Drug Addiction Treatment
Drug addiction treatment is intended to help individuals to stop compulsive drug seeking and use. Drug addiction treatment can occur in a variety of settings, in many different forms, and for different lengths of time. Because drug addiction is typically characterized by occasional relapses, a short-term, drug addiction treatment is usually not sufficient. Drug addiction treatment can include behavioral therapy (such as individual or group counseling, cognitive therapy, or contingency management), medications, or their combination. Drug addiction treatment types will vary depending on the individual's needs and, often, on the types of drugs they used and the length of time they used them. The severity of addiction and previous efforts to stop using drugs can also influence a drug addiction treatment approach. Finally, people who are addicted to drugs often suffer from other health issues, occupational, legal, familial, and social problems that should be addressed concurrently.
According to several conservative estimates, every $1 invested in drug addiction treatment programs yields a return of between $4 and $7 in reduced drug-related crime, criminal justice costs, and theft. When savings related to health care are included, drug addiction treatment total savings can exceed costs by a ratio of 12 to 1. Major savings to the individual and to society also stem from fewer interpersonal conflicts; greater workplace productivity; and fewer drug-related accidents, including overdoses and deaths. Individuals progress through drug addiction treatment at various rates, so there is no pre-determined length of treatment. However, research has shown unequivocally that good outcomes are contingent on adequate treatment length. Generally, for residential or outpatient drug addiction treatment, short term treatment is of limited effectiveness, and drug addiction treatment lasting significantly longer is recommended for maintaining the most positive outcomes.
In addition to stopping drug abuse, the goal of drug addiction treatment is to return people to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and community. According to research that tracks individuals in drug addiction treatment over extended periods, most people who get into and remain in treatment stop using drugs, and improve their occupational, social, and psychological functioning. Drug addiction treatment enables people to counteract the addiction's powerful disruptive effects on their behavior and to regain control of their lives. The first step in all effective drug addiction treatment is detox and withdrawal.
Withdrawal and Detox
In addition to stopping drug abuse, the goal of drug addiction treatment is to return people to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and community. According to research that tracks individuals in drug addiction treatment over extended periods, most people who get into and remain in treatment stop using drugs, and improve their occupational, social, and psychological functioning. Drug addiction treatment enables people to counteract the addiction's powerful disruptive effects on the brain and behavior and to regain control of their lives. The first step in all effective drug addiction treatment is detox and withdrawal.
Detox and Withdrawal
The definition of withdrawal is "Discontinuation of the use of an addictive substance, and the physiological and mental readjustment that accompanies such discontinuation." Detoxification is the process by which the body clears itself of drugs and is often accompanied by unpleasant and sometimes even fatal side effects caused by withdrawal. Detoxification alone as drug addiction treatment does not address the psychological, social, and behavioral problems associated with addiction and therefore does not typically produce lasting behavioral changes necessary for recovery. Detoxification should cover all aspects of the individual's withdrawal and purification from drugs. Some drug treatment centers have had astounding long term recovery success rates using a purification process to remove the drug residuals .Without this process, drug residues can remain in one's body and cause cravings for years after drug use has ceased. This particular form of detox has been proven to be a vital step in a successful drug detox, and long term sobriety.
Types of Drug Addiction Treatment
Long Term Residential Drug Addiction Treatment-Long-term residential treatment provides care 24 hours a day, generally in nonhospital settings. This type of treatment most is by far the most powerful form of drug treatment available. Long term drug addiction treatment represents 24 hour a day care at a facility away from the individual's home environment. By temporarily relocating to the facility, the individual is given a way to shut out all the distractions in their life and focus solely on recovery from addiction. Another advantage of long term residential drug addiction treatment is that it provides much needed structure at a time when the individual is coming out of the chaos of drug addiction.
Outpatient drug treatment-Many individuals can neither afford, nor find the time to drop everything and enter into a residential treatment program. For them, outpatient care offers the best alternative. Outpatient drug treatment features all the key elements of rehab and takes place during the day so that the individual is free to return home in the evening. Outpatient programs tend to cost less. It is important to note, according to current statistics available from drug treatment centers across the country, long term residential treatment is by far the best choice. In after drug treatment follow up studies, individuals attending outpatient treatment centers, had a much higher rate or relapse in compared to those individuals completing long term residential treatment.
Counseling is often at the heart of most drug treatment programs. Drug addiction treatment counseling sessions or group classes come into play once the detox process is over and the withdrawal symptoms cease to exist. In drug addiction treatment programs, individual and group counseling sessions are where the problem of drug addiction is addressed at the source, by uncovering past events and triggers for drug use. The individual in drug addiction treatment may meet one-on-one with their counselor or in a group with other recovering addicts in the program to form a support structure that promotes recovery.
Remaining in drug addiction treatment for an adequate amount of time can be critical. The appropriate duration for an individual depends on the type and degree of his or her problems and needs. Research indicates that most addicted individuals need at least 3 months in drug addiction treatment to significantly reduce or stop their drug use and that the best outcomes occurs with longest durations of treatment. Relapses to drug abuse can occur and should signal a need for drug addiction treatment to be reinstated or adjusted. Because individuals sometimes choose to leave treatment prematurely, programs should include strategies to engage and keep them in drug addiction treatment.
The most common myth concerning drug addiction treatment is the misconception that it has to be the addict that initiates treatment. The fact is that a high number of individuals go into drug addiction treatment either because the court ordered them to do so, or because loved ones urged them to seek treatment. The good news is that, according to scientific studies, people who enter drug addiction treatment programs in which they face “high” pressure" to deal with their addiction can benefit from treatment, regardless of the reason they sought drug treatment in the first place. It is of the utmost importance to seek drug treatment at the first sign of drug addiction to avoid the negative side effects of substance abuse, which could include overdose and in some cases, death.
