Drug addiction compels the addict to compulsively repeat a pattern of self-destructive behavior that can be fatal.
When the addict finally decides to battle the addiction, she most often finds she cannot do it on her own. Fortunately, treatment options exist that can aid in recovery from addiction.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that "comprehensive and sustained substance abuse treatment...is as effective as the treatments for other chronic conditions, including diabetes and asthma."
Inpatient Addiction Treatment Programs
Inpatient treatment offers a comprehensive 24-hour-a-day therapeutic environment, with psychologists, medical doctors and addictions counselors attending to the physical, psychological and emotional repercussions of the patient's drug abuse. Group sessions with other recovering inpatients encourage the addict to verbalize his feelings openly. One-on-one sessions with healthcare professionals address the addict's personal issues and allow him to discuss more intimate concerns.
Some addicts may need medically supervised detoxification from the drugs they've abused. Detoxification from drugs, such as narcotics, may be aided by medications that alleviate their withdrawal symptoms.
Patients with a dual diagnosis of drug addiction and mood disorders should be treated for both conditions, as drug use is often an attempt to deal with a mental illness through self medication, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
The program offered by each treatment facility is different. It is important to investigate a treatment facility thoroughly to ensure it will meet the addict's specific needs.
Outpatient Therapy and Counseling
Many options exist for those who seek a nonresidential course of treatment. In addition to individual and group drug counseling environments, The National Institute on Drug Abuse lists outpatient treatment methods such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, which teaches coping skills for dealing with addictive urges. Multidimensional family therapy welcomes the entire family into the process of addressing the addiction issues of its family members. Motivational interviewing emphasizes the individual's desire to alter patterns of abuse. Motivational incentives focus on the use of rewards to encourage abstinence.
Peer Support Groups
The fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA, has a 75-year history of helping alcohol addicts find recovery from their disease. This recovery program is based on a set of principles known as the 12 steps. The 12 steps have been found to be helpful in addressing numerous types of addiction, and as a result, offshoots of AA, such as Narcotics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous, have risen in popularity as a peer-based method for treating addiction.
Narcotics Anonymous is specifically focused on addiction as a disease. It doesn't matter which drug, including alcohol, that the addict used. The fellowship provides an environment where addicts in varying levels of recovery come together to share their experiences and insights into addiction and recovery.
Many addicts find that in order to give up drugs, they also must abandon the people, places and things that were associated with their drug use. The result is a social void that can leave the addict alone and unsure of how to fill in the hours that used to be consumed by her addiction. 12 step groups can help the addict find a new social circle, one that understands the addiction that once ruled her life, as well as the long journey she's now undertaking toward recovery.
