Addiction treatment is a journey toward recovery that involves numerous steps. It starts by accepting that there is an issue and seeking assistance to address it.
This begins with counseling or therapy, which may address other underlying mental health conditions or marital or family problems.
Self-help support groups offer another tool for alleviating feelings of isolation and helping individuals cope with relapses.
Detoxification
Detoxification is the initial phase of addiction treatment and involves clearing away toxins from the body. This may take place in either inpatient or outpatient facilities depending on the drug used or any resulting health concerns.
Medications may be administered to ease withdrawal symptoms which are often painful and uncomfortable – symptoms include muscle pains, runny nose, vomiting, cramping diarrhea, dilated pupils and anxiety to name but a few.
Detoxification aims to address cravings and stop drug use, helping reduce withdrawal symptoms that may become life threatening. This approach may also decrease overdose risks as well as health concerns related to substance abuse.
Some people experience withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit using drugs or alcohol, though these should usually subside after several days. If not, medical detox programs for addiction treatment may use medications or counseling sessions to ease withdrawal symptoms. In addition, they may offer support groups for family and friends of people addicted to substances who want help staying sober and preventing relapse.
Residential Treatment
Residential addiction treatment involves 24-hour care provided in an on-site setting licensed by the state. Treatment typically lasts from one month to one year and residents live among others who are also seeking recovery in that facility, providing an added layer of community and support not typically found with outpatient programs.
These programs typically provide more intensive therapy than outpatient care, including group and individual counseling, family and crisis counseling, education on substance abuse recovery and therapeutic activities such as art and music therapy.
Additionally, testing for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B & C infections, tuberculosis as well as counseling to help avoid high risk behavior may be included as part of these programs. You can visit this site to learn more about Hepatitis infections.
Addiction recovery can be challenging and may require multiple episodes of treatment before reaching long-term abstinence. It is essential to realize that no single approach fits everyone, as each person may require differing intensities of care based on a patient’s individual needs and consideration of any social, emotional, and health issues that must also be addressed.
Self-help programs may help reinforce commitment to abstinence while keeping positive outlooks intact.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment
Individuals who have completed inpatient treatment programs but require ongoing support to prevent relapse may benefit from intensive outpatient drug and alcohol rehab.
Intensive outpatient addiction treatments are more structured than general outpatient care; they include more frequent group therapy sessions as well as appointments with therapists and recovery experts; however, the intensity of these services may differ depending on an individual’s needs and treatment goals.
Most drug and alcohol rehab programs provide some form of behavioral therapy in addition to medications. Studies have revealed that combining both approaches improves results.
Intensive outpatient treatment strategies employ Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to assist individuals in shifting their thinking patterns and behaviors. You can click the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acceptance_and_commitment_therapy for more information about commitment therapy.
MET uses motivational interviewing and goal setting techniques to identify problem behaviors while ACT incorporates mindfulness meditation, cognitive-behavioral strategies, and mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques into its treatment programs to reduce depression, stress and cravings.
Some programs provide on-site ambulatory detox services, which may be particularly useful for individuals at risk of experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms when withdrawing from certain substances. They may also serve as an effective alternative to inpatient detox for those without serious withdrawal symptoms.
Self-Help Groups
Self-help groups are organized around common mental, emotional, or physical ailments – like alcoholism, drug addiction or depression – which require support services to resolve.
Self-help groups serve an advocacy role by offering members valuable experiential knowledge. Furthermore, they offer social support which reduces feelings of isolation or loneliness that could otherwise lead to relapse.
Support groups can be an invaluable asset to any treatment plan and help ensure you remain on the road to recovery after finishing drug rehab.
Your therapist or counselor may suggest joining one, with your selection depending on your needs and addiction treatment goals; selecting one with similar backgrounds or experiences being especially useful as there will always be someone there who understands what you are going through.
Most self-help groups are informal in nature; however, professionals such as therapists may lead them. Some federated self-help groups with state or national levels make their publications available while others remain independent with their own guidelines to abide by.
Self-help groups frequently follow a 12-step program and encourage members to give control over to a higher power. If this spiritual approach offends or seems unreasonable for someone, alternative groups exist that focus more on cognitive restructuring and self-reliance.