If you’re interested in this article, you’ve either suffered from addiction or are concerned about a loved one going through that condition. Whatever your reason may be, this article will help you understand the right addiction treatments for multiple addictions.
Before going into explaining addiction treatments, let’s explore what addiction is? Addiction is an inability to stop using a substance(addictive) or engaging in a behavior, causing physical, psychological, and physiological harm to the body. There are primarily two types; substance and non-substance addiction. Examples of non-substance addictions are:
- Gambling
- Food
- Internet
- Gaming
- Cell phone
Symptoms:
Addiction is a chronic disorder, and we should address this disorder seriously. We can identify addiction by the following symptoms:
- Poor performance at school or work
- Relationship problems
- Physical changes like weight loss
- Doing things that you don’t do normally
- Failing in your attempts to stop using the addictive drug
- Changes in behavior
- Neglected appearance
Treatments:
Nowadays, with advancements in medicine and research, we can easily treat addiction. There are many methods that we can use. Some of them are as follows:
- Behavioral therapy and counseling
- Medical devices
- Medications
- Psychological treatment
- Residential treatment
- Spiritual practice
- Family therapy
- Counseling
In the next section, we will review some of the best and most effective methods that can help treat addiction.
- Detoxification:
Detoxification is usually the first step in treating addiction, which uses medically-assisted detox that allows you to rid your body of addictive substances. In detoxification, experts help remove an addictive substance to produce limited effects on our bodies. In 80% percent of the cases, doctors use medications to reduce withdrawal effects.
- Rehabilitation Programs:
Rehabilitation programs are one of the effective methods that can help treat addiction easily because they focus on remaining drug-free. Fully licensed residential programs are available that provide 24/7-hour care. One type of residential program is therapeutic communities (TCs), in which a self-help program guides the patient to recover. In TCs, the community as a whole, including members from other residents, clinic staff, and other active members, plays an important role in the resocialization of the patient. Community members progress through different roles and responsibilities in their recovery. Days are highly structured and involve groups and individual sessions and time for chores and community and self-development, such as exercise. Day treatment or nonresidential therapeutic communities are also available and may be more cost-effective for patients with less severe social problems to address. Two other types of rehabilitation programs are:
- Short-term residential treatment
- Recovery Houses
- Treatment with Medications:
Combining therapies and medications can play a vital role in treatment. Most people use medications during the detoxification process. Long-term usage of these can reduce the chances of relapse. Medications can vary depending upon the type of addiction. Addiction to the following requires specific medications:
Alcohol:
Patients suffering from alcohol addiction can use the following medications to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms:
- Naltrexone: Reduces the effect of relapse
- Acamprosate/Campral: Reduces long term relapse symptoms like sleeplessness or insomnia and anxiety
- Disulfiram/Antabuse: Acts as a deterrent
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:
This type of treatment deals with the patient with a psychological aspect. It can be effective for many problems such as depression or anxiety, alcohol, drug addictions, eating disorders and severe mental illness. Research indicates that CBT can significantly improve the quality and functioning of life. CBT has a greater effect than other psychological therapies since it can help recognize unhealthy life patterns and equip you with coping skills. CBT includes efforts to change behavioral and thinking patterns. Some of the strategies are:
- Using problem-solving skills to solve challenging situations
- Learning to develop a sense of confidence in oneself
- Facing one’s fear
- Learning to calm and relax
- Gaining an understanding of the behavior and motivations of others
- Recognizing distortions and reevaluating them
CBT emphasizes individuals to be their therapists. The ultimate purpose of CBT is to learn how to cope with various types of challenges in life.
- Outpatient Rehabs:
These are home rehabilitation centers where a patient attends regularly scheduled sessions at home. Outpatient rehab usually focuses on education, counseling, and helping people cope without using substances. Outpatient rehabilitation centers are suitable for:
- Maintaining stable employment
- Acquiring strong support from family
- Those who have completed inpatient rehab recently
Outpatient rehabs are beneficial for those who are working or studying during their ongoing treatment. These have less structure and supervision.
Conclusion:
Different treatment options are available for substance and non-substance addiction. Usually, substance-based addiction is chronic, complex, and requires prolonged intensive treatment. The type of addictive substance and the severity of the addiction will define the type of treatment. Treatment begins with detoxification. Later, other options like therapies and counseling are used depending upon the type of addiction. A 6-12 months treatment period is normally considered effective. Following this, patients may return home after recovery, but they might still require supervision. Medications can prevent withdrawal symptoms and prevent relapses.
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