Frequently Asked
Questions
| Treatment
varies depending on the type of drug and the characteristics of
the patient. The best programs provide a combination of therapies
and other services. |
1. What is drug addiction treatment?
There are many addictive drugs, and treatments for specific drugs
can differ. Treatment also varies depending on the characteristics
of the patient.
Problems associated with an individual's drug addiction can vary
significantly. People who are addicted to drugs come from all walks
of life. Many suffer from mental health, occupational, health, or
social problems that make their addictive disorders much more difficult
to treat. Even if there are few associated problems, the severity
of addiction itself ranges widely among people.
A variety of scientifically based approaches to drug addiction treatment
exists. Drug addiction treatment can include behavioral therapy (such
as counseling, cognitive therapy, or psychotherapy), medications,
or their combination. Behavioral therapies offer people strategies
for coping with their drug cravings, teach them ways to avoid drugs
and prevent relapse, and help them deal with relapse if it occurs.
When a person's drug-related behavior places him or her at higher
risk for AIDS or other infectious diseases, behavioral therapies can
help to reduce the risk of disease transmission. Case management and
referral to other medical, psychological, and social services are
crucial components of treatment for many patients. (See
Treatment Section for more detail on types of treatment and treatment
components.) The best programs provide a combination of therapies
and other services to meet the needs of the individual patient, which
are shaped by such issues as age, race, culture, sexual orientation,
gender, pregnancy, parenting, housing, and employment, as well as
physical and sexual abuse.
|
Drug addiction treatment can
include behavioral therapy, medications, or their combination.
|
Treatment medications, such as methadone, LAAM, and naltrexone, are
available for individuals addicted to opiates. Nicotine preparations
(patches, gum, nasal spray) and bupropion are available for individuals
addicted to nicotine.
Components of Comprehensive Drug Abuse Treatment
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The best treatment programs
provide a combination of therapies and other services to meet the
needs of the individual patient.
Medications, such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or neuroleptics,
may be critical for treatment success when patients have co-occurring
mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder,
or psychosis.
Treatment can occur in a variety of settings, in many different forms,
and for different lengths of time. Because drug addiction is typically
a chronic disorder characterized by occasional relapses, a short-term,
one-time treatment often is not sufficient. For many, treatment is
a long-term process that involves multiple interventions and attempts
at abstinence.
2. Why can't drug addicts quit on their own?
Nearly all addicted individuals believe in the beginning that they
can stop using drugs on their own, and most try to stop without treatment.
However, most of these attempts result in failure to achieve long-term
abstinence. Research has shown that long-term drug use results in
significant changes in brain function that persist long after the
individual stops using drugs. These drug-induced changes in brain
function may have many behavioral consequences, including the compulsion
to use drugs despite adverse consequencesÑthe defining characteristic
of addiction.
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Long-term drug use results in
significant changes in brain function that persist long after
the individual stops using drugs.
|
Understanding that addiction has such an important biological component
may help explain an individual's difficulty in achieving and maintaining
abstinence without treatment. Psychological stress from work or family
problems, social cues (such as meeting individuals from one's drug-using
past), or the environment (such as encountering streets, objects,
or even smells associated with drug use) can interact with biological
factors to hinder attainment of sustained abstinence and make relapse
more likely. Research studies indicate that even the most severely
addicted individuals can participate actively in treatment and that
active participation is essential to good outcomes.
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