How Addiction Affects Mental Health

Addictions are a complex mix of mental illness and addiction. Mental health professionals have long recognized that people who have addictions may face other issues as well, such as personality disorders or brain chemistry imbalances. It's important to address all aspects of an addicted person's life because he or she could benefit greatly from treatment for both problems at the same time. Addicts often develop severe mental illnesses, such as depression and bipolar disorder, which can be exacerbated by their drug abuse.

Addiction causes severe confusion and difficulty in thinking.

Addiction is a brain disease, which means that addiction causes severe confusion and difficulty in thinking. The more you use drugs or alcohol, the more your brain changes as a result of this process. As your body becomes dependent on them to feel normal, you'll find yourself living a life where you're constantly seeking out new ways to get what you want.

In addition to changing how we think about ourselves and our world around us, addiction also affects our physical health by causing damage to organs like the liver and lungs (alcohol abuse). In fact, many people who suffer from alcoholism have experienced long-term chronic issues like cirrhosis due to their drinking habits!

The brain of an addict is different than the brain of a non-addict.

It's not that your brain has changed, it just doesn't have the same ability to process information or make rational decisions.

The way addiction affects mental health can be seen in many ways:

A person with addiction may have difficulty thinking clearly and making decisions as they would normally do; this can lead to poor performance at work or school and trouble making friends because they don't feel like themselves when around others.

An addict may experience stress because they are unable to control their urges while using drugs or alcohol; this stress then causes them to use more often which leads back up again until another period where there's no relief available except through treatment.

Addicts are less likely to get help if they have a mental illness.

The National Comorbidity Survey estimates that between 16 and 20 percent of the population has a diagnosable mental illness at any given time; about half of these people will develop an addiction in their lifetime, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). If a person already has a substance abuse problem and also struggles with an anxiety disorder or depression, he or she may not be able to receive treatment for both issues because it's considered too difficult for them to focus on recovery from one issue while simultaneously trying to address another issue through medication alone.

Addiction often interferes with memory and can result in memory loss.

In addition to memory loss, addiction can cause other symptoms that interfere with mental health. For example, addiction can cause mood swings and anxiety. These symptoms may be a sign of your addiction and need treatment before they become severe enough to affect your daily life.

In some cases, the brain damage caused by drug use or alcohol abuse can also result in dementia or Alzheimer's disease later in life. This type of brain damage is also called "Alzheimer's disease." If you have this condition and continue using drugs or drinking heavily despite knowing it's bad for your health (or if you don't know about the risks), then this could lead to even more problems down the road than those related directly to drug use itself!

A person suffering from addiction may feel that he or she is not living up to expectations.

Admittedly, it can be hard for someone who is addicted to feel like they are good enough, because they feel like they are not doing anything right. They may also think that their life is out of control and unable to control it on their own terms because of the drugs or alcohol in their system.

People who suffer from addiction need help, as well as treatment for their mental health issues.

Addicts are often treated with medication and therapy. These treatments can help them recover from their addiction, but they may not be able to completely overcome it.

The best way to prevent mental health issues associated with addiction is by getting treatment immediately if you feel like you're suffering from an addiction problem. The sooner you get help, the better off your life will be in the long run!

Conclusion

People who suffer from addiction need help, as well as treatment for their mental health issues. Many times, people with addiction have also developed mental health issues such as depression or anxiety. In order to overcome these problems, it is important to get treatment for both physical and mental conditions at the same time.