In the late stage of treatment, group leaders focus on helping clients expose personal deficits that endanger recovery. They also encourage them to examine the self-defeating behaviors that led to their substance abuse in the first place.
Medications that modify brain chemistry and relieve cravings are available for alcohol, opioids, and nicotine. Those who commit to recovery can benefit from drugs such as acamprosate or Campral and disulfiram or Antabuse.
Seek Help
Typically, drug abuse treatment begins with detoxification and medication. Medications reduce the physical craving for drugs, and they may also treat co-occurring mental health disorders. The treatment program also includes behavioral counseling (individual, group, and family therapy). Counseling helps people examine the underlying causes of their addiction and learn new ways to cope with stress, pain, and emotions.
Encourage loved ones to find a treatment program like Stout Street that suits their needs. You can help them by removing temptation and by making it easier to get to counseling sessions, like offering transportation or childcare.
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Talk to a Psychiatrist
Many people with drug addiction also have a mental health condition like anxiety or depression. Seeing a psychiatrist or licensed therapist can help you regain control of your life and repair relationships.
Some people may be apprehensive about talking to a psychiatrist for the first time. While that apprehension is perfectly normal, finding a psychiatrist you feel comfortable with and can open up to without reservation is essential. Find out about the therapist’s education, experience, and licensure. If possible, get a referral from your doctor, health insurance plan, or a friend.
The underlying problems that contributed to your drug addiction must be addressed for you to overcome them. You might have started using drugs to numb painful emotions, calm down after an argument, or forget about your worries. These negative feelings will likely resurface after you stop taking drugs. Addressing them through therapy, setting limits, or a formal intervention can help you move forward with your life.
Seek Help for Your Children
Children who suffer abuse can develop behavioral problems and emotional problems, including depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, drug or alcohol use, and suicidal thoughts. Abuse can affect their physical health as well, leading to obesity and chronic diseases. Children who are abused or neglected are also at risk of dropping out of school and getting involved with the criminal justice system.
Despite the many social factors that can contribute to child maltreatment, there are individual, familial, and community interventions that can help prevent it. For example, stable housing, affordable medical care, food assistance, support from caring role models, and family counseling can help. Children who report abuse and are believed, supported, and treated have better mental health outcomes.
Parents, teachers, and other caregivers can learn to recognize warning signs of abuse, such as strained relationships between parents or negative communication styles within the family. They can then refer the child or their parents to a psychiatrist for pharmaceutical therapy or a psychologist or social worker for non-pharmaceutical treatment.
Get Help for Yourself
Often, mental health problems such as depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety, or conditions such as PTSD and bulimia, cause people to misuse drugs or alcohol. The symptoms of these conditions can also make it harder to quit using substances. Drug abuse may also exacerbate or trigger symptoms of mental illness or interfere with medications used to treat them.
Addiction treatment should include psychotherapy and, if needed, medication, such as antidepressants or mood stabilizers. These medications should not be taken while an individual is abusing other substances, as they could be harmful or have unpleasant side effects.
Individuals in recovery from drug addiction need to get help and support from family, friends, and community members. They should work together to create a plan for healthy living that addresses the roots of their drug dependency, such as finding more beneficial ways to relieve pain or cope with stress and developing goals for the future that are free from drugs and alcohol.
We are not doctors and this is in no way intended to be used as medical advice and we cannot be held responsible for your results. As with any product, service or supplement, use at your own risk. Always do your own research before using.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.