Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and amphetamines. The general intent is to enable the patient to confront substance dependence, if present, and stop substance misuse to avoid the psychological, legal, financial, social, and medical consequences that can be caused
Treatment may include medications for substance use disorders and co-occurring medical or psychiatric conditions, counseling and behavioral therapies delivered by trained professionals, and participation in mutual-support groups with other people in recovery.
Psychological dependency Psychosocial interventions in drug rehabilitation aim to help individuals develop coping skills, modify behaviors associated with substance use, and strengthen social support networks. Many treatment programs incorporate mutual-support groups, including Twelve-step programs, as an adjunct to professional treatment. Recovery goals may emphasize either abstinence or reduced substance use, depending on the substance involved, the severity of the disorder, and individual treatment goals.
Whether moderation is an appropriate treatment goal for individuals with a history of substance misuse depends on the substance involved, the severity of the disorder, and clinical circumstances, and remains an area of ongoing research and debate.
Whether moderation is achievable by those with a history of misuse remains a controversial point.
The brain's chemical structure is altered by addictive substances and these changes are present long after an individual stops using. This change in brain structure increases the risk of relapse, making treatment an important part of the rehabilitation process.
Types Various types of programs offer help in drug rehabilitation, including residential treatment (in-patient/out-patient), local support groups, extended care centers, recovery or sober houses, addiction counselling, mental health, and medical care. Some rehab centers offer age- and gender-specific programs.
In an American survey by three separate institutions (the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, Rational Recovery Systems and the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors) measuring treatment responses on the Spiritual Belief Scale (a scale measuring belief in the four spiritual characteristics Alcoholics Anonymous identified by Ernest Kurtz); the scores were found to explain 41% of the variance in the treatment provider's responses on the Addiction Belief Scale (a scale measuring adherence to the disease model or the free-will model addiction).
Effective treatment addresses the multiple needs of the patient rather than treating addiction alone. In addition, medically assisted drug detoxification or alcohol detoxification alone is ineffective as a treatment for addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recommends detoxification followed by both medication (where applicable) and behavioral therapy, followed by relapse prevention. According to NIDA, effective treatment must address medical and mental health services as well as follow-up options, such as community or family-based recovery support systems. Whatever the methodology, patient motivation is an important factor in treatment success.
For individuals addicted to prescription drugs, treatments tend to be similar to those who are addicted to drugs affecting the same brain systems. Medication like methadone and buprenorphine can be used to treat addiction to prescription opioids, and behavioral therapies can be used to treat addiction to prescription stimulants, benzodiazepines, and other drugs.Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)>
Types of behavioral therapy include: Cognitive behavioral therapy, which seeks to help patients to recognize, avoid and cope with situations in which they are most likely to relapse. Multidimensional family therapy, which is designed to support the recovery of the patient by improving family functioning. Motivational interviewing, which is designed to increase patient motivation to change behavior and enter treatment. Motivational incentives, which uses positive reinforcement to encourage abstinence from the addictive substance. EEG Biofeedback augmented treatment improves abstinence rates of 12-step, faith-based, and medically assisted addiction for cocaine, methamphetamine, alcohol use disorder, and opioid addictions. Treatment can be a long process and the duration is dependent upon the patient's needs and history of substance use. Research has shown that most patients need at least three months of treatment and longer durations are associated with better outcomes.
Medications Certain opioid medications such as methadone and more buprenorphine are widely used to treat addiction and dependence on other opioids such as heroin, morphine or oxycodone. Methadone and buprenorphine are maintenance therapies intended to reduce cravings for opioids, thereby reducing illegal drug use, and the risks associated with it, such as disease, arrest, incarceration, and death, in line with the philosophy of harm reduction. Both drugs may be used as maintenance medications (taken for an indefinite period of time), or used as detoxification aids. All available studies collected in the 2005 Australian National Evaluation of Pharmacotherapies for Opioid Dependence suggest that maintenance treatment is preferable, with very high rates (79–100%) of relapse within three months of detoxification from levo-α-acetylmethadol (LAAM), buprenorphine, and methadone.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), patients stabilized on adequate, sustained doses of methadone or buprenorphine can keep their jobs, avoid crime and violence, and reduce their exposure to HIV and Hepatitis C by stopping or reducing injection drug use and drug-related high risk sexual behavior. Naltrexone is a long-acting opioid antagonist with few side effects. It is usually prescribed in outpatient medical conditions. Naltrexone blocks the euphoric effects of alcohol and opioids. Naltrexone cuts relapse risk in the first three months by about 36%. However, it is far less effective in helping patients maintain abstinence or retaining them in the drug-treatment system (retention rates average 12% at 90 days for naltrexone, average 57% at 90 days for buprenorphine, average 61% at 90 days for methadone).
