Drug Treatment Help Request

Drug Addiction Treatment

Drug addiction treatment depends upon the severity and nature of the drug addiction, motivation, and the availability of services. Some users may come into drug addiction treatment voluntarily and have the support of family, friends, and workplace; others may be sent to drug addiction treatment by the courts against their will and have virtually no support system.

Detoxification is only the first stage of drug addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug use. Detoxification safely manages the acute physical symptoms of withdrawal associated with stopping drug use. While detoxification alone is rarely sufficient to help addicts achieve long-term abstinence, for some individuals it is a strongly indicated precursor to effective drug addiction treatment.

The appropriate duration for an individual in drug addiction treatment depends on his or her problems and needs. Research indicates that for most patients, the threshold of significant improvement is reached at about 3 months in treatment. After this threshold is reached, additional drug addiction treatment can produce further progress toward recovery. Because people often leave treatment prematurely, programs should include strategies to engage and keep patients in treatment.

There are no quick fixes for drug addiction and alcoholism. Recovery is an ongoing process. The skills one learns during intensive drug addiction treatment must be integrated into everyday life and this takes time. Treatment programs should include a quality, continuing care program that supports and monitors recovery.

Many addicts tend to minimize their problem and instinctively want to take the path of least resistance by choosing a minimal drug addiction treatment program with the shortest length of time involved. It is this thought process that most commonly leads to relapse. Keep in mind that achieving happiness and sobriety is a big job and it should last the rest of your life. People who stay dedicated to their recovery and allow themselves the proper time and focus to achieve their sobriety are those who are the most successful in their recovery.

There is more to drug addiction treatment than just ending drug use and addiction. Drug addiction treatment also helps to restore the individual to their pre-drug using days and guides them to become a productive and functioning part of their community, workplace and family. Through participation at a drug addiction treatment facility, recovering addicts begin to gain control of their thought processes, and slowly the obsession to use drugs or return to old ways of life will dissipate. While in drug addiction treatment, clients will examine harmful beliefs and destructive patterns of behavior as well as adopt new life skills, coping skills and constructive ways to interact with others.