It seems like many of us know at least one person who’s struggled with an addiction, whether it be to alcohol or drugs. It’s something that’s touched my own life in a very personal way on more than one occasion. My youngest sister’s ex-boyfriend, and likely still is, addicted to drugs and alcohol. He also struggled with depression, which we believe actually caused him to resort to the drugs and alcohol in his early teens. We all, foolishly, thought he’d grow out of it - like it was a phase. The sad truth; for as long as I’ve known him, he’s never grown out of it. It was very, very heartbreaking for me because he and my sister have 3 beautiful children that will, and do suffer the most.

For people like my sister’s ex, regular addiction treatments may not work. Tackling the addiction alone isn’t going to help, it’s going to take tackling the reason they’re resorting to drugs and alcohol. Speaking on this personal situation, my sister’s ex should have had a dual diagnosis, and essentially been put into a program to treat the addiction to drugs and alcohol, and the mental illness that brought him down to them. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that many people who suffer with addictions also suffer with emotional and mental illnesses too. Addiction Treatment without them both has obviously not been working for her ex because time and again he’s relapsing. It makes sense that diagnosing and treating both problems, rather than just one would provide a greater success and chance at recovery.

People can and do recover from these illnesses. For those who suffer from addiction as well as any number of mental illnesses, there are programs out there that treat co-curring illnesses. Once a patient has been detoxed and has completed their addiction treatment, following up with psychiatric care may help prevent future relapses. Lakeview Health not only helps individuals get to the root of the problem with dual diagnosis and treatment, they also provide individuals and families with therapy and even educational classes.

Other than my sister’s ex, I also have another close relative who has been sober for several months and though everyday is a struggle, she’s well on her way to lifetime without addiction. Her success can be attributed to not only treatment for the addiction but also because she received treatment for the reason, which will hopefully decrease her chances for a relapse.

This was a paid review