<h1>Can Addiction Come Back?</h1>
Treatment for drug or alcohol abuse can succeed, but patients must learn to maintain vigilance. Scientific research has revealed a variety of effective treatment methods that vary based on the drug being abused, how long the addiction has lasted and identifying any psychological problems that aggravate the addition. Treatment might include medication, adjusting your body chemistry with nutritious dietary habits and counseling or therapy.
Medication always forms the first line of treatment if the addiction is physically based instead of just psychologically dependent. Opioid medications like Oxycontin and street drugs like heroin and methamphetamines build tolerances that require constant increases in dosage to duplicate the “high.” The body’s systems develop a physical dependence on the drugs or alcohol, and many prescription medications are used to wean patients off their drug dependencies.
Drug Dependency Treatment with Medications
Medication should rank as the first line of treatment for addictions to opioids, methamphetamines and other powerful drugs and medications. Addicts develop changes in their brain chemistry that have a physical element. The brain and body develop a tolerance for the drug, and the patient becomes unable to function normally without it. Debilitating withdrawal symptoms develop as the body tries to adjust.
Medications are designed to treat both aspects of withdrawal — real-world physical symptoms and psychological dependence. In the most extreme cases, withdrawal can actually become life-threatening. Even alcohol addiction generates real-world physical symptoms like delirium tremens, commonly called DTs. The symptoms of drug and alcohol withdrawal are severe enough that patients often begin retaking drugs or seeking a replacement substance to lessen the effects.
Types of Drug Treatment Medications
That’s why drug rehab efforts always include determining the strength of the addiction and treating the dependence with various medications. Medicines target withdrawal and detox symptoms until time restores the body’s natural equilibrium. Knowing that a particular treatment center uses medications to reduce withdrawal symptoms helps to convince addicts to undergo treatment.
Medications used to treat drug dependency include the following prescription medications:
- Naltrexone or Vivitrol
- Acamprosate or Campral
- Disulfiram or Antabuse
- Modafinil or Provigil
- Gabapentin or Neurontin
- Buprenorphine, Suboxone, and Methadone
- Topiramate or Topamax
- Bupropion or Wellbutrin/Zyban
- Baclofen or Lioresal
- Vigabatrin or Sabril
- Mirtazapine or Remeron
Research confirms that effective treatment usually includes some form of medication to help the body adjust to a new chemical make-up. The dangers of relapse after treatment are recognized, and many programs use relapsing as part of the treatment process. The chronic nature of drug dependency requires some kind of psychological counseling to deal with how drugs become a part of victims’ lives. The occasional relapse doesn’t mean that treatment has entirely failed, but usually indicates that a new psychological stressor has emerged.
The Difference Between Detox and Successful Treatment
It’s important not to confuse detox with treatment. Detox is the first essential step of drug and alcohol treatment. During detox, the body recovers from withdrawal symptoms like nausea, sweating, uncontrolled shaking and effects of the drug or alcohol. In extreme cases, patients might hallucinate or hear things that don’t exist. During the process, the body gets rid of toxins, adjusts to not getting a favored drug or drugs and develops a new chemistry that requires nutritious foods and healthy physical activities.
Some patients treat detox as if it were actual treatment of their dependency. Real treatment requires counseling, committing to a life free of drugs or alcohol and other incentives for success. These might include a restored relationship with a partner, a new job opportunity or even a change in living accommodations. Successful drug treatment programs treat people holistically by taking into account all the underlying psychological factors that enable or encourage continued substance abuse. It’s important not to place too much emphasis on not relapsing because many patients will start taking drugs again. Understanding the treatment process provides hope even after relapsing.
Getting Help for Addiction
Getting help from a professional treatment center comes highly recommended for help focusing your efforts using methods that work. Get ready for some possible resistance, and call 844-844-3463 to discuss your options with our trained counselors. Our treatment addresses the critical issue of balancing the patient’s body chemistry, which goes a long way toward reducing relapses.