turn, interfere with your recovery. It’s important to learn to love yourself and reclaim your life after addiction if you want a future that is not just sober but also bright.Continue reading →
Addiction therapy is one of the key aspects of treatment at drug and alcohol rehab centers WV. The goal of that therapy is to address the mental aspects of addiction as well as your mental health overall. But that doesn’t mean you can just neglect self-care. If anything, rehab is the perfect time to learn how to deal with your own thoughts and feelings. Finding ways to take care of your mental health during recovery in West Virginia will not only make rehab easier for you but also help you maintain your sobriety in everyday life afterwards. So what are some things you can do to make yourself feel better?
Is addiction hereditary? The answer is complicated. Many factors play into why someone starts, continues, or stops abusing substances. Some of those factors are environmental and could occur to anyone. But others have to do with genetics and upbringing. This is why it’s not uncommon for children of addicts to become addicts themselves and later raise children who will become addicts. So if your parents spent a significant portion of your your life in a drug and alcohol rehab center WV, odds are you will do so too. However, nothing is set in stone. There is a way to break the cycle. Breaking the cycle of addiction in families is not always easy. But it it’s important to try if you want a better life for yourself and your children.
If you’re in any way invested in the field of addiction and addiction treatment, you’ve likely seen this correlation. Identifying as LGBTQ and experiencing a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) seem closely connected, as statistics show. In a time when SUD trends among general populations in the US already show a worrying trajectory, this correlation simply cannot be ignored. Thankfully, addiction treatment in Parkersburg for the LGBTQ community is not falling behind; addiction treatment providers have taken note. Continue reading →
Whether you like it or not, it’s a fact that gender helps shape the world we live in. Men and women face different upbringings, expectations, and challenges. In the same vein, men and women experience addiction and addiction recovery differently. Because of this, many seek gender-specific treatment for alcohol and drug addiction in WV to ensure that they are getting the help best suited to them. You can get gender-specific treatment regardless of whether you are a man or a woman – you just need to find rehab centers in WV that offer this type of rehab. But what is gender-specific treatment exactly and why is it beneficial? Here’s everything you need to know:
