12 Powerful Home Remedies For Drug Addiction

Treatment of Drug Addiction

Addiction is a global problem and affects millions of people every year. Thankfully, there are a number of home remedies for drug addiction including caffeine, apple cider vinegar, hypnosis, licorice root, ibogaine, milk thistle, skullcap, ginkgo biloba, proteins and omega-3 fatty acids, and nuts. There are also various alternative therapies like meditation, yoga, and animal, horticulture, and art therapy.

Drug addiction, or substance dependence, is a chronic disease that affects the brain and behavior. It usually starts as a voluntary use for recreational or experimental purposes, in time, the drugs change brain chemistry and the addict consumes them compulsively. Drug addiction could mean the abuse of alcohol,  heroin, cocaine, tobacco, barbiturates, amphetamines, ecstasy, and benzodiazepines.

Treatments for Drug Addiction

Traditional solutions for drug addiction include:

  • Going “cold turkey”
  • 12-step programs
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • Antidepressants
  • Replacement substances (such as methadone instead of heroin)

There are pros and cons to all of those treatment options, particularly the use of medication, which can often lead to addictions of a different kind.  Given that fact, there are many people who promote the idea of a natural solution for drug addiction. Let’s look a little closer at some of these impressive home remedies for drug addiction

Here are some of the best home remedies for drug addiction:

Meditation

Studies have analyzed the effects of meditation and have found it to measurably reduce the psychological and physiological triggers of substance abuse. Meditation can promote mindfulness and awareness of thoughts and feelings; you can channel that positive energy into mastering your emotions and preventing negative experiences or stress that result in drug use or a relapse. 

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is popularly used for reducing cravings for smoking cigarettes and other drugs. This can be attributed to the chemical make-up of vinegar, including acetic acid and malic acid. While research is still ongoing concerning the full impact of ACV, its ability to stop cravings and improve the immune system of the body is significant. 

Caffeine

While some may think of caffeine as a drug (and in some ways, it definitely is), it also has the ability to drive away addictive habits. Caffeine is used as a substitute for energetic substance addictions, such as alcohol, ecstasy or cocaine. The boost of adrenaline and cognitive energy can be almost mistaken for those drug rushes and can allow true addiction to wearing off without severe withdrawal symptoms. However, you can also  become addicted to caffeine, so use with caution!

Skullcap

Skullcap is a powerful nervine agent that is commonly recommended for people in their first few days of withdrawal symptoms from a drug.  If you are suffering from insomnia, headaches, nausea, and depression, there is a good chance you’re going through drug withdrawal, and that’s when you need this herb the most. It isn’t a cure for drug addiction, by any means, but it can ease the process and make it less painful.

Art Therapy

Many researchers suggest behavioral alterations as the most effective remedies for drug addiction, and art therapyhas gained a great deal of popularity.  Art therapy allows addicts to build self-esteem and confidence, avoid a negative response to common triggers, and to step outside of their destructive lifestyle to create and appreciate beauty. This therapy has been linked to lower levels of depression and anxiety, both of which frequently trigger substance abuse.

Milk Thistle

Milk thistle is a very important herb for improving and protecting the liver, which often suffers as a result of drug addiction.  Your liver works to filter your blood, and many of these substances travel through the body via the blood and are thus filtered into the liver! Milk thistle has hepato-protective properties and can help treat cirrhosisand hepatitis, as well as strengthen the liver’s ability to fight off environmental toxins.

Protein and Omega-3

Protein and omega-3 fatty acids are key components of a healthy diet, particularly for someone looking for relief from drug addiction. [8] Drugs essentially fry the neurotransmitters in the brain, and for those to be rebuilt, the body needs a solid base of healthy protein to get the mind in proper shape. All the tissues and cells in your body that have been damaged or destroyed by drug addiction must also be repaired. Omega-3s help to protect the body from additional stress during the recovery period.

Yoga

Yoga is one of the effective ways to cleanse the body and mind of stressors and toxins. [9] For recovering drug addicts, the repetitive and calming nature of yoga helps them change their mindset and reactivity, channeling destructive energy into positive movements and tangible improvements to their body.

Pet Therapy

Numerous studies have shown that pet therapy can work wonders for recovering drug addicts. The responsibility to “take care of something else” often stimulates a change in mindset, while spending time with animals has other healing effects, including lower blood pressure, decreased anxiety levels, and even a reduction in pain. 

