Author: James Anderson

Treatment and Recovery Approaches: Guidance from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

These services are often offered on a short-term basis, long enough to stabilize your symptoms. That is because the brain is plastic and changes in response to experience—the capacity that underlies all learning. Recovery, like addiction itself, relies on neuroplasticity. In one set of studies looking at some measures of dopamine system function, activity returned to normal levels after 14 months of abstinence.

1. Mental health and wellness tips, our latest guides, resources, and more.
2. Whether you’re looking to help yourself or a loved one, deciding on the best path forward begins with understanding the different types of drug rehab and treatment services available.
3. Joining groups like Narcotics Anonymous (NA) or the Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS) can give you a sense of community.
4. Check to see how your health insurance may factor into the cost of the program.

Others do well on their own making use of available community resources. Not everybody requires medically supervised detox or an extended stint in rehab. The care you need depends on a variety of factors, including your age, drug-use history, medical or psychiatric conditions.

For example, you won’t have access to people who encourage continued drug use, and you won’t be able to reach for addictive substances when you’re stressed. Drug rehab programs or addiction treatments involve different levels of professional care that can help you manage a substance use disorder. Since the severity and circumstances of drug abuse and addiction can vary from person to person, you can find a broad variety of treatment options available. Millions of people do, whether they were once compulsive users of opiates, alcohol, or gambling. There is enduring resolution of what once was problem behavior.

Withdrawal therapy

The important thing to remember is that relapse doesn’t mean drug treatment failure. Call your sponsor, talk to your therapist, go to a meeting, or schedule an appointment with your doctor. When you’re sober again and out of danger, look at what triggered the relapse, what went wrong, and what you could have done differently. You can choose to get back on the path to recovery and use the experience to strengthen your commitment.

For some people, it may be safe to undergo withdrawal therapy on an outpatient basis. Others may need admission to a hospital or a residential treatment center. About 50% of patients at Butler Hospital’s programs remain clean and sober for a year after treatment, Gordon says.

Are You Feeling Suicidal?

Inpatient addiction treatments include intensive inpatient services and residential rehab programs. Whatever the specifics of your drug abuse problem, addiction can shatter your mental and physical health, damage your relationships, and leave you feeling out of control of your own life. • Developing a detailed relapse prevention plan and keeping it in a convenient place for quick access when cravings hit, which helps guard against relapse in the future. A good relapse prevention plan specifies a person’s triggers for drug use, lists several coping skills to deploy, and lists people to call on for immediate support, along with their contact information. In addition, self-care is a vital foundation for a healthy new identity.

Medication may be used to manage withdrawal symptoms, prevent relapse, or treat any co-occurring mental health condition such as depression or anxiety. It’s also normal to feel conflicted about giving up your drug of choice, even when you know it’s causing problems in your life. Recovery requires time, motivation, and support, but by making a commitment to change, you can overcome your addiction and regain control of your life. Stopping drug use is just one part of a long and complex recovery process. 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. 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.

Women and Alcohol

For people with addictions to drugs like stimulants or cannabis, no medications are currently available to assist in treatment, so treatment consists of behavioral therapies. Treatment should be tailored to address each patient’s drug use patterns and drug-related medical, mental, and social problems. Another place to look for treatment options is your state’s substance abuse agency. Many states compile their own listings of certified programs as well as hotlines. Friends, family members, or your personal physician or therapist may also have recommendations.

Coping and support

Take the assessment and get matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours. Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition. 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. Whatever the method of delivery, seek immediate medical care after using naloxone. • Empowerment—finding the wherewithal to cope with recovery and the challenges of life, which breeds a sense of self-efficacy. • Identity—shifting towards a new, positive view of oneself, one more aligned with one’s deeper values and goals, one built on self-confidence gained by acquiring new skills and new behaviors.

An overdose happens when the person uses enough of a drug to produce uncomfortable feelings, life-threatening symptoms, or death. Be wary of any program that touts a “miracle cure” or “guaranteed” method to solving addiction. In reality, managing addiction requires time and effort and often comes with setbacks, such as relapse. In addition, the road to recovery will look different for each person, so there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. The major difference is that IOPs require a smaller time investment.

Successful people with large egos are especially difficult to treat, Scott says. “They have accomplished so much in their lives, so they cannot believe they can’t [kick the habit] themselves,” Scott says. Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today.

The best way to handle a relapse is to take quick action to seek help, whether it’s intensifying support from family, friends, and peers or entering a treatment program. One advantage of mutual support groups is that there is likely someone to call on in such an emergency who has experienced a relapse and knows exactly how to help. In addition, immediately attending or resuming group meetings and discussing the relapse can yield much advice on how to continue recovery without succumbing to the counterproductive feeling of shame or self-pity. One 2021 audit survey found that many residential addiction treatment programs in the U.S. offered callers admission without actually conducting clinical evaluations. They also asked for hefty upfront payments and used recruitment techniques, such as providing paid transportation. So, when searching for a suitable treatment option, you’ll want to keep an eye out for misleading practices.