How Effective is Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment? Will it Work for Me?

You have probably justified avoiding treatment with a number of excuses. One of the most common is “treatment isn’t effective.” It can be very easy for you to refuse to seek addiction rehab when you don’t believe it will truly make a difference. However, treatment has been empirically proven effective, so you can’t keep using that excuse.

Sometimes, people negate the efficacy of treatment by arguing it doesn’t cure addiction, and that’s true. But, the reason for that is simple: addiction is not curable, it is only treatable. Relapse must not be viewed as failure and the fact that so many people do leads them to assume any treatment that does not result in a life free of addiction is ineffective.

If you are considering treatment and have concerns about the positive effects associated with it and its degree of success, this post should help you.  The following discussion will cover how to frame your perception of effectiveness, the role of relapse, and positive treatment outcomes determined by science.

You will still have questions about rehab when you finish reading this, and we can give you the answers that you need immediately. Call 800-430-1407Who Answers? and be connected with an expert immediately. Our caring representatives can even link you to qualified addiction treatment with a history of successful treatment. Don’t wait to call.

What Makes a Program Effective?

Addiction treatment helps restore your mental health and ability to function in daily society.

Addiction is defined by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as a “a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.” For a disease to be considered chronic it must persist for an extended period of no less than three months. The chronic nature of it means that it can be treated or managed, but may never be completely cured.

Other chronic diseases include:

• Heart disease
• Asthma
• Type 2

You would surely admit that these types of illness take a great deal of time and effort to manage, yes? You also would probably view minimizing the symptoms and decreasing the dangers associated with the disease to be effective care. No one expects arthritis treatment to banish the condition entirely and to ensure that it never comes back; that’s unrealistic. Then, why do people not extend the same considerations to addiction treatment?

According to research, using a combination of medication (where appropriate) and behavioral therapy leads to the most successful management of the disease. Therefore, you should look for treatment programs that use a behavioral therapy components and medications. Above all, you should be looking for a program whose treatment plans are all; individually created to address your drug use pattern and the medical, psychiatric, and social problems associated with your drug use.

But, Isn’t Relapse a Sign That Rehab Isn’t Effective?

Nope. Get rid of that thought right now. The National Institute on Drug Abuse alerts readers that relapse isn’t just a possibility, it’s likely.

Let’s return to the chronic diseases previously discussed. Did you know that all of them have moments of relapse? These well-understood chronic diseases, like addiction, have physical and behavioral components. This means that doctors aren’t just treating the effects on the body. They are working to change the behaviors that contribute to the disease as well.

Because of the complex treatment needed to manage chronic diseases, it is no surprise that some treatments lapse with time or a personal or health evolution leaves the treatment inapplicable. The Journal of the American Medical Association charted addiction relapses and those associated with type I diabetes, hypertension, and asthma. The rates were all comparable.

Relapse is not a sign of treatment failure. It is a sign that treatment needs to be reestablished or that you need to try a different form of treatment. No single treatment works for everybody and it may take a little time and research to determine what the most effective form of treatment is for you.

Is Rehab the Right Choice?

In What Ways Is Treatment Effective?

When you undergo addiction treatment, the goal won’t be for you to suddenly give up drugs and to continue to do that forever. The goal is more realistic and holistic. Care givers want to help you to stop using drugs and to return to full functioning in your job, your family, and your community.

Research focusing on participants in treatment over time have associated the following outcomes with people who begin treatment and continue it until its completion:

• Increased social performance
• Increased occupational performance
• Increased psychological performance
• Stoppage of drug use
• Lessened criminal activity

To take advantage of these benefits and to gain help in ceasing your drug use, call 800-430-1407Who Answers?. We can help you to take advantage of the effectiveness of drug treatment.