Most people view addiction negatively because they view it as a weakness, regression, or character flaw due to immorality.

However, addiction is a common medical condition that affects millions of Americans every year, regardless of their status, background, age, or gender.

Rather than judging such people, we need to educate ourselves regarding the treatment of addiction disorders. While several factors contribute to someone developing an addiction, the good news is that there are treatments for it.

By investing in the appropriate treatment of addiction disorders, individuals can reclaim their lives and break this vicious cycle. Read on to learn more about the treatment of addiction disorders and how they work.

What is an Addiction Disorder?

Addictive disorders are mental health issues that cause psychological and physical damage and require treatment to grow out of effectively.

As per a national survey, around 8% of the people in the US need and receive treatment for addiction disorders. Since these issues can alter brain chemistry, they can cause severe physical side effects that harm our bodies.

Hence, individuals need to seek treatment at the earliest to prevent further complications and decline in health.

13 Things Everyone Should Know About Addiction Disorder Treatments:

1. Addiction impacts our brain chemistry, functioning, and structure and is, therefore, a chronic disease. It alters the everyday desires of our brain and increases the priority of the substance in our lives. As a result, individuals combating such disorders start to enjoy ordinary activities less every day.
2. The primary change that addiction brings occurs with recognizing that the substance provides pleasure. These changes grow more intense and ultimately end with compulsively trying to fulfill your desires without considering the harm they cause. Over time, the urges become overpowering, and your brain thwarts attempts to stop by manipulating your impulses. Addiction’s influence manifests through cravings, loss of self-control, and the onset and ignoring of health problems.
3. The first step towards living an addiction-free life is acknowledging and identifying that you have a problem and accepting treatment for it. While this might sound easy to do, most individuals delay treatment because they fail to understand they have a problem. However, if a habit negatively impacts your health, education, social life, work, or relationships, you need to acknowledge it. After accepting the need to change, individuals must research and recognize the various treatment methodologies open to them.
4. The treatment methodology chosen depends on various factors as all addictions are different in several ways. For most people, recovering from addiction is a lifelong process filled with daily struggles and small victories. Individuals have to live knowing that relapse is never too far away and ensure they don’t stray too far from the guidelines established by professionals. As a result, addiction disorder treatment has to be personal to each patient to meet their specific needs and requirements. A medical professional will choose an appropriate plan after considering the type of disorder, its severity, length of abuse, and side effects displayed by the patient.
5. Detoxification is a primary step used to help individuals struggling with addiction by ridding their bodies of harmful toxins. Doing so is essential as it helps remove dangerous and addictive substances from the patient’s body while limiting the pain and discomfort caused by withdrawal symptoms. As per reports, clinics rely on medications in 80% of all cases to help patients deal with their withdrawal reactions, such as headaches, nausea, and tremors.
6. Therapy is a significant part of such programs as it helps patients deal with mental stress and addictions. Additionally, such counseling methods also help identify and rectify the underlying causes of addictions and help individuals deal with their past trauma. Such sessions start as a part of an intensive in-house program, and over time, develop into a support system that helps individuals stay off drugs or alcohol. The number of sessions typically reduces over time as the patient leaves the in-patient program and gets back to their ordinary lives.
7. Some of the different types of therapy used by top Florida rehabs include cognitive-behavioral therapy, multidimensional family therapy, and motivational interviewing. The former empowers addicts to recognize the ways of thinking that encourage and lead to substance use. While family therapy helps improve the social utility of young adults suffering from substance-related disorders, interviewing makes patients more willing to change. Additionally, several centers also provide motivational incentives to encourage participation in therapies and promote abstinence via various positive reinforcement techniques.
8. Rehabilitation programs serve as a viable long-term arrangement for individuals with severe addictions. Such programs also highlight the importance of interacting with the community through various programs and services. Several residential facilities like Ledgehill Treatment Centre offer long-term programs ranging from 30 days to six months. These provide addicts with a safe housing environment, free from triggers, while also providing access to round-the-clock medical assistance and guidance.
9. Some of the types of rehabilitation centers individuals can use to support their recovery include short-term treatments, therapeutic communities, and recovery houses. While the former focuses on detoxification and counseling, communities offer programs lasting between six to twelve months. They can bring about more substantial changes in behavior through meditation, therapy, and group sessions designed to improve mental health. Recovery houses help individuals adapt to an independent life post detoxification by providing short-term supervised stays.
10. Self-help groups are an integral part of the support system that helps addicts stay on track and avoid relapse. These programs offer group therapies and provide long-term rehabilitation support to help individuals feel less isolated and alone post-detoxification and intervention. By meeting others struggling with the same demons, addicts can feel more motivated to change. It also prevents feeling alienated and isolated while also serving as a vital resource for information and education. Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous are two independent self-help groups with a massive following in the US.
11. Certain individuals struggling with addiction disorders require medication regularly during their recovery to reduce the risk of health complications and relapse. However, post-detoxification, most programs aim to teach individuals to remove their dependency on medications. In some instances, long-term medication helps lower cravings, making it easier to maintain abstinence. However, individuals should understand that drugs are only one of the pillars of recovery and do not serve as a standalone treatment.
12. In most cases, addiction does not act alone, bringing with it several new challenges that impact your mental health adversely. Most addicts deal with trauma, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and stress which worsen their dependencies. Some of the mental health disorders that co-occur with addiction include bipolar disorder, hyperactivity, OCD, and PTSD. Hence, treatment methodologies need to address these issues as well for individuals to stay on the right track in the long run.
13. Some of the factors of the onset and growth of addiction include genetics, mental illness, environmental factors, availability, and peer pressure. Trauma and other life events can also trigger such disorders. However, addressing such underlying causes and finding ways to better them is an integral part of recovering from an addiction.

Conclusion:

As you can see, addiction is a complex and chronic problem that requires intensive care and treatment to recover from completely.

However, with the right help, anyone can recover from such disorders and return to a healthy and happy life. Do you want to learn more about addiction disorder treatments? If so, keep an eye on this space for more information regarding treatment methodologies.

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