Types of Drug Addiction Treatment

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Drug addiction is a chronic disease with no known cure. Studies about effective ways of addiction treatment continue to be undertaken. One way to treat drug addiction is to adopt an integrated approach that combines medication, social support, and behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapies are mostly used to treat substance-use disorders, which can be applied in many settings, including office-based or outpatient programs. Click here to learn more about FL addiction treatments in particular.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps patients recognize the relationship between feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. It aims to change unhelpful thinking patterns and reactions that lead to harmful behavior such as substance abuse.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been proven to be an effective treatment for addictions because it enables individuals suffering from addiction to control their dangerous impulses and emotions through role-playing exercises, thought diaries, and modeling after other people in group discussions. CBT teaches addicts to monitor their minds for signs of cravings and triggers.

Motivational Enhancement Therapy

Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) is a form of motivational therapy that uses behavior-change principles to help patients become more open to changes in their lives, including becoming abstinent from drugs or alcohol. The therapist helps patients understand the benefits of getting sober but does not force them to stop drinking or using drugs. It provides positive reinforcement for making progress towards sobriety.

MET uses talk sessions that may include other family members or significant others involved in addicts’ lives, reaction videos, role-playing exercises, and other tools for practicing refusal skills and coping with cravings. These interventions help build motivation toward becoming sober by addressing concerns about changing their lifestyle drastically and demonstrating that they can enjoy life without drugs or alcohol.

Motivational enhancement therapy has been proven to effectively get addicts into treatment and encourage them to remain sober. These positive outcomes last longer than other therapies without MET, such as 12-step facilitation therapy (TSF) or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Once patients have progressed through the early stages of recovery and are more stable, other therapies may be used to help reduce cravings and prevent relapse.

Pharmacological Therapy

This type of therapy uses medications to treat addictions by helping the body detoxify from substances while reducing drug cravings. Medications for addiction treatments can ease withdrawal symptoms, block the effects of a substance, reduce cravings, and prevent relapse.

Medications for heroin addiction can include methadone or LAAM also known as Levo-alphaacetyl-methadol, which reduces the withdrawal symptoms while blocking the opiate effect on the brain that addicts do not get high when they use drugs.

Methadone has been around for years and is approved by FDA to treat heroin addicts. In contrast, LAAM is new on the market with a similar function but more treatment options, which means it could treat opioid dependence at doses higher than necessary for detoxification alone. It is indicated for both chronic pain management and treatment of opioid dependence.

Family-Based Therapy

This family-focused treatment is designed for adolescents, aged 12 to 18, addicted to drugs or alcohol. It focuses on improving communication skills between the addict and their family members and among family members themselves to strengthen relationships.

Family-based treatments include education sessions that teach how substance abuse affects the individual and others around them; relapse prevention training that helps patients recognize dangerous situations; contingency management (CM) which ties rewards to positive behaviors related to recovery; parent management training which includes setting rules, constructive feedback, monitoring performance, role modeling respectful behavior, and enforcing consequences.

When it comes to addiction, many people become emotional and say they cannot stop. But drug addiction is a serious medical condition with cravings, physical dependence, and withdrawal symptoms. It is not just a lack of willpower or discipline that perpetuates the cycle of abuse. Drug addiction treatment combines therapy and medication to teach patients how to overcome their addiction and avoid relapse in the future.