Author: John Carter

Drug Abuse Recovery: Maintaining Hope and Health

Taking stock of the impediments enables people to learn as they go, staying more vigilant and discovering the nature of the terrain, diminishing the likelihood of making the same mistake going forward. Withdrawal from different categories of drugs — such as depressants, stimulants or opioids — produces different side effects and requires different approaches. Detox may involve gradually reducing the dose of the drug or temporarily substituting other substances, such as methadone, buprenorphine, or a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. The goal of detoxification, also called “detox” or withdrawal therapy, is to enable you to stop taking the addicting drug as quickly and safely as possible.

Addiction develops over time, in response to repeated substance use, as the action of drugs changes the way the brain responds to rewards and disables the ability to control desire for the drug. Medication can be an effective part of a larger treatment plan for people who have nicotine use disorder, alcohol use disorder, or opioid use disorder. They can be used to help control drug cravings, relieve symptoms of withdrawal, and to help prevent relapses. The National Recovery Month webpage provides a host of resources that can be used to help promote the observance. Behavioral therapies help people in drug addiction treatment modify their attitudes and behaviors related to drug use.

Such a simple maneuver maintains all the behavioral actions of drinking—while eliminating the active drug (ethyl alcohol)—and that can be enough to at least partially mollify the brain’s reward pathway. Distraction can also help interrupt craving-induced thoughts of using, which can gather momentum. Yet one more acronym captures the skills people actually deploy to successfully navigate the tricky terrain of early recovery. When, for example, cravings hit, a helpful strategy is to self-negotiate a delay of use.

Charitable Care & Financial Assistance

Hundreds of studies of addictive behavior change reveal that a common process underlies all progress toward recovery. Researchers have identified and mapped out five stages of change, and they can be used as a kind of recovery GPS—a guide to determine where anyone may be in the process of recovery. Medications are also available to help treat addiction to alcohol and nicotine. At every step of the way, support from friends, peers, and family is useful, but there are also many services and organizations that provide guidance., and many can be accessed through Recovery Community centers. Many types of recovery support are available, and many people make use of more than one type at any time and may shift from one type of support to another as recovery proceeds and needs evolve. An increasing number of high schools and colleges offer addiction recovery resources (CRPS, or Collegiate Recovery Programs) for students, including mentors, workshops, dedicated lounges, and group meetings and activities.

For some people, it may be safe to undergo withdrawal therapy on an outpatient basis. Others may need admission to a hospital or a residential treatment center. Evidence-based guidelines can assist doctors with choosing the right treatment options. These guidelines help evaluate a patient’s clinical needs and situation to match them with the right level of care, in the most appropriate available setting. For more information on evidence-based guidelines visit Addiction Medicine Primer.

Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

But psychological addiction, temptation, and craving can last for years, even a lifetime. The truth is, most people will relapse on their way to full recovery from prescription drug addiction. The processes of neural plasticity and neural toxicity that deeply entrench the behaviors of substance use in the brain can make those behaviors difficult to change. Nevertheless, data bear out that most people who meet the clinical criteria for an alcohol or other drug use disorder achieve full recovery. In fact, the latest figures from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicate that among those who had an alcohol or drug problem, the remission rate is approximately 75 percent. • Developing a detailed relapse prevention plan and keeping it in a convenient place for quick access when cravings hit, which helps guard against relapse in the future.

Ongoing support and follow-up care are important in the recovery process to prevent relapse. An intervention includes trained professionals like a drug and alcohol counselor, therapist, and/or interventionist who can help guide a family through the preparation and execution. It occurs in a controlled setting (not in the person’s home or family home). Intervention works by confronting the specific issues and encouraging the person to seek treatment. Drug addiction is dangerous because it becomes all-consuming and disrupts the normal functioning of your brain and body.

