Drug addiction is a disease that can affect anyone. It doesn’t care whether you are young or old. Drug addiction affects people of means and individuals struggling to make ends meet. It can wreak havoc in the lives of people of any religious affiliation, and it even damages the lives of those who don’t abuse drugs at all. Recently, a 62-year-old, retired police lab employee in San Francisco was placed on trial after an audit of her lab revealed that cocaine, processed as evidence, was missing. A mature woman, working for the police department, has allegedly admitted to taking the cocaine, according to KGO-TV, the ABC affiliate for San Francisco, California.

In addition to having sweeping effects on the life of the accused in this case, the drug problem has been detrimental to the lives of the citizens of San Francisco as well. For instance, according to the article from ABC, the drug lab where she worked was closed and remains closed today. All of the in-house, and therefore less expensive, testing has been contracted out to other facilities in the San Francisco area, causing delays and increased costs to the taxpayers.

Drug abuse and addiction have a high price in terms of disrupted lives and financial outcomes, but none more than for the individual using drugs. Drug addiction, according to information published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is a chronic disease that is marked by relapse. It is difficult to stop using drugs in the first place and can be difficult to maintain sobriety in the long term. For decades, the NIDA has researched drug abuse and addiction in an effort to find better ways to treat the disease and maintain the results of treatment.

How to Recognize an Addiction

Like any disease, drug addiction has symptoms. These symptoms are not inclusive and not every person suffering from addiction is going to manifest every symptom, but they are a good guideline, according to the Mayo Clinic, to help you determine if you or someone you care deeply for in San Francisco may have a problem.

• One of the first symptoms of drug addiction is a need to use a drug on a regular basis. Do you or your loved one use every day?  More than once per day?
• An inability to stop using the drug is another symptom of addiction. Have you tried to stop using, telling yourself that you’re not going to take the drug today, and then fail despite your best efforts?
• Stealing to support a drug habit or spending money that should have been used for necessities or simply financial obligations, such as mortgage payments or car payments, is another sign that there may be an addiction present.
• Do you spend a great deal of time obtaining the drug you prefer?  Do you focus a considerable amount of energy on finding and then using drugs to maintain your on-hand supply? This can indicate that drugs have taken a priority in your life that needs to be addressed.

 How to Get Help for a Drug Addiction

Drug addiction, like many diseases, is treatable, according to the experts at the NIDA. When an individual suffers from hypertension, or high blood pressure, he or she may see their doctor and receive medications or non-medical therapies, such as advise to lose weight or start an exercise program to relieve stress. If or when this person’s hypertension returns or gets worse, their medical provider will adjust their treatment plan. When you or someone you love in San Francisco suffers from drug addiction, treatment options may be different but the concept is very much the same.

At Axis, our trained and compassionate staff can guide you to the help you need to control your addiction or the addiction of a San Francisco loved one. The sooner you get help, the more quickly you can find peace on the other side of addiction. Call us today for more information.