Substance abuse can develop as a result of drug, alcohol, or even medication use, notes Dr. Ana de la Fuente Mart\u00edn, psychiatry specialist at ABC Medical Center.<\/p>\n

Before seeking help, someone struggling with substance abuse may go anywhere from five to ten years before reaching out for support, and how quickly they do so often depends on which areas of their life are being affected, school, personal or romantic relationships, family issues, or even legal problems.<\/p>\n

There are certain signs that can help identify if someone close to you may be struggling with substance abuse. This person may show changes in mood, irritability or intolerance, behavioral or sleep issues, and in some cases, may even develop psychotic episodes or disorders during periods of substance use.<\/p>\n

It’s important to understand that there are different levels of substance use disorder:<\/p>\n

\n
• Use-level substance disorder: here, the person uses the substance in specific situations, such as at a bar, on a beach trip, or when getting together with friends.<\/li>\n
• Abuse-level substance disorder: the person uses the substance more frequently than in casual “use,” and relies on it to function in a specific area of life.<\/li>\n
• Dependence-level substance disorder: at this stage, the person has become dependent on the substance and needs it to carry out virtually all activities in their life; a key characteristic of this stage is that the person also requires increasingly higher doses to achieve the same effect as before.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  Something important to understand is that people struggling with substance abuse often use these substances as a form of self-medication, aiming to regulate brain function, ease anxiety, improve mood, boost concentration, help with sleep, or address other issues they may be experiencing, notes Dr. de la Fuente.<\/p>\n

  Since substance abuse doesn’t just affect the person using them, but also those around them, it’s important to seek professional help to address and overcome this in a proper, safe, and effective way.<\/p>\n

  At ABC Medical Center’s Neurology Center, we can provide you with specialized care. Contact us!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Substance abuse can develop as a result of drug, alcohol, or even medication use, notes Dr. Ana de la Fuente Mart\u00edn, psychiatry specialist at ABC Medical Center. Before seeking help, someone struggling with substance abuse may go anywhere from five to ten years before reaching out for support, and how quickly they do so often […]<\/p>\n

  Read More… from What Is Substance Abuse?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":289598,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[947,3000],"tags":[3345,3527,3340,3251],"class_list":["post-619314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-magazine","category-neurology","tag-home-care","tag-mental-health-2","tag-neurology","tag-psychotherapy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n