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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Treatment Available For Chronic Drug Addiction

Chronic drug abuse is repeated and excessive use of chemical substances to achieve a certain effect. Characters of the drug addiction includes, an overpowering desire to continue taking the drug and to obtain it by any means, tendency to increase the dose, and so on. It is better to prevent drug addiction rather than taking treatment after an individual is addicted to the drugs.

Following are the treatments available for chronic drug addiction:

Medical Detoxification:
Detoxification is a process where drugs or alcohol is eliminated from the body. It is often characterized by painful, unpleasant and potentially fatal withdrawal symptoms. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, medical detoxification does not address the psychological, behavioral and social aspects of drug addiction, but it is very much necessary and is the first step in treating the chronic drug abuser.

Biophysical Program:
These are very effective in treating the drug addiction and their results are three times higher than other types of rehab programs. It provides a two-pronged treatment for the addict by addressing the physical craving for drugs as well as the psychological need for them. This is a long term treatment and generally lasts for 30 days.

Residential Treatment:
There are two types of residential treatments one is short term and the other is long term. The most used residential treatment strategy, according to NIDA, is the therapeutic community (TC) model, which lasts from six to 12 months.

Drug Replacement Therapy:
In this process, the drug to which the person is addicted is replaced by other therapeutic drugs. According to NIDA, the goal of drug replacement therapy is to normalize brain function, reduce cravings and prevent a relapse through the course of rehabilitation. Medications such as, methadone and buprenorphine help the patient to detach from drug seeking behaviors.

Outpatient Treatment:
Outpatient treatment offers a variety of treatment strategies including individual or group therapy, multidimensional family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational incentives and motivational interviewing. These are very useful for the patients who must go to work or attend a school.

Counseling:
Counseling works best as a complement to some other forms of treatment. This type of treatment is also useful for addressing the issues that may be contributing to the patient's chronic drug use such as family difficulties, illegal activity and employment difficulties.

The above are the details of various treatments, which can be applied according to the condition of drug abuser.

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