Mental illness is often the root cause of addiction problems. If the mental health issues are not treated, the chances of overcoming addiction are made that much harder. When you have a clearer outlook on life, there is less of a desire to self-medicate. By first tackling the one issue, you now have the tools to face your addiction head-on. Good mental health is vital in the addiction recovery process. Dual diagnosis and addiction concerns must be treated together.
A person with a dual diagnosis is someone who has both a mental health issue and a substance abuse problem. By developing an addiction to drugs or alcohol, the problems associated with a mental illness are only exacerbated. In order to get your life back on track, both of these issues must be focused on jointly.
Mental Health and Addiction
It is the underlying mental illness that is often the cause of the addiction. The sooner the mental health issues are dealt with in a therapeutic setting; the ability to treat the substance abuse problem becomes that much easier. There is a reason you have been abusing drugs and alcohol that goes beyond the pressures of day-to-day living. It may be genetic or the product of past traumas that you have suffered. Whatever the reason, it is imperative that you get your mental health issues in order. We offer the following programs:
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Depression counseling
- Anxiety counseling
Causes of Addiction
There is what is known as the three-factor model. This consists of environmental and genetic factors and your repeated exposure to addictive substances. If the environment in which one is raised is one where there is continual exposure to drugs and alcohol, the chances of developing a substance abuse problem are greatly increased. It being socially acceptable leads young people to wrongly assume that everyone does it and that there is no social stigma attached to it.
The children of people with addiction problems have a 25% greater chance of developing their own addictions. Also, a predisposition to addiction is 40% to 60% the result of genetics. There has not been a discovery of an addiction gene. However, the current research suggests that the environmental factors in one’s upbringing, like the availability and acceptance of drug use, are the most likely contributors.
It is this exposure to drugs and alcohol that catches so many people in its web. If the home and neighborhood one grew up in were relatively drug- and alcohol-free, they would be less likely to find that abusing them is socially acceptable.
Depression and Anxiety
Although depression and anxiety are not the same conditions, they do regularly occur together and have similar treatments. Most people experience both of them at various times in their life. There are many factors that contribute to this. If this were not the case, there would be no Blue Mondays. One may be the product of the other. Depression can lead to anxiety and vice versa. Both of these conditions are heightened by alcohol and drug use.
Reach Out to Sunstone Recovery Today
Dual diagnosis is essential in treating the underlying mental health issues that contribute to alcohol and drug addiction. Depression and anxiety may seem like two sides of the same coin, but they are different afflictions. They can, however, be treated in concert with each other, using both counseling and medications, including antidepressants. Sunstone Recovery in Bend, Oregon, uses telehealth, a virtual method of interacting with our clients. There are currently no inpatient services available. We use a collaborative treatment approach that focuses on addressing our clients’ mental health issues. Currently, all of our services are being offered online via telemedicine due to covid-19 restrictions. However, this makes us available to residents throughout the state. We can be reached online or at 855.833.9199 for you to take the first step on your journey to recovery.
