Sep
21
2009
New Study Verifies Addiction Increases Risk of Suicide
Author: DrugRehabThe greatest fear of anyone associated with a friend, co-worker or loved one caught in the cycle of addiction is that the person will die of an overdose. Most overdoses are considered accidental. At least that is how the families and friends of the addict want to look at their death. However, a new study by SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration) in 2008 showed that 8.3 million adults in the U.S. had serious thoughts of committing suicide in the last year.
Out of the 8.3 million considering suicide, 2.3 million Americans made a plan in the last year while 1.1 million adults had actually attempted suicide in the last year. Factoring into the risk levels was gender, age and history of substance abuse. Substance abuse, not surprisingly, increased the risk of seriously considering, planning or attempting suicide. It was found that people experiencing substance abuse disorders within the past year were more than three times as likely to have seriously considered committing suicide as those not battling substance abuse. Those with past year substance abuse were four times more likely to have planned a suicide than those without substance abuse disorders and nearly seven times more likely to have attempted suicide.
These numbers are tragic but not altogether too surprising when taking into consideration the lifestyle of a person caught in the cycle of addiction. Most people tried a drug to avoid a problem and then continued with taking drugs instead of handling the problems in their life, finding them actually worse than at first and now finding themselves addicted to their drug of choice. Now their foremost problem is the cravings for the drug and the “how –to- get -more” of said drug. The lifestyle to keep the addiction fed brings on depression and guilt due to the activities to keep their cravings at bay. This of course increases the guilt where the only way out of this lifestyle to the addict is to commit suicide, which in the their mind will handle all their problems and do their friends and family a favor by them not having to worry over them any longer.
According to one professional in the rehab field, many people entering a rehab program state upon arriving that they had considered suicide because they had hit rock bottom and saw no other way to stop using drugs; and in the process were destroying not only themselves but their families. A person addicted to drugs cannot see any way out of this lifestyle. This is why an effective and successful rehabilitation program which takes a biophysical approach, and teaches Life Skills steps, is able to give that addict the tools and skills to overcome their addiction and to achieve their goals and dreams upon completion of the program, drug-free.
If you need help for yourself or a loved one, please call us on our toll-free Addiction Helpline at 1-877-873-8532. There is hope. It is possible to live a drug-free life…
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