Drug addiction treatment

Is drug treatment effective?

In addition to achieving the goal of stopping drug use the aim of a drug rehabilitation programme is to bring the person back to the state where they can once again function in society. The effectiveness of the programme will depend greatly on factors such as the medical condition of the person addicted, the level of criminal behaviour the addict has and their employability. Treatment for addiction, whatever the addiction can be just as successful as when treating any other medical condition such as asthma or diabetes.

How long will treatment for addiction last?

How long treatment will be necessary depends greatly on the person with the addiction so there isn’t really any specified amount of time a person can be in a programme. However on saying this research have shown that for treatment to be successful and to aid in the prevention of relapse adequate time should be spent in treatment. As a general guide an adequate length of time for recovery from addiction is thought to be around 6 months.

Addictions

By the time a habit has turned into an addiction it will have taken over your life almost completely, the addiction will now be all you think about and how you can get more of it. It will now be affecting your thoughts, feelings and behaviour to the point where nothing else in your life matters.

How does addiction affect the mind?

An addiction will affect a person’s outlook on life and their attitude and can seriously begin to change their personality. This doesn’t only apply to addictions of alcohol, cigarettes or drugs but to any type of addiction. How addiction affects the mind can be divided into two parts, those that relate to our thinking and those that relate to our feelings.

Quitting Smoking

Nicotine is a very addictive drug which can cause a variety of serious health problems, help is available when you are trying to give up in the form of nicotine patches, chewing gum and nasal sprays along with these handy tips:

Before you stop smoking

• Make sure friends and family know you are trying to quit and ask them not to smoke around you.
• Wash all your clothes to get rid of the smell.
• Open all the windows and clean carpets and furniture to get rid of the smell.

Treating drug addiction

Treatments for drug addiction vary greatly on factors such as the type of drug the person is addicted to and the type of person they are, successful treatments for addicts will usually be a combination of therapy and other services. Problems caused by a person’s addiction can also vary; a person can suffer mental health, health, occupational or social problems which make their addiction more difficult to treat.

What types of treatment are there?

Drug addiction treatments can include behavioural therapy such as counselling, cognitive therapy and psychotherapy, medication and more often than not a combination of both. Behavioural therapy is an excellent way of helping people deal with the cravings associated with withdrawal, it also teaches the person how to avoid addiction in the future and can help with relapses.

Addictions

Every one of us understands the severity of becoming addicted to something, and most know the impact addictions can have on family, friends and relationships as well as on our health. Yet each and every year the number of people becoming addicted is steadily rising, so if we understand the dangers to our health why then do so many people become addicted each year?

Why do we become addicted?

Researchers have conducted studies into this for some time now and have yet to come up with a single cause as to why people let them selves become addicted. Obviously if people abstained totally from alcohol, drugs and gambling then addiction wouldn’t be a problem in the first place, but there are a lot of people who can indulge in these things without falling into the trap of becoming addicted to them.

Addictions

Addiction is a very complex problem which affects an individual in many different ways including their physical and mental health and if left over any period of time it can have a dire effect on their social life and cause problems in any relationships and family.

Addictions are impossible to control

When people become addicted to something they will tell you that it is impossible to control the addiction, take smoking for example, anyone who has smoked will know how hard it is to give up and resist lighting up that first cigarette in the morning. You will also know how you crave for one during the times when you cannot smoke such as in an aeroplane or at the theatre.

Addictions

How do you know if something you enjoy doing is a habit or is becoming an addiction? Perhaps the easiest way to determine this is by asking yourself a few questions and answering them honestly.

The obvious questions you could ask yourself are, can you function in your day to day life without the use of whatever it is that you crave, does whatever you do take up more and more of your time everyday? There is however other signs that can indicate your habit has turned into an addiction:

Addictions

Many of us have heard the term workaholic and perhaps have only said it in jest but becoming addicted to work can actually become a problem and it is one that can have just as devastating effect on our social life and those we love than becoming addicted to any drug. Being a workaholic can also have serious effects on the person’s health just as with any addiction to drugs or alcohol does.

Some of the problems caused by this addiction are

• Strains in relationships to the point of breakdown.
• Headaches, sleep disorders, gastric problems and chronic fatigue.
• Obsession with being in control.
• Overall productivity begins to suffer.

Recent studies have shown that there are basically three stages to work addiction or being a workaholic.