Horticulture Therapy

The methodical nature of planting a garden and caring for it has been shown to positively benefit the mental state of those recovering from drug addiction.  The “taking care of something else” aspect of pet therapy is duplicated here, and horticulture therapy has been linked to decreased stress hormones, less insomnia, pain reduction, lower anxiety, and boosted cognitive function.

Hypnosis

Although some people seem skeptical when hypnosis is brought up, there have been numerous reports and studies on the impact of hypnotherapy on drug addiction.  There is a clear benefit of hypnotherapy over other forms of cognitive or behavioral therapy. This depends on your susceptibility to being hypnotized, the severity of your addiction, and various other factors.

 

Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction

Treatment of Drug Addiction

Finding Effective Treatment for Drug Addiction

Finding effective treatment for drug addiction is often elusive for addicts and their family members. Some individuals attempt to find the right treatment for years, moving from one program to another while frequently relapsing. What began as a choice to first take a illicit drug or use a prescription drug for non-medical purposes becomes an uncontrollable craving for the individual, and treatment may only be sought after the person experiences consequences stemming from the drug abuse and subsequent behavior related to that abuse.

Addicts attempting to manage their drug use alone face innumerable challenges to overcome the compulsion. Abuse of certain drugs can cause  the untreated addict to suffer permanent physical damage to the brain and other organs and even death. But awareness of these consequences may not be enough to alter the compulsive behavior due to the impact of addiction on brain function, especially in areas involving learning and memory, the pleasure center, and inhibitory control over behavior.

involved in each individual disallow one treatment approach as a means to recovery for all drug addicts. Instead, effective treatment programs carefully consider individual traits and needs of each drug addict. Following the evaluation of the type of drug addiction and level of severity, a treatment plan aims to help an individual stop drug use, remain drug-free following treatment, function at a high level in both personal and professional settings.

Chronic Relapse and Long Term Drug Treatment

The chronic aspect of drug addiction increases the threat of its return, even if an addict is able to stop using drugs for a few days due to voluntarily quitting, entering detox or being incarcerated. Failure to treat the addiction is a common occurrence in American society, based on figures made available by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration. SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows more than 9 percent of the U.S. population age 12 and up required treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol problem in 2007. Of that roughly of just over 23 million people, a mere fraction (10.4%) received treatment at a hospital, mental health center or drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility while nearly 21 million did not receive treatment.

More than 30 years have passed since research began showing a direct link of treatment to ending drug use, avoiding relapse and helping addicts recover. During that time, researchers have developed a better understanding of how addiction affects the brain, and treatment programs have been created to more effectively respond to addiction.

Some of the notable changes along the way include: recognition that no single treatment is effective for all addicts, addressing all needs of the addict, remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time is more advantageous, counseling is a vital part of overcoming addiction and its related behaviors, medications can be useful in treating certain addictions, a treatment plan can change to fit the changing needs of the individual, many drugs users experience a concurrent mental illness, detoxification alone is inconsequential related to long-term recovery, and monitoring drug use after treatment begins is necessary due to common relapses.

One of the aforementioned changes, addressing all needs of the addict, is evident in the dual diagnosis approach used by addiction specialists aiming to simultaneously treat drug addiction and mental disorders. Additional health threats related to either condition, including HIV, hepatitis B and C, and other infectious diseases, are typically discussed within treatment to educate the individual about the risk of contracting or spreading these diseases.

Integrated Treatment Programs

An integrated treatment program, which may combine medication and behavior modification, is best applied as part of a long-term plan to achieve recovery. Individuals may opt to receive treatment in a long-term residential setting that provides time for easing withdrawal, learning and employing relapse prevention strategies, and selecting follow-up options for continued care, including community programs that support and encourage an individual to live a drug-free lifestyle.

Medications for Drug Detox and Treatment

Medications can play one of two roles during detox and treatment: as a tool to help suppress withdrawal symptoms and as a means of preventing relapse and reducing drug cravings. For example, effective medications for treating opioids, such as heroine, include methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone, although the latter option is less accepted. These medications suppress withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings by targeting the same area of the brain affected by the drugs. Individuals with severe addiction to multiple drugs will require treatment for all drugs abused.

Among the FDA–approved medications for treating alcohol dependence are naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram. Naltrexone blocks brain receptors related to pleasure and cravings, and reduces relapse to heavy drinking. Acamprosate may be used to reduce symptoms of long-lasting withdrawal, including insomnia, and anxiety. Disulfiram is used to treat chronic alcoholism and creates highly unpleasant effects, ranging from nausea and vomiting to headaches and blurred vision.

