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Writer's pictureDr Charles Glassman

What are the options for drug and alcohol treatment?

Updated: Jan 16





What is drug and alcohol treatment?

This condition is also known as substance use disorder. Drug and alcohol addiction surpass a person’s willpower because of its compulsiveness. This mental illness causes a lot of damage in every aspect of life. To overcome this, a patient must undergo ongoing treatment. The battle between a person and addiction is never easy. It is a process that takes time and self-discipline.


The willpower to go on is also essential in this journey. Despite this challenging expedition, the patients will learn significant life lessons. It is also possible to develop and be a better version of themselves. Patients will also gain new interests and relationships. These will help them overcome all the challenges and temptations that they encounter.


Choosing the best drug-related treatment program for a patient is important. It is a crucial part of the recovery period. These will lead patients to a life of sobriety. There are three types of treatment with addiction. Each type has its benefits and attributes.


Types of Treatment


1. Inpatient Rehab


Inpatient Rehab is also called residential treatment. Practitioners recommend this for people who are suffering from chronic addiction. This also applies to patients with uncontrollable mental and behavioral disorders. This type of treatment program requires a patient to stay in a controlled facility. Staying in the facility will keep the patients away from using illegal substances. This will help end their addiction. It also provides various drug-related treatment programs that will help to overcome addictions. This ensures that the patient receives enough medical and emotional support.


2. Outpatient Rehab


This type of treatment program is less restrictive compared to inpatient rehab. Outpatient rehab allows the patient to stay at their own home. It only requires ten to twelve hours a week visit to a treatment center. To continue a patient’s daily schedule, the meetings are often scheduled on nights or days. It provides similar programs with inpatient rehabs. The programs focus on awareness and how to cope up with addiction. Programs also include counseling that can either happen one-on-one. But these privileges have greater risks. This treatment may take three to six months for mild addiction and more than a year for severe cases. The patients have a greater chance to encounter triggers. These will challenge their recovery process. It is good for patients that are experiencing mild addiction. This can also happen after inpatient rehab or partnered with sober living homes.


3. Sober Living Homes


Sober Living Homes is a type of treatment that is also known as a halfway house. This serves as a bridge between a patient who came out of inpatient rehab to the outside world. A patient will have a hard time in the transition process. This is where an adjusting period takes place. This will continue until the patient can be independent of treatments. They often use it as an in-between recovery option. This recovery option aims to lead patients to live a normal life. It will also determine if the patient is applying the lessons from inpatient rehab. It is a must to adjust and ensure the full recovery of a patient. But this doesn’t mean that patients will already experience freedom. There are still less restrictive rules. This is to make sure that patients wouldn’t be able to go back to their old life full of addiction issues.


When is it Time for Treatment?

The first step in the addiction recovery process is acceptance. The patients must acknowledge that their habits are getting out of control. They must also accept that it negatively affects their lives. Here are the signs that state that an addicted person must undergo treatments:


● Physical Health problems are arising because of substance usage.


● Addiction strains relationships. Another sign is the close people in the person's life are already encouraging a person to seek help.


● A person is relying on the substance. It is also a sign if the substances became the person’s priority over its former hobbies.


● Every aspect of the person’s life is being affected negatively by substance usage.


● A person lies about using substances.


Therapies

Therapies are often added to addiction treatment. Undergoing therapies help patients to recognize and understand their addiction. This will also provide an opportunity to learn techniques leading to sobriety.


1. Biofeedback Therapy


Biofeedback Therapy This therapy includes various drug-free procedures. It aims to let patients understand the involuntary processes of their body. Electronic sensors are being put on the skin to track the activity of the brain. By this, the therapist will determine what psychological strategies a patient should undergo. The recommended psychological strategy will help patients to overcome their addiction.


2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy


This kind of therapy wants patients to determine their feelings and thoughts. These feelings and thoughts are negative and affect the recovery process. This aims to change the negative thoughts and feelings of the patient. It aims to avoid feelings and thoughts having a detrimental influence on the mood. This therapy will help the patients deal with those drug-related problems in positive ways.

3. Experiential Therapy


Experiential Therapy involves non-traditional processes to help the patient suffering from addictions recover. This will help patients overcome any destructive emotions. These need to vanish because it is the possible foundation of their addiction. Patients will use tools and do activities that can be a way to express their emotions. Its goal is to re-enact and study situations from the patient’s relationships.


Bottom Line

Drug and alcohol addictions are severe kinds of disorders. Treatment centers for drug and alcohol use will help improve the quality of living. There are different treatments and therapies. Each has unique uses and goals for patients. The level and kind of addiction also differ. These treatments and therapies will depend on the patient’s diagnosis. The support that comes from loved ones will be a great help to a patient’s recovery process. Save a person suffering from addiction by convincing them to undergo suitable treatments.

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