The uncertainty of a person’s behavior tests family bonds, creates considerable shame, and give rise to great amounts of anxiety. Because families are interactive systems, everyone is affected, usually in ways they are not even aware of. When a person goes into treatment, it isn’t just a case of fixing the problem person. The change destabilizes the adaptation the family has made—and while the person in recovery is learning to do things differently, so must the rest of the family learn to do things differently.

Further, those friends can serve as a cue that sets off drug craving and challenges the recovery process. • Meaning and purpose—finding and developing a new sense of purpose, which can come from many sources. It may include rediscovering a work or social role, finding new recreational interests, or developing a new sense of spiritual connection. The important feature is that the interest avert boredom and provide rewards that outweigh the desire to return to substance use. For many of those who are addicted, enduring even that action is unimaginable. What must follow is the process of behavior change, through which the brain gradually rewires and renews itself.

Over time, substance users move into a contemplation stage and begin to consider the possibility that use has some negative consequences. Still, it’s important to recognize that the recovery change process itself is very difficult. The journey to remission can be bumpy, and it can take a long time. Genetics plays an important role in conferring vulnerability to addiction. Genetic factors influence how substances are metabolized and experienced.

1. The truth is, most people will relapse on their way to full recovery from prescription drug addiction.
2. Cravings diminish and disappear in time unless attention is focused on them.
3. At least equally necessary is developing in a positive direction out of the addiction.
4. Besides improving overall health, exercise improves mood and builds self-esteem, key areas in drug abuse recovery.
5. People in the throes of addiction are not capable of the best form of friendship.

Usually for a substantial fee, career transition services help executive and higher-up employees define career goals and help with job searches. Many treatment programs have partnerships with area businesses to hire those in recovery. And one measure of a comprehensive substance abuse treatment program is the help it offers to enrollees to identify their interests and find and build a meaningful career path. Individuals with experience and expertise may find a route to full employment by first being willing to offer their skills pro bono or as a volunteer to businesses or nonprofit organizations in their field. Recovery from addiction is not a linear process, and increasingly, relapse is seen as an opportunity for learning. Such triggers are especially potent in the first 90 days of recovery, when most relapse occurs, before the brain has had time to relearn to respond to other rewards and rewire itself to do so.

Drug addiction, or substance use disorder (SUD), is when someone continues using a drug despite harmful consequences to their daily functioning, relationships, or health. Using drugs can change brain structure and functioning, particularly in areas involved in reward, stress, and self-control. These changes make it harder for people to stop using even when they really want to. Rebuilding close connections with family and friends is essential to successful addiction recovery. This often requires the addicted person to recognize and make amends for the damage caused by past behavior.

Does relapse to drug use mean treatment has failed?

Recovery is a process of change through which people improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential. Even people with severe and chronic substance use disorders can, with help, overcome their illness and regain health and social function. Being in recovery is when those positive changes and values become part of a voluntarily adopted lifestyle. Only 1.0 percent of people receive substance abuse treatment as an inpatient or outpatient at a specialty facility. The single most popular path is the use of peer support groups in the community.

Meditation can help the person with an addiction face painful feelings and understand how these feelings contribute to craving. This can potentially help the person discover healthy ways of coping with bad feelings, without using drugs. At the same time, the addicted person’s family will be going through its own recovery process. Re-establishing trust and mutual respect can take months or even years. Nothing can replace the healing properties of time spent together with loved ones. A decision stage follows, marked by the intention to do something about the substance use.

Who Should Be Included at an Intervention?

Fortunately, tools and resources are available to help someone stay straight and to pick them up if they stumble. A lot can be at stake in a relapse, including life itself; doing whatever is necessary to ensure a way out of high-risk situations is essential. Having a “parachute” ready for such eventualities takes a little preparation and knowledge that some situations (such as a social event or party) will in fact be high risk. Strategically avoiding an event, a person, or a situation with a polite excuse can yield lifesaving dividends, especially early in recovery. The principle of equifinality states that there can be many different pathways to a common developmental endpoint.