One primary purpose of medications is to help patients cease drug-seeking behavior and more willingly accept behavioral treatments. Once actively participating in these treatments, individuals can learn how to manage their own behavior, change their attitude towards drug use, and make healthier choices. Treatment options include outpatient programs comprised of individual or group drug counseling, as well as residential treatment programs.

Long Term Treatment Programs

These residential treatment programs tend to differ in their approach based on a few key elements. First, they are longer in duration, typically providing a program that lasts 6-12 months for an individual. Also, residential programs use a regimented routine with specific times designated for particular activities as part of a mission of teaching self-discipline. Finally, the community setting becomes an influential factor as individuals interact with addiction specialists, staff and peers on a daily basis. This community, with its shared mission of a drug-free life for all, can be a highly supportive part of long-term treatment for an addict who has experienced chronic relapse,  incarceration and separation from friends and loved ones.

 

Effects of Alcohol

Treatment of Drug Addiction

Probably the most popular drug in the world, alcohol, is also the oldest drug in recorded history. It’s been a part of every culture in the world for centuries and in many countries, it is their worst drug problem. According to the World Health Organization, there are 3.3 million alcohol-related deaths each year, compared to an estimated 207,400 drug-related deaths reported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Alcohol is essentially a poison. The one thing that all types of alcohol have in common is that they are fermented—or more simply put—food that is rotten. When alcohol enters the body it has a toxic effect and begins to cause the body to burn up vitamins and minerals. This includes vitamin B1 which is important for proper function of the nervous system. Thus you have an array of physical effects and impairment on the body that are seen rather quickly, along with other long-term effects that may not become evident right away.

Alcohol may affect each person differently, whereas one person can build up a tolerance and appear to “handle” their alcohol well, while another may completely lose control after just a few drinks. This is due to a number of factors relating to a person’s physical and mental condition including how much nutrition is in their system at the time. Yet no matter how much a person tries to counteract the negative effects created by alcohol consumption, sooner or later it catches up with them, particularly if they build up tolerance and continue to increase the amount they drink. Over a period of time, the long-term effects can create some very serious conditions.

The following is a guideline to some of the short and long-term effects of alcohol:

Short-term effects of alcohol:

  • Loss of motor control
  • Impaired judgement
  • Slurring of speech
  • Drowsiness
  • Headaches
  • Upset Stomach
  • Vomiting
  • Blackouts
  • Unconsciousness
  • Coma

Long-term effects of alcohol:

  • Alcohol poisoning
  • Cirrhosis and other liver damage
  • Pancreatitis
  • Nerve damage
  • Brain damage due to death of brain cells
  • Malnutrition
  • Loss of productivity
  • Destroyed relationships

Whether you are concerned about your own alcohol consumption or you are trying to help another who may be drinking too much, Salamat Clinic can help. Give us a call today

The Effects of Drugs

Treatment of Drug Addiction

Who should learn about the effects of drugs?

  • A young person should learn about these effects before he or she ever touches a drug.
  • A parent that knows the effects of these drugs can explain the dangers to his or her children.
  • Community members can arm themselves with full knowledge of the effects of drugs and then pass this information on to other community members.
  • Educators and counselors can strengthen their drug-free messages by knowing the exact harm that can result from each drug.

Below, you will find links to the many pages on our website that deal with the harmful or even fatal effects of these drugs. Please feel free to pass this information on to anyone else who can use it to protect or even save lives.

Drug Effects

  • Alcohol effects
  • Ambien effects(Zolpidem)
  • Amphetamine effects
  • Bath Salt effects (Cathinones)
  • Barbiturate effects (Seconal, Nembutal)
  • Benzodiazepine effects (Valium, Xanax)
  • Cathinone effects
  • Club Drug effects (Ecstasy, Ketamine)
  • Cocaine effects
  • Crack Cocaine effects
  • Codeine effects
  • Desomorphine effects (Krokodil)
  • Dextromethorphan effects (Cough medicine)
  • Dilaudid effects
  • Ecstasy effects
  • Fentanyl effects
  • Hashish effects
  • Heroin effects
  • Hydromorphone effects (Dilaudid)
  • Ice effects (Methamphetamine)
  • Inhalant effects
  • Khat effects
  • Kratom effects
  • LSD effects
  • Marijuana effects
  • MDPV effects
  • Mescaline effects
  • Methamphetamine effects
  • Methadone effects
  • Methylone effects
  • Morphine effects
  • Oxycodone effects (OxyContin)
  • Oxymorphone effects (Opana)
  • PCP effects
  • Piperazine effects
  • Prescription Drug effects
  • Prescription Pain Pill effects (Lortab, Vicodin)
  • Purple Drank effects (Cough medicine)
  • Rohypnol & GHB effects
  • Sedative effects
  • Soma effects (Carisoprodol)
  • Spice effects (K2, Synthetic marijuana)
  • Suboxone effects (Buprenorphine)
  • Synthetic Drug effects
  • Tramadol effects
  • Tranquilizer effects
  • Valium effects
  • Vicodin effects
  • Xanax effects

