Self-medication is when people use a substance to treat their own problems, rather than getting the help they really need. These problems are usually emotional or psychological. People who suffer from alcoholism and drug addictions are often self-medicating. The problem they’re trying unsuccessfully to fix or cover up could be depression, anxiety, inability to deal with a death or job loss, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, or a variety of other issues. Once in a while, people also try to self-medicate for physical problems. They could use alcohol to help them sleep, or use illegal or prescription drugs incorrectly to treat a recurring physical pain.
Self-medication with drugs and alcohol usually starts out as infrequent or irregular use. As time goes on, the individual prefers the substance to dealing with the real underlying issues. After a while, it develops into a full-blown addiction. The length of time it takes for drug and alcohol use to become an addiction varies widely between different people and different substances. It could be almost immediate, or it can take a long period of time.
Substance abuse as a form of self-medication is ultimately destructive. It might offer the addict temporary relief from psychological pain, but it only makes the problem much worse in the end. The initial issue becomes larger, only hidden, and the individual now has an addiction to deal with as well.
The underlying issues that lead to self-medication through drug and alcohol addiction need to be addressed in a treatment program. Psychological counseling is usually necessary to work through these issues. Without resolving the mental illness or other circumstances that led the addict to self-medicate, there’s a good chance that it will lead them to back to relapse in the future. Individuals who self-medicate should keep this in mind when selecting a method of rehabilitation.