A mood disturbance is any condition which prevents a victim from properly regulating or adjusting to her emotional state. Mood disorder victims, in other words, are incapable of coping with emotional highs and lows, and are thus in an important sense quite literally slaves to their own feelings. The net result is, obviously, an extraordinarily unpleasant way of being…which perhaps explains why so many victims of mood disturbances resort to substance abuse as a means of dulling the pain.

The obvious corollary here is that an addict suffering from a mood disturbance can’t get sober without first achieving meaningful psychological recovery. In practical terms, that means that the best addiction treatment centers are those which use dual diagnosis techniques to address patients’ underlying mental health issues. The most successful drug and alcohol rehab promotes holistic healing, and helps addicts get better from the inside-out. With so much to lose, and so much more to win, you’d be making a gross mistake if you didn’t resolve to learn that lesson for yourself.