Step by Step to Drug Abuse Treatment

Drug Abuse Treatment

Drug addiction is a chronic disease distinguished by compulsive or uncontrollable drug seeking and use despite harmful effects and changes in the brain. Therefore, a range of care with a tailored treatment program and follow-up options can be crucial to success for drug abuse treatment.

Treatment should involve both medical and mental health services as needed. Follow-up care may include community- or family-based recovery support systems.

A range of care with a tailored drug abuse treatment program and follow-up options can be crucial to success.

The path to drug addiction starts with the voluntary act of taking drugs. But over time, a person’s ability to choose not to do so becomes compromised. Seeking and taking the medication becomes compulsive. 

This is primarily due to the effects of long-term drug exposure on brain function. Addiction influences parts of the brain associated with reward and motivation, learning and memory, and control over behavior. [1]

The First Step to Drug Abuse Treatment

Developing an addiction to drugs isn’t a character flaw or a sign of weakness, and it takes more than willpower to overcome the problem. In addition, abusing illegal or certain prescription drugs can alter the brain, causing powerful cravings and a compulsion to use that makes sobriety seem like an impossible goal.

But recovery is never out of reach, no matter how desperate your situation seems or how many times you’ve tried and failed before. With the proper drug abuse treatment and support, change is always feasible.

For many people struggling with addiction, the most challenging step toward recovery is the very first one: recognizing that you have a problem and deciding to make a change. Unfortunately, it’s normal to feel uncertain about whether you’re ready to start recovery or if you have what it takes to discontinue.

If you’re addicted to a prescription drug, you may be concerned about how you’re going to find an alternate way to treat a medical condition. It’s okay to feel torn. Committing to sobriety requires changing many things, including:

• The way you deal with stress
• Who you allow in your life
• What you do in your free time
• How you think about yourself
• The prescription and over-the-counter medications you take

It’s also normal to feel conflicted about giving up your drug of choice, even when you know it’s causing problems in your life. Recovery demands time, motivation, and support, but you can overcome your addiction and regain control of your life by committing to change.

Explore Your Drug Abuse Treatment Options

Once you’ve committed to recovery, it’s time to explore your treatment options. While drug abuse treatment can differ according to the specific drug, a successful program often includes different factors, such as:

• Detoxification: Usually, the first step is to purify your body of drugs and manage withdrawal symptoms.
• Behavioral Counseling: The individual, group, and/or family therapy can help you identify the root causes of your drug use, restore your relationships, and learn healthier coping skills.
• Medication: Medications are helpful to manage withdrawal symptoms, prevent relapse, or treat any co-occurring mental health condition such as depression or anxiety.
• Long-Term Follow-Up: This process can help to prevent relapse and maintain sobriety. This may include attending regular in-person support groups or online meetings to help keep your recovery on track.

Drug Abuse Treatment & Understanding Relapse Prevention

Different “triggers” can put you at risk of relapsing into old patterns of substance use. While specific determinants of relapse differ from person to person, some common triggers [2] include:

• Negative Emotional State (such as stress, sadness, anger, or trauma)
• Positive Emotional State (feeling happy and desiring to feel even better, such as having a good time with friends)
• Physical Discomfort (such as pain or withdrawal symptoms)
• Trying to test your control (“I can use just once” or “have just one pill”)
• Strong Temptation or Urge (craving to use)
• Conflict (such as an argument with your spouse or partner)
• Social Pressure (being in a situation where it seems everyone else is using)

Recovering from drug or alcohol addiction isn’t a quick process, but preventing relapse is feasible and you can learn a lot of ways during drug abuse treatment.

Drug abuse treatment is designed to help addicted individuals end compulsive drug seeking and use. Treatment can occur in several settings, take many different forms, and last for different lengths. However, because drug addiction is typically a chronic disorder characterized by occasional relapses, short-term, one-time treatment is usually insufficient.

For many, treatment is a long-term process that involves multiple interventions and regular monitoring.

Drug Abuse Treatment & Programs

There are a variety of evidence-based approaches to treating addiction. Drug abuse treatment can incorporate behavioral therapy (cognitive-behavioral therapy or contingency management), medications, or a combination.

The specific treatment or combination of treatments will range depending on the client’s individual needs and, often, on the types of drugs they use.

Many treatment programs exercise both individual and group therapies. For instance, group therapy can provide social reinforcement and help enforce behavioral contingencies that promote abstinence and a non-drug-using lifestyle.

Level Up Palm Beach County Drug Abuse Treatment Center

Drug addiction is a complex issue that requires long-term treatment – not a quick fix. Therefore, the first step in drug abuse treatment is to seek help from your medical provider or a trained professional.

Clearing addictive drugs from the body and overcoming withdrawal symptoms is the goal of detox, which is the first step of drug abuse treatment.

If you are addicted to drugs, your first step in recovery should be medical detox in a safe and medically supervised setting. Level Up Palm Beach County detox & substance abuse treatment center medically assist clients in clearing their systems of addictive substances.

In addition, a comprehensive team prescribing medications can alleviate your withdrawal pains while monitoring your health 24 hours. Thus, assuring both your safety and comfort.

At Level Up West Palm, our thorough approach to rehabilitation supports several levels of care to ensure the best possible outcome for every client who enters our doors.

Drug abuse treatment is not one-size-fits-all. Treatments may vary based on your needs. Call us today to explore your options.

From an intensive and more supportive atmosphere for those in the early days of recovery to a comfortable residential-style living dynamic upon completion of detox, we are here to help guide you down the safe and results-based path to your sobriety.

Once detox is complete, a new doorway in treatment opens up, referred to as a residential level of care.

Our residential care program slowly and effectively introduces the individual into an atmosphere of therapeutic growth, marked by Master’s level therapists, clinicians, group counselors, psychiatrists, and a community of like-minded individuals with the same aim: to attain sobriety and live a great life.

Clients in our residential therapy programs will live comfortably within the facility during this crucial and fragile time. This supportive environment is designed to give clients 24-hour care for sobriety, removing temptations for relapse and applying an air of recovery into every component of the treatment timeline.

At Level Up Palm Beach County, we find that when clients are living in a supportive community, especially during their early recovery process, they can truly focus on what matters most: their recovery.

Make this your opportunity to reclaim your life with a comfortable drug abuse treatment. Call today to speak with one of our treatment specialists.