Addiction Treatments
by Jimmy Sturo
Addiction is a complex disorder that can involve every aspect of an individual's functioning, be in the workplace, family, or community. An addict is responsible not only for his or her mental and physical agony, but the whole group of people associated with the individual goes through the pain and the mental trauma.
Addiction varies from substance to substance and, because of the addiction's complexity and pervasive consequences, the treatment and the methodology of the treatment involve various components. A variety of behavioral and pharmacological approaches, delivered in many different settings, are used for the treatment of addiction. In the United States, more than 11,000 specialized drug treatment facilities provide rehabilitation, counseling, behavioral therapy, medication, case management, and other types of services to persons with drug-use disorders. Addicted patients are treated in specialized treatment facilities and mental health clinics by a variety of providers, including certified drug abuse counselors, physicians, psychologists, nurses, and social workers.
A few examples of treatment approaches and components that have been developed and tested for efficacy through research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) are:
Relapse Prevention, a cognitive-behavioral therapy, is based on the theory that learning processes play a critical role in the development of maladaptive behavioral patterns. It was developed for the treatment of problem drinking, and adapted later for cocaine addicts.
The Matrix Model provides a framework for engaging stimulant abusers in treatment and helping them achieve abstinence. The program includes education for family members affected by the addiction.
Supportive-Expressive Psychotherapy is a time-limited, focused psychotherapy that has been adapted for heroin- and cocaine-addicted individuals. The therapy has two main components: supportive techniques that help patients feel comfortable in discussing their personal experiences, and expressive techniques help patients identify and work through interpersonal relationship issues.
Individualized Drug Counseling focuses directly on reducing or stopping the addict's drug use.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy is a client-centered counseling approach for initiating behavior change by helping clients to resolve ambivalence about engaging in treatment and stopping drug use.
Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents incorporates the principle that unwanted behavior can be changed by clear demonstration of the desired behavior and consistent reward of incremental steps toward achieving it. The therapy aims to equip the patient to gain three types of control: Stimulus Control, Urge Control, and Social Control.
Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) for Adolescents is an outpatient family-based drug abuse treatment for teenagers.
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