Author: James Anderson
Treatment and Recovery National Institute on Drug Abuse NIDA
Although there’s no cure for drug addiction, treatment options can help you overcome an addiction and stay drug-free. Your treatment depends on the drug used and any related medical or mental health disorders you may have. These advanced practice clinicians support patients through the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of conditions.
- He earned a Bronze Star and a Combat Action Badge but, like many other veterans, returned home a changed person.
- After discussion with you, your health care provider may recommend medicine as part of your treatment for opioid addiction.
- LCSWs are trained in psychotherapy to help people deal with a variety of mental health and daily living problems, including substance misuse and addiction.
While relapse is a normal part of recovery, for some drugs, it can be very dangerous—even deadly. If a person uses as much of the drug as they did before quitting, they can easily overdose because their bodies are no longer adapted to their previous level of drug exposure. An overdose happens when the person uses enough of a drug to produce uncomfortable feelings, life-threatening symptoms, or death. Statistics show that 20% of veterans who have PTSD also have a substance abuse disorder. In another statistic that hits close to home for Padlo, 63% of combat veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan fit the criteria for PTSD.
Common medications used to treat drug addiction and withdrawal
The chronic nature of addiction means that for some people relapse, or a return to drug use after an attempt to stop, can be part of the process, but newer treatments are designed to help with relapse prevention. Relapse rates for drug use are similar to rates for other chronic medical illnesses. If people stop following their medical treatment plan, they are likely to relapse. MFTs are trained to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, substance misuse, and addiction within the context of marriage, couples, and family relationships. Our addiction medicine research is helping both members and nonmembers get better, more effective treatment. For Padlo, depression and anxiety led directly to substance abuse to cope with life’s stressors and sadness.
Once he realized his using had become a significant, life-altering issue, he entered treatment — but his first go-around would not stick. The goal of detoxification, also called “detox” or withdrawal therapy, is to enable you to stop taking the addicting drug as quickly and safely as possible. For some people, it may be safe to undergo withdrawal therapy on an outpatient basis. Different types of medications may be useful at different stages of treatment to help a patient stop abusing drugs, stay in treatment, and avoid relapse. Additionally, medications are used to help people detoxify from drugs, although detoxification is not the same as treatment and is not sufficient to help a person recover. Detoxification alone without subsequent treatment generally leads to resumption of drug use.
Medicine treatment options for opioid addiction may include buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone, and a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. Behavioral therapies help people in drug addiction treatment modify their attitudes and behaviors related to drug use. As a result, patients are able to handle stressful situations and various triggers that might cause another relapse. Behavioral therapies can also enhance the effectiveness of medications and help people remain in treatment longer. Statistical data shows that mental illness coincides with nearly 50% of substance abuse cases. LCSWs are trained in psychotherapy to help people deal with a variety of mental health and daily living problems, including substance misuse and addiction.
In some cases, our care teams prescribe medication to treat an underlying mental health condition, like depression or anxiety. In other cases, medication is used to help reduce cravings, ease withdrawal symptoms, and help prevent relapse. This is sometimes referred to as medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and is mostly used to treat addiction to opioids, heroin, prescription pain relievers, and alcohol. Medication is typically used in combination with other treatment approaches, like therapy and self-care.
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Be ready to answer questions so you’ll have more time to go over any points you want to focus on. Your therapist or licensed counselor can help you locate a self-help support group. While naloxone has been on the market for years, a nasal spray (Narcan, Kloxxado) and an injectable form are now available, though they can be very expensive.
He has seen that veterans are struggling with trauma, anxiety, and depression and having a hard time getting help. Padlo’s journey to helping others recover from addiction has been defined by his own experiences and struggles with mental health. However, the lessons Padlo has learned along the way inform his approach to treatment today — and have resulted in notable successes for those who have gone through the Sophros program. Because addiction can affect so many aspects of a person’s life, treatment should address the needs of the whole person to be successful. Counselors may select from a menu of services that meet the specific medical, mental, social, occupational, family, and legal needs of their patients to help in their recovery. Like treatment for other chronic diseases such as heart disease or asthma, addiction treatment is not a cure, but a way of managing the condition.
Treatment enables people to counteract addiction’s disruptive effects on their brain and behavior and regain control of their lives. Kaiser Permanente primary care physicians are trained to screen for possible alcohol misuse at every appointment and connect members who need support to addiction medicine specialists. Counseling can help members with SUD explore the reasons behind their drug or alcohol use and come up with new, healthy coping strategies. It can be especially effective for members who also have a mental health condition, or who started using to deal with distressing emotions, trauma, or excessive stress.
Ongoing treatment
Withdrawal from different categories of drugs — such as depressants, stimulants or opioids — produces different side effects and requires different approaches. Detox may involve gradually reducing the dose of the drug or temporarily substituting other substances, such as methadone, buprenorphine, or a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. For diagnosis of a substance use disorder, most mental health professionals use criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association. When people enter treatment, addiction has often caused serious consequences in their lives, possibly disrupting their health and how they function in their family lives, at work, and in the community.
Padlo and his team at Sophros recognize that for treatment to be effective, the mental health aspect has to be placed on equal footing with the addiction. If people leave treatment without any attention paid to underlying mental health issues, their chances of relapse are significant. It may help to get an independent perspective from someone you trust and who knows you well. Or ask for a referral to a specialist in drug addiction, such as a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, or a psychiatrist or psychologist. We offer inpatient and outpatient treatment programs for members with more severe problems with alcohol or drugs.