Understanding Addiction Treatment Options
Living with an addiction is difficult. But taking those first few steps to overcome it will be the most difficult thing you have ever done.
Addiction can suck away your strength and make you feel powerless. But you are anything but. You are not alone in this, and you have treatment options available if you are just willing to try.
First, a drug and alcohol addiction rehab centre is not for everyone. While it can offer excellent treatment plans and full inpatient care, a lot of people can find it intimidating.
You should find a treatment option that works for you. The less worry and stress you can take on during this delicate time, the better. It is important that you fully understand your addiction treatment options to make a decision based on what works best for you.
Local Support Groups
So the first treatment option you have is to join a local support group. You can find meetings at Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous all across the country. You can find one local to you by checking their website or by asking in community hubs in your area.
A support group is a great way to introduce yourself to recovery. It is low stakes, and you don’t have to leave your name. You can come and go as you please. It is a safe space where you can talk about your experiences with addiction with people who understand.
You will be introduced to the 12-step programme to help you reach maintainable goals regarding your addiction recovery.
You will also be matched with a sponsor.
This is someone who is much further along in their recovery journey and is there to act as your mentor and friend. You can call them daily or at night, and they will talk you down from a relapse. They are there to help you so that one day you can do the same thing for someone else when you reach the end of your 12 steps.
Outpatient Treatment
Another treatment option you have is medical assisted treatment.
This would involve outpatient treatment, usually through your GP and a local hospital.
Certain addictions, such as alcohol addiction, are physical addictions and require medication and detox to safely deal with them. To wean your body off, you may be given a number of different medications, such as:
- Acamprosate
- Buprenorphine
- Bupropion
- Chlordiazepoxide
- Clonazepam
- Nalmefene
You may not always be given medication to deal with your addiction, but it can be very helpful. Buprenorphine, for example, is used in the treatment of opioid addiction. It can be prescribed as it has a low risk for addiction and is often used to ease the withdrawal symptoms associated with heroin addiction.
Outpatient treatment can often be seen as the best of both worlds as it offers you both medication treatment and therapeutic treatment. It is often free on the NHS and available to anyone who needs it.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Rehab
If you want to make a serious change when it comes to your drug or alcohol addiction, then it may be time to consider seeking them from a private drug or alcohol rehab centre.
There are a few positives and negatives to consider when it comes to rehab.
Firstly the negatives:
- Private inpatient rehab can be expensive
- Some people may struggle to commit a month of their life to just their recovery
While the positives are:
- Some or all of the cost of rehab can be covered by medical insurance
- It offers all the addiction treatments you need in one place
- It surrounds you with others who understand your experience
- It offers aftercare services to help you avoid relapses
- It has the highest success rate for recovery
It has been proven time and again that private rehab is really worth the money. It gives you the best possible chance at achieving long-term recovery and finally taking back control of your addiction.
Alternatives to Rehab Treatment
You do have some alternative treatments available to rehab centres, such as using therapy.
This is only recommended if you are physically safe to do this, such as by having a mental addiction which includes cocaine and cannabis. Or you have already received a detox treatment, and you don’t need to worry about withdrawal symptoms.
You can use treatments such as:
- Cognitive behavioural therapy – deals with your thoughts and how they affect your behaviour. They train you how to change your thought processes so that you can view situations and yourself more healthily. It is about retaining your brain’s responses to stress and craving triggers.
- Motivational interviewing – This is about helping you to become active in your mental health. Active in your change and recovery by taking responsibility and power over your actions.
- Contingency management – this is rewards based on positive behaviour. For example, getting chocolate every time you are able to walk away from a trigger without engaging in substance abuse.
These addiction therapies are designed to help you understand your mind and your addiction so that you can achieve long-term recovery.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Addiction Treatment
It is important that you choose the right kind of addiction treatment, and different ones work for different kinds of people.
You need to consider these factors before you make your decision.
- How much are you able to spend? There are excellent free and paid treatments available to you. It is important to have an idea of a budget before you go too far.
- How severe is your addiction? If you have a very serious addiction and fear for your life, it is better to seek medical attention through a private or NHS ran treatment facility. While support groups are great, they cant provide you with medical attention.
- What is your support system like? You need people by your side to help you if you are interested in at-home solutions. Isolation is a big hurdle in addiction treatment, and you will need people to be looking after you.
If you would like to talk through your treatment options, please give us at Cassibury Court a call at 0800 001 4070. From there, a member of our team can answer any of your questions and help get you started on your recovery journey.