Ibogaine is a hallucinogenic drug promoted by certain fringe groups to interrupt both physical dependence and psychological craving to a broad range of drugs including narcotics, stimulants, alcohol, and nicotine. To date, there have never been any controlled studies showing it to be effective, and it is not accepted as a treatment by physicians, pharmacists, or addictionologist. There have also been several deaths related to ibogaine use, which causes tachycardia and long QT syndrome. The drug is an illegal Schedule I controlled substance in the United States, and the foreign facilities in which it is administered tend to have little oversight and range from motel rooms to one moderately-sized rehabilitation center.
A few antidepressants have been proven to be helpful in the context of smoking cessation/nicotine addiction. These medications include bupropion and nortriptyline. Bupropion inhibits the re-uptake of nor-epinephrine and dopamine and has been FDA approved for smoking cessation, while nortriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant which has been used to aid in smoking cessation it has not been FDA approved for this indication.
Acamprosate, disulfiram and topiramate (a novel anticonvulsant sulphonated sugar) are also used to treat alcohol addiction. Acamprosate has shown effectiveness for patients with severe dependence, helping them to maintain abstinence for several weeks, even months. Disulfiram produces a very unpleasant reaction when drinking alcohol that includes flushing, nausea and palpitations. It is more effective for patients with high motivation and some addicts use it only for high-risk situations.Pharmacotherapies National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Retrieved on 2010-08-17 Patients who wish to continue drinking or may be likely to relapse should not take disulfiram as it can result in the disulfiram-alcohol reaction mentioned previously, which is very serious and can even be fatal.
Residential treatment In-patient residential treatment for people with an alcohol use disorder is usually quite expensive without insurance. Most American programs follow a 28–30 day program length. The length is based solely upon providers' experience. During the 1940s, clients stayed about one week to get over the physical changes, another week to understand the program, and another week or two to become stable. 70% to 80% of American residential alcohol treatment programs provide 12-step support services. These include, but are not limited to AA, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous and Al-Anon. One recent study suggests the importance of family participation in residential treatment patient retention, finding "increased program completion rate for those with a family member or significant other involved in a seven-day family program".
Brain implants Patients with severe opioid addiction are being given brain implants to help reduce their cravings, in the first trial of its kind in the US. Treatment starts with a series of brain scans. Surgery follows with doctors making a small hole in the skull to insert a tiny 1mm electrode in the specific area of the brain that regulates impulses such as addiction and self-control. This treatment is for those who have failed every other treatment, whether that is medicine, behavioral therapy, and/or social interventions. It is a very rigorous trial with oversight from ethicists and regulators and many other governing bodies.
Recovery The definition of recovery remains divided and subjective in drug rehabilitation, as there are no set standards for measuring recovery. The Betty Ford Institute defined recovery as achieving complete abstinence as well as personal well-being while other studies have considered "near abstinence" as a definition.
The Recovery Model originates in the psychiatric survivor movement in the US, which argues that receiving a certain diagnoses can be stigmatizing and disempowering. Some characteristics of the Recovery Model are social inclusion, empowerment to overcome substance use, focusing on strengths of the client instead of their deficits and providing help living more fulfilling lives in the presence of symptoms of addiction. Another key component of the Recovery Model is the collaborative relationship between client and provider in developing the client's path to abstinence. Under the Recovery Model a program is personally designed to meet an individual clients needs, and does not include a standard set of steps one must go through.
The Recovery Model uses integral theory: a four-part approach focusing on the individual, the collective society, along with individual and external factors. The four quadrants corresponding with each in Integral Theory are Consciousness, Behavior, Culture and Systems. Quadrant One deals with the neurological aspect of addiction. Quadrant Two focuses on building self-esteem and a feeling of connectedness, sometimes through spirituality. Quadrant three works on mending the "eroded relationships" caused by active addiction. Quadrant Four often involves facing the harsh consequences of drug use such as unemployment, legal discrepancies, or eviction. The use of integral theory aims to break the dichotomy of "using" or "not using" and focuses instead on emotional, spiritual, and intellectual growth, along with physical wellness.
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