Useful And Essential Facts About Substance Use Disorder Programs

By James Lewis


Drug addiction is an epidemic in many parts of the world, especially in the United States. The number of new drugs that can be abused keeps growing every year. Some drugs are designed to be useful, but are instead abused when they are not used for the purposes they were meant. A good example is suboxone. Suboxone is meant to help people who are addicted to opioids to overcome their addiction, but is instead used as a drug itself. Here are facts regarding substance use disorder programs.

Drug addiction can be defined as the compulsive need to find and uncontrollable use of illicit substances. Despite the individuals using the drugs experiencing long lasting adverse effects, they are normally not able to control the need to use them. These substances are able to inflict serious damages to the brain and lead to dangerous behavior. Addiction is also characterized by relapsing.

Addiction starts out as a voluntary activity where one takes the drugs out of their own free will. However, after a number of times of using, depending on the type of drug, the individual becomes addicted and no longer use the drug out of their own free will. Seeking and using drugs becomes uncontrollable and compulsive. Addiction affects three parts of the brain. These parts are responsible for control over behavior, learning and memory, and reward and motivation.

Thus, addiction affects both the behavior and brain of the individual. The good news is that addiction can be treated through various methods and programs. However, it takes time for one to be completely weaned off substance use. The use of drugs is not something that one can just wake up one day and stop. It involves a process, which lasts different amounts of time depending on how deeply addicted one is.

An individual can completely recover from their addiction if the treatment plan is effectively pursued. The purpose of any kind of treatment plan should be to aid the patient stay drug-free, become useful in the family, and cease using drugs. There is no single program which is suitable for all patients. Every addiction is different from the other and hence treatment should differ.

Patients should be able to access the treatment programs any time they need to. Other aspects of life of the patient should be covered in the program too besides the addiction. As such, treatment programs have to focus on other problems besides use of drugs. The entire life of the patient should be addressed by the program.

When a patient is admitted to the program, it is vital that they stay in it for as long as it takes. Leaving a program too soon usually leads to automatic relapse. That is why one needs to be able to stay around and rid their body system of the drug before they can leave. Behavioral therapies and counseling are the two most commonly employed forms of treatment.

In order for the treatment plans to stay effective, they ought to be reviewed regularly. As the needs of patients change, likewise, the treatment process needs to change. Lastly, it is important to know that the effectiveness of the treatment does not depend on whether the patient accepts it voluntarily or not.




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