Healthy Living Muskogee Summer 2020 Edition | Page 23

addiction is a disease.
Addiction is classified as a disease
because it is caused by a combination of
behavioral, environmental and biological
factors then makes changes to the mind
and body of the infected. Although the
initial choice to abuse a drug may be a
choice, a person loses control of their
behavior once their mind is impacted by
addiction.
"Support issues are huge when it
comes to recovery, and that’s why isolation
concerns me when it comes to the
COVID-19 issue right now, that isolation
can be a really big problem," Curtis
said. "Even when we’re doing our groups
in our program we’re doing them online,
but they’re not doing it with everyone
else. We lose that social connection, so
that’s a huge thing we’re really struggling
with right now.”
Addiction can be controlled, but it
can never be cured. The recovery process
for addiction is a way of life, and treatment
is just the first step.
“It doesn’t matter how somebody
for what reason tried something, that
addiction and that addiction aspect kicks
in," said Tim Ryan, recovery advocate
at Rehab.com. "This is a disease that
is progressive and chronic and will kill
people, but they need to know there is
hope out there and recovery is possible,
but the first step is getting them into
treatment then realizing it is a journey
from there.”
Healthy Living
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