Addiction is a disease that manipulates a person’s sense of reward, motivation, memory, and a number of related neurological functions. If left untreated, these effects can grow and gradually hinder one’s cognition, emotion, and actions. These types of disorders are characterized by the unwavering compulsion to use a specific substance, which contributes to excessive and uncontrollable consumption coupled with symptoms that surface when the drug is withheld. This dependence may be physical, psychological, or a combination of both.
It is essential to educate the public on the distinction between drug abuse and addiction, as it helps loved ones and clinicians alike determine what level of care is necessary to ensure a complete and successful recovery. People abuse illicit and medicinal substances for varied and complicated reasons. While the behavior may begin in a casual or experimental manner, it can quickly develop into an unmanageable habit. When a person’s substance use becomes compulsive and uncontrollable despite its harmful consequences, that is a classic case of substance use addiction and requires treatment.
Finding effective solutions for the treatment and prevention of substance-based addiction has proven difficult. Through decades of research, the healthcare field now has a better understanding of this illness. The NIDA supports a number of important principles that align with the way drug and alcohol rehab facilities follow.
Overall, addiction must be seen for what it truly is: a disease. Given this fact, rehab facilities address addiction with a balance of comprehensive and considerate care. Depending on the severity of their addiction, admitted patients will receive and progress through different stages of treatment as they develop more independence and self-control. These levels of care include:
Detox
Once a patient has consented to treatment, the first step must be detoxification – a systematic removal of the chemical from the body. Since this complete withdrawal can cause symptoms that may be both physically and psychologically dangerous to the individual, the safest form of this methodology is a continuously supervised medical procedure. Furthermore, rehab facilities utilize both medically assisted detox and natural assisted detox during substance addiction treatment programs.
Residential Treatment
The residential treatment programs provide interdisciplinary services for those struggling with addiction or any other co-occurring conditions. This level of care takes place within nonmedical settings that are designed to be comfortable and safe while still administering the utmost clinical expertise – the best of both worlds.
Partial Hospitalization
Partial hospitalization programs are more temporary, medically supervised programs that offer therapeutically intensive and comprehensive clinical services. Specifically, care consists of a series of structured sessions that are coordinated and designed for those experiencing heightened disturbances. Those receiving this level of care do not pose an immediate risk to themselves or others but have problems related to substance use or associated disorders that need to be addressed in a setting that is not residential or inpatient.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment
Distinct from and more concentrated than traditional outpatient services, an intensive outpatient program consists of scheduled sessions appropriate to the person being treated. These may include services provided during different times of the day or interventions delivered by a variety of service providers in the community. Overall, IOP is utilized as an alternative to a stricter and more serious level of needed care.
