Treatment For Drug Addiction
While drug addiction can be scary, there are effective treatments and a number of treatment options. Those facing drug addiction should be aware of these resources for regaining a hold on their life. For friends and family members of drug addicts, read on to learn about treatment options and how you can support your loved one’s rehabilitation.
The Basics of Treatment
Drug addiction is a chronic, serious problem, and as such, the treatments are varied and usually consist of multiple approaches. Taking a single pill or participating in short term treatment is usually not sufficient, since drug addiction recovery is a long road, often dotted with occasional relapses. A combination of counseling or behavioral therapy, along with medication, is usually used to provide a long-term solution to drug addiction.
Furthermore, drug abuse often happens concurrently in individuals who are facing other serious life issues or medical problems. Finding solutions to these other issues, such as inadequate housing, HIV/AIDs, depression, and physical or sexual abuse, is also important in ending drug addiction.
Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral therapy is a way for drug addicts to become motivated and to learn the skills necessary to recover from drug addiction. The skills focused on in therapy can include repairing relationships with family, learning ways to avoid drugs in everyday life, coping with drug cravings, and how to navigate a drug relapse, should it occur. Behavioral therapy and counseling can include both individual and group sessions. Group therapy lets recovering users learn from one another and explore the struggles of recovery together.
Medication
A number of medications have been developed to help individuals end their dependence on drugs. For those addicted to opioids like heroin, methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine can be helpful in changing brain chemistry and stifling cravings for the drug. Many drug users are also alcohol abusers, and may be aided by taking drugs developed to help alcohol addiction.
For mental health issues that may present concurrently with drug addiction, psychoactive medication and mood stabilizers may be helpful. Many drug addicts are also dealing with anxiety and depression. For those with still more serious chronic mental health problems like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, treatment with antipsychotic medications may be crucial in facilitating the end of drug use.
Helping a Friend or Family Member Seek Treatment
While no one can force a family member or friend into treatment, except under extenuating circumstances, showing concern about their drug use can go a long way. Seek support from other friends and family members who feel similarly, prepare information about drug abuse treatment centers in your area, and be ready to discuss concrete examples with your loved one about how their drug use is impacting their own life, and yours.
Information on Treatment Options
- Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator
- The National Alliance on Mental Illness
- The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Source:
- Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment. (2011) National Institute on Drug Abuse.