Substance Use Disorders

Using substances like alcohol and drugs to get through your day can cause severe harm to your health, relationships, and finances. Contact Kayla Allmendinger, LADC, PLMHP, PCMSW, MPA, and Corey Allmendinger, LADC, PLMHP, PCMSW, at The Healing Path in Fremont, Nebraska, if you struggle with substance abuse. Through their extensive experience, they help you overcome addiction and stop using harmful substances, immeasurably improving your quality of life. Call The Healing Path to schedule a substance abuse consultation or book an appointment online today.

What is a substance use disorder?

People with a substance use disorder misuse drugs or other substances, leading to mental and physical health problems. Substances that often lead to misuse include:

• Alcohol
• Prescription opioids like oxycodone
• Illegal opioids (heroin)
• Cocaine
• Amphetamines (speed)
• MDMA (molly or ecstasy)
• Solvents (glue and other chemicals)
• Marijuana
• Hallucinogens like LSD

These substances affect your brain’s reward system, making you feel good for short periods. With continued use, you develop a dependence on the drug that leads to addiction.

The dose and frequency at which you take your chosen drug increase, and you become ever more reliant on it. Stopping causes intense cravings and physical symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, making quitting a considerable challenge.

What symptoms does substance use disorders cause?

When you first develop a substance misuse habit, you might be able to conceal your alcohol or drug-taking and behave quite normally. However, as you become more dependent on your substance, problems start to develop. Common examples include:

• Cravings between use
• Thinking obsessively about the substance
• Failing when trying to stop using
• Problems sleeping
• Irritability
• Spending excessive time obtaining, using, and recovering
• Engaging in risky behaviors
• Withdrawal from friends and family

Using money you can’t afford to fund your habit is another sign of a substance use disorder.

As your addiction worsens, you might find nothing else in your life is as important. You could start neglecting your family, career, and health and potentially lose them without expert addiction treatment.

How is substance use disorders treated?

The Healing Path team creates a customized substance use treatment plan for you after completing a thorough  evaluation. Their recommendations vary depending on which substance you use, how much or how often you use, the severity of your symptoms, and your medical history.

People with serious addictions to substances like heroin, alcohol, and prescription opioids might require medication to help them through the withdrawal stage. Prescribed by a doctor, these medicines reduce the severity of cravings and control the distressing effects stopping can cause, such as:

• Abdominal pain
• Cramps
• Sweating
• Tremors
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

The therapy The Healing Path provides is invaluable for overcoming addiction. Our experienced drug and alcohol counselors help you manage everyday challenges using approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and intensive outpatient programs (IOPs).

They also help you work through underlying issues that make you more vulnerable to substance misuse, like trauma and abuse.

To learn more about successfully overcoming a substance use disorder, call The Healing Path or book an appointment online today.