If you struggle with drug addiction, you are not alone. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 48.5 million people suffered from a substance use disorder in 2023.[1]

When you have a drug addiction, that means your brain and body rely on the substance to function properly. If you suddenly stop using it, you’ll experience drug cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Some people refer to cravings and urges as “feening for drugs.”

When you are fiending or feening for drugs, you might have loud thoughts in your head about engaging in substance abuse. These thoughts are so intense that they cause you to feel a physical urge to use your drug of choice. Feening for drugs is one of the largest triggers for relapse, keeping people caught in the cycle of addiction.

If you start feening for drugs and do not engage in drug or alcohol use, you will begin to experience physical symptoms of withdrawal. Your withdrawal symptoms will vary based on what substance you are addicted to. That said, withdrawal can be intense, often leading to life-threatening symptoms like seizures.

Because of the risks involved, you should seek help from an addiction treatment center. These programs can help you overcome substance use disorder by helping you manage withdrawal symptoms, overcome drug cravings, and learn healthy coping mechanisms to prevent relapse.

In this article, you will learn:

• What does fiending or feening for drugs mean?
• What causes drug cravings?
• What are the signs of substance use disorder?
• How can you overcome fiending for drugs?

What Does Feening or Feigning Mean?

“Feening (feigning) or fiending” are slang terms to describe intense drug cravings. These are psychological symptoms caused by your brain and body’s need for a substance that you are addicted to. Drug cravings can be triggered by a variety of factors, including environmental cues, stress, and psychological factors.

If you have heard a loved one say they are feening for drugs, you might be wondering what they are going through. The symptoms of intense cravings could include:

• Persistent thoughts about using drugs or alcohol
• Intense urges to use substances
• Physical withdrawal symptoms like shaking, sweating, nausea, and more
• Trouble concentrating or focusing on anything other than the intense cravings
• Changes in mood, like anxiety, irritability, or depression
• Engaging in risky behaviors to obtain drugs
• Compulsive drug-seeking behavior that takes priority over everything else in the person’s life

If your loved one engages in drug abuse, they have probably experienced feening frequently. It is common among people with drug or alcohol addiction. These intense cravings are the reason that it is so hard for people to overcome severe addictions.

Understanding Drug Cravings: Why Are You Feening for Drugs?

If you or a loved one is experiencing intense cravings, you might be wondering why. What is causing you to fiend or feen for drugs and alcohol?

Addiction is now considered a brain disease because of the way substance abuse affects our brains. When you eat something or engage in pleasurable behavior, your brain releases dopamine, a chemical that makes you feel happy. This is what encourages you to keep eating.

When you abuse drugs or alcohol, your brain responds in the same way. However, the amount of dopamine that is released is much greater. Over time, regular drug use causes your brain to believe the only way it will experience reward and pleasure is if you abuse substances.

Because of this, you experience intense cravings and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when you are not actively consuming drugs. This biological response occurs to convince you to engage in the behavior that rewards your brain.

Signs of Drug Addiction and Physical Dependence

Feening for drugs is not the only sign of drug addiction. Knowing all of the physical and psychological symptoms associated with substance use disorders will help you determine if you need professional treatment.

The main signs that you have a substance use disorder include:

• Using more of a substance for longer than you intended to
• Having a hard time controlling how much drugs and alcohol you use
• Spending a lot of time obtaining or using drugs
• Experiencing intense cravings and urges to abuse substances (fiending or feening)
• Losing interest in previously enjoyed activities due to substance abuse
• Having a hard time maintaining responsibilities at home, school, or work
• Continuing to use drugs and alcohol even though they are causing social issues and physical or mental health problems
• Engaging in risky behaviors while under the influence of a substance
• Needing to increase the dose of a substance to experience the desired effect
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you stop using drugs and alcohol

If you experience 2 or more of the above-mentioned behavioral and psychological symptoms, you have a substance use disorder. An addiction treatment center can help you overcome the mental and physical symptoms of fiending and manage withdrawal symptoms using FDA-approved medications.

How Can You Overcome Fiending For Drugs?

If you are experiencing the negative consequences of drug addiction, it’s time to seek professional help. Fiending for drugs is never easy, especially when it keeps you stuck in the cycle of addiction. Thankfully, there are a variety of addiction treatment programs that can help you recover.

To overcome the negative consequences of drug abuse, you should attend the following programs:

Medical Detox and Medication-Assisted Treatment

Medical detox programs assist you in safely managing withdrawal symptoms using FDA-approved medications. Comprehensive addiction treatment programs often include medical detox in their services, however, sometimes you need to attend a separate facility.

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is used during detox and afterwards. During detox, it involves prescribing medications to manage withdrawal. Once you overcome withdrawal, you can stay on certain medications like Suboxone or methadone to prevent yourself from “fiending” or experiencing cravings.

Inpatient Rehab

Inpatient rehab will help you overcome the root causes of your substance use, which could involve treating mental health disorders, addressing trauma that led to substance dependence, or developing coping strategies to prevent relapse. During inpatient rehab, you’ll partake in individual counseling, group therapy, psychoeducational support groups, and relapse prevention planning.

Receiving the proper treatment for addiction will help you prevent prolonged substance use and lessen the chances of developing health risks or worsening mental health issues.

Outpatient Treatment

Outpatient treatment is a comprehensive treatment program that helps you transition from inpatient rehab to independent living. You’ll live at home or in a sober living program while you attend 3 to 5 treatment sessions per week. During outpatient rehab, you’ll overcome the stigma surrounding addiction recovery, learn more about your psychological compulsion for drugs and alcohol, engage in evidence-based therapy, partake in support groups, and create a relapse prevention plan.

Get Connected to a Top-Rated Addiction Treatment Center

If you are experiencing the symptoms of feening, it’s time to seek treatment for drug misuse. Cravings can lead to physical discomfort and cause you to engage in risky behaviors to obtain substances. Over time, this can lead to physical health conditions, mental health issues, and even legal consequences.

By treating substance use in a rehab program, you can begin your recovery journey and start the healing process. At New You Sober Living, we can connect you with a reputable addiction treatment center to help you recover before you enter our sober living program.

References:

1. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Highlights for the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health