There is a lot of misinformation out there surrounding drugs – things that will supposedly get you high, things that aren’t addictive, things that won’t harm your health, etc. The following are just a few of the biggest misconceptions about both drug use and addiction treatment.
Smoking heroin is safer than injecting it. It’s true that there are a lot of dangers inherent to injecting drugs. Nerve damage, collapsed veins, skin and bacterial infections at the injection site, abscesses, infections in the lining of the heart and blood vessels, heart damage, organ failure, and irregular heart rate and blood pressure are some of the more serious complications. The reason most people assume smoking is better, however, is because they think the heroin doesn’t go directly into your bloodstream the way it does when injected. This isn’t true, and in fact inhaling may deliver heroin throughout the body even faster, because the lungs have a large surface area for the drug to be absorbed into.
Bath salts can make you a cannibal. Not exactly: they can cause psychosis, which can lead people to do all manner of violent and unexplainable things. People in the grips of delirium have believed they’ve seen demons, and one man was found wandering around in women’s lingerie covered in blood after having killed a neighbor’s goat. The cannibalism myth probably came from one specific case in 2012, where a man attacked a homeless man on the street, beat him unconscious, and bit off most of his face. Officials originally thought bath salts were to blame, but it turned out that he didn’t have any in his system.
Marijuana isn’t addictive. Like alcohol, some people believe that because marijuana is so widely used (and now legal, in some places), there’s nothing dangerous about it. The truth is that 30 percent of those who use marijuana may have some degree of marijuana use disorder, and studies suggest that 9 percent of people who use marijuana will become dependent on it.
You have to want treatment in order for it to be effective. It’s true that people generally have to admit they have a problem before they can begin to overcome it, but no one really wants to go to treatment. It’s a difficult process to give up a drug that your brain and body have become dependent on. Many people enter treatment on the urging of a doctor, therapist, or a loved one, and some require an intervention before they will agree.
People can finish addiction treatment in a couple weeks. Some treatment centers – usually those that are underfunded – only provide inpatient treatment for a week or so. While this may be enough of a start for some people to reach recovery, generally rehab is most effective at 90 days. After that, outpatient care and follow up are just as important to maintaining sobriety.
If you can go to work, you aren’t addicted. This is based off the stereotype that all drug addicts are uneducated an unclean. People have trouble believing that someone they see at work every day could be addicted, but the truth is that there are many people who can continue to be functional – for a while, at least.
If you or a loved one need help with quitting drugs or alcohol, consider Asana Recovery. We offer medical detox, along with both residential and outpatient programs, and you’ll be supervised by a highly trained staff of medical professionals, counselors, and therapists. Call us any time at (949) 438-4504.