Most people today have been impacted by the sadness and destruction of drug and alcohol addiction in one way or another. The daily death rate from drug overdoses has tripled over the last 20 years and it is estimated that close 20 million Americans battle substance abuse excludingtobacco. A summary of findings from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed that more than 30 million people had used illicit drugs within the last thirty days which, equates to 1 in 9 people, and more than 20 million people were diagnosed with a substance use disorder. This source also found that those with substance use disorders were also twice as likely to have struggled with a major depressive episode within the last year[1]. These are appalling statistics and sadly, for those people who can initially withdraw from a substance, relapse rates are as high as 60%[2]and many addicted people are simply transferred from the addictive drug such as heroin or other opiates to a legal replacement such as methadone or buprenorphine. Unfortunately, these drugs have many of the same side effects as the illicit drugs and are also habit-forming![3]
The truth is that people who use drugs and alcohol are not deficient in those drugs or alcohol or their accepted replacements; however, they are often deficient in hormones that allow our bodies to function and react to our surroundings appropriately including the God-given desire to love, learn, laugh, and contribute[4],[5]. When people use drugs and alcohol they are almost always trying to change the way they feel. Would it not make more sense to uncover the root cause of their anguish which is likely generating other symptoms besides drug use? Simply stopping the drug or alcohol use whether replacing with another drug or not, still leaves the sufferer with the same feelings of despair that initiated the drug or alcohol use in the first place. This is why so many continue in their addictions; many of whom rationalize that having a few glasses of wine each evening is a perfectly acceptable way to wind down after a long hard day at work. If we are honest with ourselves, most of us would agree that the mental and physical health problems associated with this habit can have devastating effects over time.
If you or a loved one struggle with addiction or find yourself needing a substance to “wind down”, you very likely suffer from hormone imbalances. These may include progesterone, testosterone, thyroid, or a plethora of others which can cause anxiety, depression, poor motivation, fatigue, low libido, weight gain, hair loss, dry thin skin, elevated lipids, and so much more. We highly recommend you invest in your well-being and future with a comprehensive evaluation of your hormones.
[1]2017 NSDUH Annual National Report. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2017-nsduh-
annual-national-report.
[2]Amerson, L. & Smitt, D.L. (2001). Drug Dependence as a Chronic Medical Illness. JAMA 285(4): 409
[3]Methadone: MedlinePlus Drug Information. (2019). Retrieved from
https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682134.html
[4]Wharton, W., Gleason, C. E., Olson, S. R., Carlsson, C. M., & Asthana, S. (2012, August 01). Neurobiological
Underpinnings of the Estrogen – Mood Relationship. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3753111/
[5]Genazzani, A., Stomati, M., Morittu, A., Bernardi, F., Monteleone, P., Casarosa, C., . . . Luisi, M. (2000).
Progesterone, progestagens and the central nervous system. Retrieved from