Drug addiction is the unusual condition resulting from frequent drug use which involves the continuation of severe drug taking, drug obsession and susceptibility to relapse and decreased response to natural stimuli. Drug addiction can be classified as preoccupation, intoxication or withdrawal. Preoccupation involves continuous obtaining and passions of the abused substances. Intoxication leads to excessive use than usual in order to experience the effects of intoxication. Drug addiction is caused by different factors ranging from life failures and disappointments, peer group influence to inability to face the pains in life. Drug abuse can start from unfulfilled desires, a dysfunctional family, environments full of physical or emotional abuse or lack of hope. Most people turn to drugs as a way of escaping the reality. Drug addiction can be a complex illness marked by intense and uncontrollable drug longing and obsessive drug seeking and use that continues even when devastating effects are visible. Substance addiction begins with the voluntary decision to take drugs but with time the ability to choose otherwise becomes impossible and the use of drugs becomes compulsive. The problem is a result of continuous drug exposure to the functioning of the brain. Addiction is basically a brain disorder that affects the brain system by changing the normal working mechanism. Drug abuse and addiction have various dimensions and disrupt all aspects of a persons life and this makes treatment to be very complicated at times. The use of opiates like cocaine, marijuana, heroine and methadone leads to physical, mental and psychological impairments. Cocaine can cause heart problems, strokes and memory lapses. Abuse of opiates leads to despair, agitation, bewilderment and even thoughts of death (Coombs, p 3)
Treatment and counseling
A drug treatment system mainly involves four parts which are referral, induction, intervention and transition. Treatment referral programs and sources include the criminal justice system and therapeutic communities. Induction into the treatment programs requires the assessment of the addict problems and needs and the development of a treatment plan for eventual intervention. The treatment program must encompass all components that address all aspects of the problem. Pharmacology is essential in removing the withdrawal effects, behavioral therapy to sort out the psychological issues and supportive services to address other physical needs. The treatment must help the person to let go off the drugs, attain a drug free life and achieve worthy functioning in the society. The intervention phase must include the detoxification, dedication and rehabilitation. Medication and behavioral rehabilitation are essential elements of an effective therapeutic process which may include detoxification, treatment and reversion prevention. Reducing withdrawal symptoms helps to start the treatment while prevention of relapse deals with the effects. Medications are only important in suppressing the withdrawal symptoms but medically assisted treatment cannot work on its own. Patients who fail to go through further treatment after medication are just likely to continue with drug use at the same pattern. Medications have been developed for different types of drugs and substances. Detoxification is important in removing harmful chemicals and byproducts from the body since the drugs contain toxins and additives (Coombs, p 455).
Behavioral treatment is the most important as it helps the patients to participate in the treatment process, change their attitudes and behaviors about substance abuse and ensure healthy living. Addiction treatment programs can be quite different but are generally characterized by the setting, the structured stages, services and personnel and the underling philosophy. We have outpatient behavioral treatment which involves several programs that allow patients to visit treatment centers at regular intervals. These mainly occur in community settings and are shy for specific time frames. The programs may involve individual or group counseling and apply different approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, multidimensional family therapy, motivational interviewing or motivational incentives. Cognitive behavioral therapy is designed to assist victims to appreciate, avoid and withstand the situations leading to drug abuse. Motivational family therapy targets families settings to address the various influences on drug abuse patterns and improve the general family setting. Motivational targets individual that are willing to change their habits and start treatment. Motivational incentives or contingency management applies positive corroboration to encourage avoidance of drugs among individuals (Coombs, p 460).
Residential programs are suitable for individuals with serious drug addiction problems. Residential settings provide a highly organized surrounding with complex structures and social dimensions. The most common are therapeutic communities (TCs) where patients remain at specific residences for a specific time frame during the course of the treatment. The communities in the residences which comprise the staff and others under recovery are a major tool in influencing the patients feelings, views and behaviors on drug addiction. Whatever the cause of the addiction, the counseling program should lead to a cure and give the individual the opportunity to reintegrate into the society (Coombs, p 465). The therapy generally begins with an examination of the patient by an impartial medical expert. The councelor(s) listens to the responses from the patient on a variety of questions. The drug addiction counseling program should take into consideration the past medical history, criminal history, employment data and previous behavioral treatments given to the patient. The medical history will explain the conditions that may have contributed to the addiction. People can easily get used to painkillers, sedatives or other over the counter drugs. Some people also develop a dependency on prescription drugs as sources of emotional relief rather than interacting with other people. Patient records are also likely to show multiple drug prescriptions by different medical consultants. Addiction to prescription drugs can be achieved through gradual weaning programs off the drugs and simultaneously addressing the emotional problems. Criminal background confirmation will indicate any drug related convictions such as street dealing, prostitution or theft assistance habits. Criminal substance abuse is commonly related to commercial sex, gambling and money launderings. The drug culture is associated with criminal activities in order to support and sustain the addiction (Christianet, Para 3).
Counseling helps to address the psychological addiction to substances after the detoxification as a solution to the physical addiction. The counseling program must help to unearth the painful truths, remove negative perceptions and restore the victims mental capacity. The counseling program should try to establish any pent up anger and emotions, vengeance or selfhatred as causes of substance abuse. In most cases patients are paired with counselors depending on their background and environment (Miller, p 16). The three most common forms of drug addiction counseling are individual counseling, group counseling and family counseling. Individual counseling provides the opportunity for the patient and the counselor to look at the core causes of addiction and develop solutions. This should be done at specified time intervals for example weekly so as to determine the progress of the program. Through cognitive behavioral therapy counselors try to establish trust and build up a connection with the patients to facilitate dialogue. After the rapport is established the therapists try to keep patients in conversation over issues of interest either in groups or individual sessions. Discussion over painful facts helps the patients deal with some of the causes to the substance dependency. The dialogue helps to confront issues that may be difficult to talk about under ordinary circumstances. Group counseling gives the addicts the opportunity to interact with peers and share experiences as well as provide support to one another (Christianet, Para 5).
