Withdrawal can begin soon after the cessation of drug use and will likely peak in intensity in the first 24 to 48 hours. If severe withdrawal is left unchecked, in some instances it can be fatal. Anyone experiencing the symptoms of withdrawal should be under a doctor’s care, and for drug addicts entering treatment medical detox is often required before therapy for addiction can begin.
Bradford Recovery Center’s fully accredited drug rehab center is nestled in the rolling mountains of north central, Pennsylvania. Our integrated drug and alcohol programs were designed to address the complex needs and challenges arising from alcoholism, drug abuse and drug addiction. We specialize in several levels of care including Drug & Alcohol Detox, Inpatient Residential Rehab and PHP. Our team is comprised of caring professionals with decades of experience in the identification, evaluation & treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction.
Because prescription drugs are produced in laboratories and prescribed by doctors, they are mistakenly perceived as “safer” than street drugs. However, the risks of overdose, respiratory depression, cardiac arrest, and accidental death are equal to any other opioid narcotic. Withdrawal can be extremely uncomfortable, with symptoms that resemble a bad flu, such as a runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, shakiness, and cold sweats.
Alcohol dependency is not a failure of will or lack of strength of character, as was believed for many years. However, progress in science over the last few decades has shown us that alcoholism is rooted in both biology and behaviour, making it a ‘bio-behavioural disorder’. Biology and behaviour are two sides of the same coin, and alcohol dependency cannot be treated by just focusing on one side alone.
At Gateway Foundation, we employ a variety of addiction therapy services that aid in treatment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Trauma Therapy are some of the most common that our therapists use to help patients begin on the road to recovery. Each of these treatments and therapies is part of a larger overall program, specifically designed for individual patient recovery at one of our 17 drug treatment centers. To speak to someone about treatment at a Gateway Foundation center, call 877.381.6538 today.
During alcoholism treatment, therapy teams provide lessons on relapse prevention. These lessons are designed to help people spot the people, places, and things that can drive them to return to drinking. With the help of these lessons, people can learn to both avoid and/or handle their triggers so they won’t pick up an alcoholic beverage when they’re under stress.
Alcohol addiction treatment at Priory is delivered as part of a comprehensive Addiction Treatment Programme. Our Addiction Treatment Programmes typically last for 28 days, and consist of you staying at one of our nationwide hospital sites on a residential basis, for the duration of this time. During treatment, you will have the opportunity to undergo a medically assisted withdrawal detoxification process if this is required, before undergoing intensive individual and group addiction therapy in order to address the source of your addictive behaviours, increase your self-awareness and take steps towards recovery. Whilst 28 days is the recommended treatment time for alcohol addiction, treatment lengths at Priory can be flexible according to your unique needs, requirements and commitments.
NIAAA says a relapse typically follows a predictable path. The person in recovery is placed in a high-risk situation, and the person isn’t able to handle that situation effectively. That lack of effectiveness can prompt the person to feel somehow vulnerable or weak, and it can lead to a craving for alcohol. After a weak moment, people just begin to attribute life’s good things to alcohol. They then have a lapse and drink just a bit. In time, they start to drink more and more.
Drug addiction recovery is a long-term process, and those who attempt to overcome their drug problems must be prepared for a challenging struggle. In the end, persistence and determination will make all the difference, and if people recovering from substance use disorders are strong enough to stay the course, a happy, healthy, drug-free future will be within their grasp.
Note: These PET scans compare the brain of an individual with a history of cocaine use disorder (middle and right) to the brain of an individual without a history of cocaine use (left). The person who has had a cocaine use disorder has lower levels of the D2 dopamine receptor (depicted in red) in the striatum one month (middle) and four months (right) after stopping cocaine use compared to the non-user. The level of dopamine receptors in the brain of the cocaine user are higher at the 4-month mark (right), but have not returned to the levels observed in the non-user (left).
Another example of CBT would be teaching the patient how to respond to the triggers that might once have tempted them to drink. It could be as straightforward as learning to decline an invitation to consume an alcoholic beverage. For a casual drinker, this is not an issue at all; for someone who had an intense psychological desire to drink, saying “no” can seem like the hardest challenge in the world, but that is how CBT can help turn a recovering addict’s life around.
Ecstasy, or MDMA, is classified as both a hallucinogenic drug and a stimulant. Like LSD, PCP, and other psychedelic substances, Ecstasy can alter your sensory perceptions and change the way you perceive time and space. This synthetic drug can also cause feelings of warmth, affection, and intimacy with others — properties that have inspired nicknames like “the Love Drug” and “the Hug Drug.” In addition, Ecstasy is a central nervous system stimulant, increasing energy and activity.
Treatments for addiction vary widely according to the types of drugs involved, amount of drugs used, duration of the drug addiction, medical complications and the social needs of the individual. Determining the best type of recovery program for an addicted person depends on a number of factors, including: personality, drugs of choice, concept of spirituality or religion, mental or physical illness, and local availability and affordability of programs.
At this stage, you will have developed a problem with alcohol and will be drinking out of habit than choice. Your use may be starting to have an impact on other aspects of your life and you might be noticing problems with your moods and sleeping patterns. Nevertheless, you are probably still at the stage where you are enjoying alcohol and believe that it is making your life better.
The official diagnosis of drug addiction by the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (2000), which makes distinctions between drug use, abuse, and substance dependence, is flawed. First, diagnosis of drug use versus abuse can be arbitrary and reflect cultural norms, not medical phenomena. Second, the term substance dependence implies that dependence is the primary pharmacologic phenomenon underlying addiction, which is likely not true, as tolerance, sensitization, and learning and memory also play central roles. It is ironic and unfortunate that the Manual avoids use of the term addiction, which provides the best description of the clinical syndrome.
Aftercare services are primarily designed to help recovering alcoholics maintain their sobriety once their treatment has finished. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), a good after-care service can make a who difference to whether a person's alcoholism treatment is successful. Some states provide sober houses, which provide somewhere to live for people who are trying to stay sober. While it is not formal treatment, staff members who supervise the houses will remind individuals if they have a therapy appointment or support group meeting. They also, along with other residents, offer support and the chance to live in a completely alcohol-free environment.
Drug addiction recovery is a long-term process, and those who attempt to overcome their drug problems must be prepared for a challenging struggle. In the end, persistence and determination will make all the difference, and if people recovering from substance use disorders are strong enough to stay the course, a happy, healthy, drug-free future will be within their grasp.
The definition of recovery remains divided and subjective in drug rehabilitation, as there are no set standards for measuring recovery. The Betty Ford Institute defined recovery as achieving complete abstinence as well as personal well-being[21] while other studies have considered "near abstinence" as a definition.[22] The wide range of meanings has complicated the process of choosing rehabilitation programs.
In addition, take the time to find out whether the rehab program offers services that encompass a broad spectrum of needs, including psychological, medical, vocational and social. It is also important to find out whether the program employs a variety of strategies, including linkage to aftercare services, to help increase the chances of long-term success.
In order to effectively address drug addiction as well as the co-occurring issues that may be underlying the problem, most patients will require residential or inpatient care. At a residential treatment program, the addicted patient will live at the treatment facility with access to 24-hour care and support that can be critical in helping them to avoid relapse in the early stages of recovery.
6. Finally, supportive social services – During this final step of alcohol rehabilitation, rehab staff help empower a patient by connecting her/him with services outside the treatment facility in order to maintain abstinence from alcohol and begin to create a network of supportive people to influence in the patients life. These services can include housing, health care, social service, child care, or financial and vocational counseling.
