Posts Tagged drug addiction treatment

How to Motivate Drug Users to Undergo Treatment

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment on November 20th, 2009

While it is easy to say that being in a treatment program can solve the problem of drug addiction, it becomes especially hard to do as more time passes by, as the cravings grow stronger and the withdrawal symptoms slowly begin to drive the user near insanity. For treatment to be successful, they must undergo the whole length of the program, and this is an especially difficult task.

confusion and isolationSo how can you motivate them to stick to it until the end? One possible motivation that you can give them is emotional support. Show them that they are not alone during the recovery period. Be there for them when the craving strikes. Prevent them from using drugs, even when their bodies scream for using them. Isolation can be one of the greatest threats to a successful treatment, since it would only make them find another reason to continue with their drug use.

Support groups are also important. While you can help users by preventing and discouraging them from going with their habit, those with similar experiences can often serve as the inspiration for others. It would also give them a sense of awareness that they are not alone in going through with the process of drug withdrawal, drug testing and drug abuse treatment, and that there are people who have successfully made it.

Of course, encouragement will always be the best motivator. The lack of self-confidence can be deterrent in treatment, and some just drop out of the race thinking that there is no possible way that they could do it. Give them courage to go through with treatment. If they believe that they can recover, the results of the program would be relatively better than if they didn’t. Furthermore, if you give them that kind of confidence, half the battle has already been won. The other half lies in his endurance and perseverance to go through with the process from start to finish.

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Utilizing Behavioral Therapy as a Drug Rehabilitation Method

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Rehabilitation on November 12th, 2009

It is a well-known fact that drug abuse can result to high levels of social differentiation and discrimination. People reputed to be users tend to be outcast by those in the majority group, since drug use is not only discouraged, but also greatly frowned upon by most members of society. There are also those that seek medication for this condition by taking “soft” alternatives for their drugs in order to slowly eradicate it from their systems, but the social stigma will still remain.

drug abuserHence, the answer to this predicament is to utilize another form of therapy – in this case, behavioral therapy – to help those under the influence to look at the reasons for their drug addiction, as well as to help them cope in a society that once shunned them for their habit.

So how does behavioral therapy as a drug rehabilitation method help, especially since not everyone is willing to undergo treatment? To properly analyze this, we can look at the benefits that this therapy brings. One, it helps people cope with their sudden and sometimes violent cravings for drugs. It also helps them understand why they act the way they do during these moments, which is most important in establishing and reestablishing deeper ties with their family and friends, effectively improving their communication and, by extension, their social functionality.

Here, the advantages of behavioral therapy lie in its ability to help people cope with themselves as well as with society. But, sometimes, doing this individually has minimal effect on the rehabilitation process. Often, it is also effective to undergo group therapy, since this reinforces the individual’s confidence to finally kick the habit. Through group therapy, an individual realizes that there are other people who have gone through the same predicament.

While medications can help greatly in drug rehabilitation, it won’t be as effective without proper behavioral therapy. The two go together, and in terms of combating the stigma that goes along with being a drug user, behavioral therapy is critical.

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How Effective Can Drug Addiction Treatment Be?

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Rehabilitation on November 11th, 2009

The saying “once you pop, you can’t stop” is an ancient adage and excuse for being addicted to something, and being addicted to drugs is one habit that brings this to light. On your own, it is excruciatingly hard to stop drug addiction, especially when the withdrawal symptoms begin to kick in. Those determined to kick the habit choose to seek professional treatment, but now we raise the question — How effective can drug addiction treatment be?

drug abuseTo further understand the effectiveness of drug addiction treatment, let’s first take a closer look at the goals of this kind of treatment. The primary objective is to set the lives of patients back on track, since drug addiction has serious physical, mental, and social consequences. Physical consequences can include a growing dependence on the drug, which can result to loss of appetite as well as weight loss. Mental side effects include paranoia, acute anxiety and stress. The social consequences of drug addiction include being labeled as deviant – something that can demarcate and cast out the patient from his or her social groups, which can further encourage rebellious behavior on the individual’s part.

With that objective set, the effectiveness of drug addiction is also variable, since each person has a different set of experiences. Each patient must first be put into scrutiny before determining the kind of treatment that is best suited for him. How long has he been using drugs? Does his drug addiction stem from something deeper? The outcome of each treatment depends on the background of the individual, as well as his willingness and determination to undergo the treatment each step of the way.

Generally, there are set objectives and procedures when it comes to drug addiction treatment, but its effectiveness can only be determined by the patient himself.