Family counseling helps to rebuild confidence and restore the cohesion between family members that existed prior to the occurrence of the problem. This can b initiated during or after the rehabilitation process and should provide an opportunity for the members to air their views freely. Family counseling should be used by the counselor to advise the family members on how to accommodate the addict and help them adapt to a normal lifestyle.
Treatment and counseling
A drug treatment system mainly involves four parts which are referral, induction, intervention and transition. Treatment referral programs and sources include the criminal justice system and therapeutic communities. Induction into the treatment programs requires the assessment of the addict problems and needs and the development of a treatment plan for eventual intervention. The treatment program must encompass all components that address all aspects of the problem. Pharmacology is essential in removing the withdrawal effects, behavioral therapy to sort out the psychological issues and supportive services to address other physical needs. The treatment must help the person to let go off the drugs, attain a drug free life and achieve worthy functioning in the society. The intervention phase must include the detoxification, dedication and rehabilitation. Medication and behavioral rehabilitation are essential elements of an effective therapeutic process which may include detoxification, treatment and reversion prevention. Reducing withdrawal symptoms helps to start the treatment while prevention of relapse deals with the effects. Medications are only important in suppressing the withdrawal symptoms but medically assisted treatment cannot work on its own. Patients who fail to go through further treatment after medication are just likely to continue with drug use at the same pattern. Medications have been developed for different types of drugs and substances. Detoxification is important in removing harmful chemicals and byproducts from the body since the drugs contain toxins and additives (Coombs, p 455).
Behavioral treatment is the most important as it helps the patients to participate in the treatment process, change their attitudes and behaviors about substance abuse and ensure healthy living. Addiction treatment programs can be quite different but are generally characterized by the setting, the structured stages, services and personnel and the underling philosophy. We have outpatient behavioral treatment which involves several programs that allow patients to visit treatment centers at regular intervals. These mainly occur in community settings and are shy for specific time frames. The programs may involve individual or group counseling and apply different approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, multidimensional family therapy, motivational interviewing or motivational incentives. Cognitive behavioral therapy is designed to assist victims to appreciate, avoid and withstand the situations leading to drug abuse. Motivational family therapy targets families settings to address the various influences on drug abuse patterns and improve the general family setting. Motivational targets individual that are willing to change their habits and start treatment. Motivational incentives or contingency management applies positive corroboration to encourage avoidance of drugs among individuals (Coombs, p 460).
Residential programs are suitable for individuals with serious drug addiction problems. Residential settings provide a highly organized surrounding with complex structures and social dimensions. The most common are therapeutic communities (TCs) where patients remain at specific residences for a specific time frame during the course of the treatment. The communities in the residences which comprise the staff and others under recovery are a major tool in influencing the patients feelings, views and behaviors on drug addiction. Whatever the cause of the addiction, the counseling program should lead to a cure and give the individual the opportunity to reintegrate into the society (Coombs, p 465). The therapy generally begins with an examination of the patient by an impartial medical expert. The councelor(s) listens to the responses from the patient on a variety of questions. The drug addiction counseling program should take into consideration the past medical history, criminal history, employment data and previous behavioral treatments given to the patient. The medical history will explain the conditions that may have contributed to the addiction. People can easily get used to painkillers, sedatives or other over the counter drugs. Some people also develop a dependency on prescription drugs as sources of emotional relief rather than interacting with other people. Patient records are also likely to show multiple drug prescriptions by different medical consultants. Addiction to prescription drugs can be achieved through gradual weaning programs off the drugs and simultaneously addressing the emotional problems. Criminal background confirmation will indicate any drug related convictions such as street dealing, prostitution or theft assistance habits. Criminal substance abuse is commonly related to commercial sex, gambling and money launderings. The drug culture is associated with criminal activities in order to support and sustain the addiction (Christianet, Para 3).
Counseling helps to address the psychological addiction to substances after the detoxification as a solution to the physical addiction. The counseling program must help to unearth the painful truths, remove negative perceptions and restore the victims mental capacity. The counseling program should try to establish any pent up anger and emotions, vengeance or selfhatred as causes of substance abuse. In most cases patients are paired with counselors depending on their background and environment (Miller, p 16). The three most common forms of drug addiction counseling are individual counseling, group counseling and family counseling. Individual counseling provides the opportunity for the patient and the counselor to look at the core causes of addiction and develop solutions. This should be done at specified time intervals for example weekly so as to determine the progress of the program. Through cognitive behavioral therapy counselors try to establish trust and build up a connection with the patients to facilitate dialogue. After the rapport is established the therapists try to keep patients in conversation over issues of interest either in groups or individual sessions. Discussion over painful facts helps the patients deal with some of the causes to the substance dependency. The dialogue helps to confront issues that may be difficult to talk about under ordinary circumstances. Group counseling gives the addicts the opportunity to interact with peers and share experiences as well as provide support to one another (Christianet, Para 5).
Family counseling helps to rebuild confidence and restore the cohesion between family members that existed prior to the occurrence of the problem. This can b initiated during or after the rehabilitation process and should provide an opportunity for the members to air their views freely. Family counseling should be used by the counselor to advise the family members on how to accommodate the addict and help them adapt to a normal lifestyle.
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