Mental Health Counseling Can Help With Opioid and Stimulant Addiction During Covid-19
The pandemic has created global uncertainty about income and work and worries about everyone’s health and loved ones’ well-being. Covid-19 has essentially caused everyone to feel afraid. For people who may struggle with an addiction or are misusing opioids or stimulant drugs, the pandemic has increased their dependency and need to use these drugs.
What Are Commonly Abused Opioid Drugs?
Opioid drugs that are most often abused include heroin, prescription pain killers, Fentanyl, morphine, and others. Simulant drugs include cocaine, methamphetamines, crack cocaine, Molly, and prescription stimulant medications like Adderall and Ritalin. Both types of drugs cause addiction and misuse to occur because they cause a person to experience euphoria as either sedation from opioids or elation from stimulants. Opioids slow a person down, and stimulants make someone more energetic and alert.
According to the American Psychological Association who reported on data released by the Centers for Disease Control and the American Medical Association, drug abuse, and addiction, also referred to as substance use disorders have increased due to the covid-19 pandemic.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of June 2020, 13% of Americans reported starting or increasing substance use as a way of coping with stress or emotions related to COVID-19. Overdoses have also spiked since the onset of the pandemic. A reporting system called ODMAP shows that the early months of the pandemic brought an 18% increase nationwide in overdoses compared with those same months in 2019. The trend has continued throughout 2020, according to the American Medical Association, which reported in December that more than 40 U.S. states had seen increases in opioid-related mortality along with ongoing concerns for those with substance use disorders. (APA, 2021)
The answer on how to help people who are addicted to or abusing opioids and stimulants is to provide them access to mental health counseling. Counseling for mental and emotional disorders is proven to be very beneficial to persons who are addicted to drugs. Addiction is a disease of the mind and emotions that stem from multiple influencers. The influencers include a family history of substance abuse or alcoholism, a history of physical or emotional abuse, neglect, or trauma during and after developmental years, and the presence of a diagnosed or undiagnosed emotional or mental health disorders.
Why Do Some People More Drugs During the Pandemic?
For many people who use drugs addictively, they are trying to numb how they feel. Addicts usually have one, two, or all three of the influences listed that are shown to cause addiction. Counseling that is completed by a licensed and experienced substance abuse professional is effective. The issues that many people have who use opioids or stimulants are also about anxiety and or depression. Since opioids slow down a person’s responses and give them a feeling of relaxation, they may also suffer from anxiety. The opposite applies to stimulant-addicted persons. They may desire to feel more awake and energetic as a result of depression.
Mental Health Counseling can improve a person’s life considerably. Ideally, substance abuse treatment must include behavioral therapy methods that contain specific types of in-depth counseling. The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances in science and health published information on counseling effectiveness for people who struggle with addiction.
We describe behavioral therapies that are effective in treating substance use disorders. These therapies have been studied extensively, have a well-supported evidence base indicating their effectiveness, and have been broadly applied across many types of substance use disorders and ages, sexes, and racial and ethnic groups. Individual counseling is delivered in structured sessions to help patients reduce substance use and improve function by developing effective coping strategies and life skills. Studies support the use of individual counseling as an effective intervention for individuals with substance use disorders. (NCBI)
Addiction Help at Agape Treatment Center
It is vital that when a person is ready to get help for how they feel when they have stopped using drugs or are prepared to, they quickly receive professional care. Professional mental health counseling can provide therapy and help newly recovering individuals get better. Mental health counseling is the best course of action to prevent the addicted person from relapsing or suffering. To find a professional mental health counselor, the addiction counseling specialists are ready to locate a qualified counselor. They can have you or your loved one begin in as soon as 24 hours. Give Agape a call and one of our addiction specialists will help you on your path to sobriety.
