Stopping the Domino Effect
of Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is a global concern. Nobody can turn a blind eye to it anymore considering that there are about 230 million substance abusers worldwide. Think of the number of families that are silently struggling with its complications. Think of those helpless children who have no choice, but to live in an environment where addiction is palpable. The streets are no longer safe for anyone to tread at any time of the day. Homes and schools are no longer havens where one can seek refuge.

The claws of substance abuse have stretched wide and deep with the growing number of substance abusers, especially of drug users. In America, the number of ex-users and current drug addicts is a whopping 20 million. With that statistic, how can you sleep in peace, knowing that the domino effect of substance abuse is unabated and far-reaching? The effect of substance abuse is undeniable. It is, in fact, significantly correlated with diminishing health and swelling crime.

Do you or a loved one feels helpless against a substance? How can you fight and stop the domino effect of addiction? Knowing that it can only result in your issues becoming more complicated, or failing to quit after several attempts, you could be at your wit’s end. What else can you do?

The Story the Figures Tell

Addiction to alcohol, nicotine, and especially to drugs, is a chronic disorder. Addiction can compel you to aggressively and uncontrollably seek and use the substance repeatedly. The continuing use of illegal drugs can bring about damaging effects on the brain. This is the explanation behind the users’ behavioral deviation, committing hideous acts against other people, even to the ones they truly care for. This is also why the user’s determination and discipline to resist and quit the urge to use drugs are often not enough.

How many people in the United States are undergoing such difficulty? The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) tells a sad story. According to its 2015 report embodied in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health:

  • There are about 27.1 million drug users in the United States, representing 10.1 percent of the population from age 12 and older.
  • The number of young adults aged 18 to 25 that are using illicit drugs has reached 22.3 percent of the young adult population, or around 1 in 5.
  • Meanwhile, approximately 17.1 million adults, or 8.2 percent of the adult population (26 years old and older) presently abuse illegal drugs.

All these stats speak of a tale – the story of the number of people who are battling addiction and striving to extricate themselves from the tight clutch of a monstrous enemy. There is a bigger enemy – relapse. Strong will, determination and good intentions are often not enough to overcome the urge to use the addictive substance. Being a relapsing disorder, more than 50 percent will relapse again and again. Yet, fret not because there is way out of addiction -treatment and aftercare.

Getting to Know Relapse

Relapse is your biggest enemy. It is the tendency of the addiction to recur after a remission or recovery. It is an almost natural element of recovery, being a constant phase for virtually every user who is trying to quit. On the word of Psychology Today, “approximately half of all individuals who try to become sober return to heavy use, with 70 to 90 percent experiencing at least one mild to moderate slip.”

Staying clean or sober can be more challenging on certain drugs, such as heroin, says the Journal of the American Medical Association. It happens because “During the recovery process, you may become exposed to certain triggers and other risk factors that increase your risk of returning to substance abuse,” says the Summit Behavioral Health. This means that it has nothing to do with being weak or having a flawed character. Relapse happens because the brain of an addict is ‘wired’ differently, causing them to yield more easily to the substance they are addicted to.

Though backsliding is inevitable and though experts see it as a part of recovery, overcoming relapse is also a possibility. The key is through committing to the fundamental steps of relapse prevention. This is the principle that is embodied in every aftercare program that comes after rehabilitation. This aftercare is a program that therapists design to meet your unique needs.

Relapsing with Your Loved Ones

You are not the only person who will feel the effects of addiction. The people you constantly interact with will most probably feel the impact of addiction as well. These people would be your family, friends and fellow workers. This is the domino effect of substance abuse.

The term ‘domino effect’ is commonly used to refer to a chain reaction in which one event sets off a succession of events and effects. The term adds drama to the analogy being made – the picture of a long line of dominoes falling one by one. Without the proper treatment and aftercare, you and the people you care for can topple over one after the other, just like the domino tiles.

As you sink deeper into addiction, your responsibilities are displaced, being moved from your shoulders to another family member. The stress can also cause everyone’s fuse to blow as the limits are stretched. Conflicts can arise along with financial troubles, neglect and aggressive behavior. The ‘costs’ of the domino effect of drug addiction have a more far-reaching impact than the combined effects of chronic diseases, such as cancer and diabetes.

Everyone in the family can struggle with substance abuse/addiction and relapse. Despite the scary picture that the domino effect creates, all hope is not lost. There is a way out. There is a way to stop your loved ones or the ‘tiles’ from toppling over. Go beyond the medically assisted detox and rehab. Embrace an aftercare as well.

Put an End to the Domino Effect

Like most chronic conditions, drug addiction is incurable. Its symptoms, though, can be tempered and resolved with medically assisted detox, rehabilitation, and later, an aftercare. Having an effective, continuing and tailored-to-fit aftercare is the silver lining beyond addiction and relapse. It is anchored on counseling, the core component of the successful treatment for substance abuse. This is how the domino effect of addiction can be stopped on its tracks. This is what the licensed counselors/therapists independently contracted with Carolina Counseling Services – Fuquay-Varina, NC can help you with.

The aftercare is an integrated program that combines several kinds therapeutic approaches, depending on your needs. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is commonly integrated in the program, being effective in lifestyle modification. It is effective because it can help you step away from the activities and people that once left you vulnerable to substance abuse. The aftercare can also integrate marriage counseling if your marriage was compromised during your addiction.

With the ‘domino effect’ of addiction and relapse proverbially ‘hanging like an axe over your head’ all the time, call in an ace therapist with haste. Carolina Counseling Services – Fuquay-Varina, NC can be the best ‘charm’ that you can hope to have, standing by with you in this dangerous phase of your life and onwards. Despite relapse, do not give up. Call CCS – Fuquay-Varina NC to discuss the ‘after plan’ that can meet your needs, as a maintenance and continuing strategy to aid you in your lifetime of battle against relapse.

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