When a loved one has a problem abusing substances, it’s easy to feel helpless or out of control. You want to help him or her get better and live a healthy and fulfilling life, but you don’t know where to even start to get help.
The good news is you are not alone when it comes to getting help for an addicted loved one, and there are several ways people go about dealing with substance abuse. As you explore Arizona drug rehabs and treatment options, you’ll see some ways are more effective than others.
1. Psychotherapy
While psychotherapy is an important aspect of managing substance abuse, it’s rarely effective on its own. Some addicts begin getting help via therapy to find the underlying root cause of their addictive behaviors and to develop coping strategies to avoid triggers.
However, it’s often not intensive enough —addiction cannot be solved in one hour session a week— and the patient is not supervised outside of the therapist’s office. Psychotherapy also does not address the physical symptoms of addiction, which cannot be ignored if treatment is to be successful.
2. Detox
Detoxification is the process of removing substances from the body and managing withdrawal symptoms. While detox is an important part of a treatment plan, it is not in and of itself an addiction treatment. It only addresses the physical symptoms of addiction and gets the addict to a place where behavioral therapies can be more effective.
3. Outpatient Treatment Center
Outpatient substance abuse treatment helps patients who cannot or will not live in a dedicated rehabilitation center. Instead, patients live at home and carry out their normal activitieswhile receiving the same type of therapy they would in an inpatient environment. While staying at home has some advantages — lower cost, less disruption of career, family, etc. — the lack of a structured, formal rehabilitation environment can be detrimental.
Outpatients are not always 100 percent focused on recovery, and may still have access to the people or environments that enabled their addiction in the first place. Outpatient programs also make it easier for patients to prematurely stop treatment, as opposed to inpatient centers that constantly monitor and support their patients.
4. Forced Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is generally most effective when the patient wants to get help, but not all addicts are willing to admit they have a problem. In some cases, addicts are forced into rehabilitation by loved ones to get sober.
While such measures help families and friends feel more empowered, and gets the addict into necessary treatment, forced rehab is not always effective. Unless the patient wants to get better and commits to the process, he or she will not do the hard work necessary to get sober. In addition, some states actually prohibit individuals from forcing another person into rehab.
5. Incarceration
When an addict is a danger to him- or herself and others, concerned friends and family make getting the person into rehab a priority. However, when voluntary rehabilitation cannot happen, the only option might be to allow the person to be sent to jail. While temporarily the addict is safer, incarceration is rarely the best option.
Most prisons do not have the resources to effectively deal with withdrawal symptoms, nor are they focused on recovery. Incarceration also places a burden on society in terms of cost, not to mention addicts in general are not criminals but instead are seriously ill.
6. Inpatient Treatment Facility
While some patients resist moving in to an inpatient rehabilitation center, they are generally the most effective means of treating a serious addiction. Not only are basic needs, including food and shelter, managed to allow the patient to focus on recovery, the patient is removed from the enabling and toxic environment that fed the addiction in the first place.
Patient’s days are highly structured and focused solely on recovery, with intensive counseling, therapy and support sessions.
Inpatient centers also allow for a seamless integration of physical and psychological treatment as many centers offer detox and withdrawal care as well as behavioral therapy. The downside, of course, is inpatient treatment requires being away from family and friends and responsibilities, but the greater likelihood of success is often a strong motivator.
Every case is different when it comes to substance abuse, and what works well for one person may not work for another. However, in general, a full-time inpatient rehabilitation program is often the best bet. Ask for help, examine all options, and you will be in a good position to provide your loved one with the help he or she needs.