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Drug Addiction Treatment — Separating Myths from Facts

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment on November 3rd, 2009

The road to recovery from drug abuse is a difficult one, especially when we are surrounded with several myths on drug addiction treatment. To help our loved ones recover from the bondage of drug abuse, let us separate the myths from the facts.

drug abuseMYTH: Treatment needs to be voluntary to be effective.

TRUTH: There are several cases when drug abusers no longer have full control over their decisions and choices. With that, it may be necessary for family, friends or even employers to impose sanctions or to conduct intervention. This will aid abusers to seek treatment and stay in the program.

MYTH: It is best to use the same set of drug treatment practices proven to have helped other abusers in the past.

TRUTH: There is no exact formula that can be appropriate for all individuals. Matching treatment settings and services to the individual circumstances of every person is one of the most critical steps. It is a must to consider the history, environmental background, and other relevant factors to come up with a unique set of drug treatment procedures that would most probably work with the individual.

MYTH: Medical detoxification is the most important step towards drug addiction recovery.

TRUTH: While detoxification is a significant step in the treatment process, this will not be enough to achieve long-term changes. Managing the physical symptoms of withdrawal is crucial, though, for the treatment to take another step forward.

MYTH: Effective drug abuse treatment must not use medications.

TRUTH: Medications serves as a powerful tool in the treatment of many drug abusers. With proper counseling and other behavioral therapies, this can significantly increase treatment retention and success.

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Warning Signs of Relapse – Watch out!

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing, Prescription Drug Abuse on October 13th, 2009

Warning Signs
Treatment for addiction is seen as an end to all problems. The society as well as the family expects the individual to behave like any other individual. They fail to realize that recovery brings with it very complex problems and that the recovering addict has to develop newer skills to deal with them. Transition from drug using to drug free life needs a lot of adjustment. The situation is complicated by the constant bombardment of alcohol or drug related situation against which he has to guard himself. Over and above is the threat of psychological craving that might creep in at any point of time and shake the recovery of the person. Thus a recovering person is always on the edge trying to balance himself, a small mistake will pull him down to zero again.

But relapse is preventable provided the recovering person as well as the significant people in his life is able to identify the relapse warning signs and take the necessary steps to cope with the situation. The changes take place at the following levels –

Changes in attitude

- No efforts/commitment towards sobriety.
- Becoming extremely pessimistic.
- Impatience.
- Tunnel vision – looking at life in fragments and not as a whole.
- Overconfidence.
- Open rejection of help.

Changes in thought

- Thoughts about substitute drugs.
- Denial and resistance to change.
- Thinks that he deserves drugs since he has been sober for quite some time.

Changes in feelings

- Increased moodiness and depression.
- Strong feelings of anger and resentment.
- Increased feelings of boredom and loneliness.

Changes in behavior

- Increased episodes of disagreement with people around.
- drug taking friends.
- support group meetings.
- Displaying visible signs of stress such as smoking more cigarettes.
- Talking repeatedly about pleasures associated with drug use.

Recently seen someone with these symptoms? Help them…..they need our support.

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The Drug Addiction Relapse Process: Can you avoid it?

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing, Prescription Drug Abuse on October 11th, 2009

stones
“Once an addict, always an addict,” is the universal belief among people. The statement, though heartbreaking, has some element of truth in it considering the high rate of relapse that occurs amongst chemical dependents. Addiction, like any other chronic disease (hypertension, diabetes, etc.) can be controlled but there is always a possibility of reverting back to the previous condition. Thus an understanding of the relapse dynamics is essential to control the chances of relapse.

Now what is relapse? The mere event of drug taking after a period of abstinence is often misunderstood as relapse. But the fact is relapse is a process in which the resumption of substance use is the last event. It is not the simple act of taking the drug but a progressive series of maladaptive responses which leads the person to taking drugs. It is important to remember:

- Relapse is a process and not an event. Thus relapse is an ongoing process that takes place stage by stage and can be interrupted or stopped at any point of time provided one becomes aware of the fact that the process has already set in.

- The process starts in the mind of the person. Relapse patterns are formed by the person’s attitude, values and thought processes which takes place at the mental level and he begins to relapse at his thought level.

- It is manifested through a progressive pattern of behavior. The changes in the thought process affect his attitude, values and behavior and ultimately he ends up using the chemical.

- Relapse is preventable. If the person is aware of the negative changes he can adopt measures that can prevent him from relapsing.

- Poor commitment to recovery, high risk situations and emotional states, interpersonal conflicts, social pressures, negative physical state and psychiatric impairment are some of the common factors that lead to relapse.

Whole recovery, though a challenge, is attainable provided the person is loyal to his recovery.

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