Drug addictions are one of the main reasons, along with gambling that we see as a cause of people’s debt, bankruptcy and insolvency problems. This shouldn’t give a bad name to debtors or drug addicts, but the drugs themselves. Drugs including cocaine, heroin, ice, methamphetamines, speed and sleeping tablets are extremely addictive as we all know, and also extremely expensive. In fact secondary to the physical effects of compulsive drug use is the financial damage they cause. It can even be greater, leading to un-payable debts, bankruptcy and house repossession.

What Is Drug Addiction? | Drug Addiction Debts Sydney

What is the cause of substance dependence according to science and psychology?

Drug addiction is a serious condition that can damage not just your health and your relationships, but also your personal savings. In scientific/psychological terms, drug addiction is the compulsion to repeatedly take a drug, and substance dependence is when the cessation of drug use causes negative withdrawal symptoms. Drug abuse is when a drug is imbibed for recreational (non-medical) purposes. But we will use the terms in the everyday, interchangeable way.

The cause of addiction is approximately this process (summarised of course):

• Learning: drugs of addiction release dopamine in the brain (the ‘pleasure’ chemical). The relationship between drug ingestion and pleasure is soon linked very strongly by the brain.
• Tolerance: the brain gets used to the drug and more is needed to achieve the same effects. Usage increases.
• Compulsion: the person becomes addicted because they take increasingly high quantities of the drug habitually.

And the financial problems with expensive compulsions like drug abuse are all too obvious…

Recognising The Signs of Substance Abuse | Debt Repayment Brisbane

How to realise when you or someone you know has a drug problem

Drug addiction is a problem with many ramifications, and hence many potential symptoms: physical, emotional and financial. But unfortunately, the variety of symptoms and of drugs can confuse recognition, along with the great lengths that drug addicts go to to hide their dependency. This broad list of symptoms should start as a guide for you if you suspect that someone that you know has a drug problem:

• Decline in emotional health.
• Unexplained outings.
• Decline in physical health.
• Secrecy.
• Financial trouble and frequent expenditures.

But of course, these symptoms can stand for many ailments. In fact, they’re almost identical to those on our gambling debt article. The best way to recognise substance abuse is with tangible evidence, and the best way to acquire that is by getting close to a person and gaining their trust.

Preventing Drug Addiction | Multiple Debts Adelaide

The best cure for substance dependence is not getting addicted in the first place

Drug addiction is an ailment that is completely human-created. It’s not a disease or freak accident that completely divorces a person from their fate. While it’s sad that people suffer from this completely preventable physical-emotional-financial condition, the flip-side is that drug dependence can be prevented. The ultimate prevention tip is of course don’t do drugs but because of how commonly this advice is broken, the following harm reduction tips are provided:

• Don’t do the more addictive drugs. Be aware of what these are e.g. Dilaudid (hydromorphone). If you are going to do opiates, it would be less harmful to do Percocet (oxycodone) instead (and the least harmful to do is none at all of course).
• Don’t risk addiction with the more expensive drugs. If you are routinely using cocaine, think seriously about the debt you could incur if you became addicted.
• Don’t get into routines of drug use. Sporadic use is less addictive.

That is a starting point but by no means a complete guide to avoiding addiction (one of the best financial if not physical-psychological decisions you can make). And as is the nature of harm minimisation information, it is not intended to encourage drug use under the pretense of ‘safety’.

Managing A Drug Problem To Stabilise Your Life And Finances | Recovering From Debt Perth

Regain control of your finances and self-control

Management is the turning point in regaining control of your life and your finances when you have a drug addiction. It is the point between having a drug problem that is getting worse and one that is getting better—it is having a drug problem that is remaining the same.

The key rule of this stage in the process is; don’t accelerate your drug use any further. No higher doses or new drugs. The second key component of this stage is: seek help. Hotlines, other contact methods and information can be accessed through the Drug Info website. Seeking help is what moves you beyond this stage into the next stage where you actually start improving your problem.

Treating Drug Addiction To Regain Financial Control | Debt Consolidation Sydney

Stop spending money on drugs and start repaying your bills and rebuilding your life

Kicking a drug habit is going to be very difficult, we are not denying that for a moment. But the benefits of beating it are far far greater. Imagine living debt free and having money to spend on your life for a change.

Here are steps that you can take to treat your drug addiction. They are by no means in chronological order or all-exclusive. But in each individual case, certain ones of these are crucial:

• Get help for underlying psychological conditions. These conditions are extremely under-diagnosed. Informed people know that there is no shame in having a psychological condition, but if you choose not to tell family and friends, that’s your choice. Many psychological conditions can contribute to a drug problem such as ADHD, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• Avoid temptation and influence. Stay away from people taking drugs and get narcotics out of your house.
• Preoccupy yourself with more healthy activities like exercise.
• Have the mentality: ‘I will never gamble again’.
• Maintain a ‘streak’ of days since when you last used a drug, so you will have more motivation not to go back to square one.
• Build a support network.This can include friends, family and institutional support groups like Narcotics Anonymous.
• Give control of your finances to someone you trust—at least at first.

By following a system like this, which can broadly be defined as recognition, management and treatment, you are setting yourself or a friend in need on the journey to recovery. Recovery from drug addiction is not just an improvement in health, but an improvement in your finances. It means steering away from the debt spiral, the road to bankruptcy and insolvency and towards financial security and wealth.