Chemical Dependency Effective Treatment

Because dependency on alcohol or other drugs creates problems in a person’s physical, psychological, and social functioning, treatment must be designed to work in all three areas. The worse the damage in each area, the greater the chance of relapse and return to old behaviors (criminal actions and/or the use of alcohol or drugs). Total abstinence (not using any alcohol and drugs) plus personality and lifestyle changes are essential for full recovery.

* The type and intensity of treatment depend on the patient’s:

* Current physical, psychological and social problems

* Stage and type of addiction(s)

* Stage of recovery

* Personality traits and social skills before the onset of addiction

* Other factors in life that cause stress.

Chemical dependency is a chronic condition that has a tendency toward relapse. Abstinence from alcohol and other mood-altering drugs is essential in the treatment of chemical dependency. It is also an important part of relapse prevention therapy. There is no convincing evidence that controlled drinking or drug use is a practical treatment goal for people who have been physically dependent on alcohol or drugs.

Many chemically dependent people who exhibit criminal behaviors were raised in families that did not provide proper support, guidance, and values. This caused them to develop self-defeating personality styles that interfere with their ability to recover. Personality is the habitual way of thinking, feeling, acting, and relating to others that develops in childhood and continues in adult life. Personality develops as a result of an interaction between genetically inherited traits and family environment.

Growing up in a dysfunctional family causes a person to have a distorted view of the world. He or she learns coping methods that may be unacceptable in society. In addition, the family may not have been able to provide guidance or foster the development of social and occupational skills that allow the person to fully participate in society. This lack of skills and distorted personality functioning may cause addictive behaviors to occur. These problems may also contribute to a more rapid progression of the addiction, make it difficult to recognize and seek treatment during the early stages of the addiction, and make it hard to benefit from treatment.

There are four suggested goals in the primary treatment of dependency on drugs:

* Recognition that chemical dependency is a bio/psycho/social disease

* Recognition of the need for life-long abstinence from all mind-altering drugs

* Development and use of an ongoing recovery program to maintain abstinence

* Diagnosis and treatment of other problems or conditions that can interfere with recovery.

Traditional treatment has taken one of four general approaches:

The Medical Model

This approach tries to help the patient meet the first three goals listed above. In other words it helps the chemical dependent recognize that it is a Biological, Mental and Social illness that needs life-long abstinence from all mind-altering drugs by using and on-going program to maintain abstinence.

The Social/Behavioral Model

This approach focuses on the fourth goal listed above. Here not only is the patients chemical dependency addressed but also how one deals/reacts to social and behavioral stimulus that may lead to drug use.

The 12 Step Model

This approach focuses on the 12 steps to recovery of Alcoholics Anonymous and/or Narcotics Anonymous. This model deals mostly with fellowship, sharing of experiences, service and working the 12 steps & 12 traditions into their daily lives.

The Therapeutic Community Model

In general, TCs are drug-free residential settings that use a hierarchical model with treatment stages that reflect increased levels of personal and social responsibility. Peer influence, mediated through a variety of group processes, is used to help individuals learn and assimilate social norms and develop more effective social skills.

Some professionals say that the lack of a model that includes all of the components has led to high relapse rates, especially in criminal justice populations. We at Recovery House have designed a chemical dependency treatment program which makes use of the various parts of all of the above-mentioned models with the hope of offering our patients a drug-free life through an on-going, life-long, recovery program that can be adjusted, to cater to the individual needs of the addict, as per assessment and evaluation. For more information, please feel free to contact us at the Recovery House at telephone numbers 32-2331881 or 32-2315229. Or visit us at Sanson Road Extension, Lahug.