Here Is Information On 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 is defined as the compulsive and uncontrollable use and seeking of illicit substances. Even though the people affected by this condition experience some very adverse and long-lasting effects, they cannot control the desire to use the substances even more. The illicit substances cause adverse changes in the brain, leading to harmful behaviors. This chronic disease is also characterized by relapsing.

At first, drug users begin by taking the drugs out of will. However, this changes after one has taken the drugs severally and can longer control themselves. How fast the addiction develops depends on the kind of drug abused. They no longer use the drug out of their own free will due to addiction. At this point, it becomes the person seeks and uses illicit substances compulsively and uncontrollably. There are three parts of the brain that are affected by addiction. The three parts are responsible for controlling behavior, reward and motivation, and learning and memory in a person.

This means addiction affects both the brain and the behavior of the patient. However, drug addiction can be treated using various programs and plans. It is important to note that it takes time for one to totally wean off drug use. This is not an issue that can be solved overnight. The process will take varied amounts of time based on the level of addiction of a patient.

It is possible for one to stop drug use completely if an effective treatment program is used. One should be able to stop using drugs, stay away from them, and become a productive person after attending a drug addiction treatment program. Not all patients have the same treatment program working for them. Different kinds of treatment have to be used on different patients because addiction varies.

An effective program needs to be easily available to patients at any time they need it. The treatment should be able to address other aspects of the life of the patient. That means that drug use is not the only problem that treatment programs need to focus on. The program must be able to look at the life of the patient beyond the addiction.

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.

It is important that treatment plans are reviewed regularly so that to ensure that they remain efficient. The treatment needs to change with the changes in the needs of the patient. Lastly, the effectiveness of treatment does not depend on being accepted voluntarily by the patient.




About the Author: