Making a Decision to Recover from Drug and Alcohol Dependence

The disease of addiction affects one in four Americans either directly or indirectly from experiences with a family member or close acquaintance. The cost of this disease runs into the billions of dollars each year in direct medical costs, accidents, increased criminal activity, lost productivity and corruption. When one factors in the emotional and relationship factors that are involved in this debilitating disease, it's obvious that financial considerations are just one of many negative consequences of addiction. Recovery from drug and alcohol dependence is a term used to describe the process of bringing an addiction to remission. It's essential to understand that addiction is a disease that has no cure. Once the brain has undergone the fundamental changes in brain structure and function the disease of addiction has been established. However, the good news is that while addiction remains, it can be successfully managed by abstinence from mood altering substances.