Why Do Addicts Lie and Manipulate?

Treatment of Drug Addiction

Nearly every family of an addicted person encounters this shocking fact: The addicted lie and manipulate those around them. Even those who have long been close to one’s heart—like one’s children or a spouse—will lie to one’s face, These were people who were loved and trusted, sometimes for decades before addiction came to live in the home.

It’s a brutal reality that it takes some families years to come to grips with. Some families never do come to grips with it. But every day that a family fails to realize that they are being lied to and manipulated, addiction gets to thrive and maintain its of influence.

Why They Do it

Why don’t addicts realize that their families have their best interests at heart and want to help? Why do they lie about their drug or alcohol use and the problems it creates? Why do they make up stories about robberies or lost jobs to get money? Why do they lie about a hundred other things and manipulate families to keep them from stopping drug use or drinking?

Think of it this way: Their need for drugs is making them crazy. When cravings kick in, they are so completely overwhelmed that all other considerations—like love, truth and honor—take a back seat. The need for drugs seems as vital as breathing or having food after starving for a long period. No other thought can even co-exist in their worlds. One woman described her sensation of overwhelming need for drugs as literally making her insane.

But there’s a second reason they lie and it happens as soon as the drugs take effect the very first time. It’s the same reason a person can continue to use drugs after the destruction starts. Drugs immediately begin to shut down the user’s ability to be analytical. As soon as the effects of the drug kick in, the user has a lowered capacity for objective thought and decisions.

So someone smoking marijuana every day can think the mellow feelings that result are desirable while quickly forgetting about educational goals that were so important just a few weeks ago. If those goals do occur to her, it’s easy to make them go away with a little more weed.

A sober alcoholic can be determined to use his money wisely but after a single drink, it looks acceptable to spend all his money on booze. That analytical ability went out like a light with the first drink. In fact, this is also what happens with triggers. The effect of triggers is to lower a person’s ability to be objective and so that devastating decision can be made to have a drink or use drugs again.

Morality and Ethics Soon Depart

Once those analytical, objective capacities are lowered, it’s not a big jump to the loss of morals. When an addicted person is desperate to prevent withdrawal cravings and sickness, criminal acts they never ever would have engaged in begin to look like the only way they can survive. This is how a person who was honest and ethical his whole life can begin assaulting people and robbing them, breaking into houses, stealing valuables from his family or prostituting himself or herself.

Now add guilt to the mix. Guilt acts like concrete laid on top of the analytical shutdown, cravings and crimes. Now the addicted person struggles with a burden that can’t be faced. The person is now locked in that destructive pattern of behavior.

Recovery—a Process of Peeling Off the Layers

For recovery to be lasting, a person must work through all these layers of damage, relieving the guilt and restoring the ability to be objective. This recovery takes time which is why there is no set time limit for the Salamat clinic drug rehab program. Each person works his way through these layers at his own rate.

The first layer of relief on the Narconon program comes from the New Life Detoxification Program—a deep detox utilizing a sauna, moderate exercise and nutritional supplements. This combination enables the body to dislodge drug residues that remain behind even after drug or alcohol use stops. As the residues are flushed out, a person’s outlook brightens and his thinking becomes clearer. Most people say their cravings are greatly reduced. Some even say cravings are gone and that their constant dreams of drug use finally stop. Now a person can begin to think for himself again.

Next, each person must learn how to face the harm that has been done and find relief from the guilt. This major step forward occurs on the Personal Values Course. Here, a person discovers how integrity was lost and learns the procedure for recovering it. Each person has the full support of Narconon staff who understand that this process is difficult to face. Those in recovery may need help working through the harm they have done to those they love. But at the end, many people feel a weight lift as they recover their self-respect and love for others.

One person completing this life skills course commented, “I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest and I no longer have to do those things that badly affect my life. I no longer have to slowly destroy my body and my personal property.”

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