Choosing an Addiction Treatment Program That Works for You
By Anne Watkins
It takes strength to admit you have a drug or alcohol problem, but getting to this place is only the first step. If you have family or friends to help you, consider yourself lucky, but you’re going to have to be the driver of your own recovery. Others can help you choose treatment options, but this is a perfect time to step up and take responsibility for your own care. This will empower you and help give you the momentum to beat your addiction.
For some, facing substance abuse treatment is almost too difficult to handle. At the tail end of an addiction, you may be so low that you feel you’re not worthy of treatment. Maybe a voice in the back of your mind says these things are for other types of people -- “real” people who know how to handle themselves at therapists’ and doctors’ offices. Maybe you have no money or insurance, or maybe you haven’t been to a doctor in so long that the idea seems foreign and frightening.
All of these misgivings are normal. The key is to move forward in spite of them. Understand that therapy and addiction treatment exist not for other types of people, but for you. Help is out there, and the only thing stopping you from seeking it is yourself.
Support Groups
While support groups are useful for every recovering addict, one of their advantages is that they’re free of charge. So even if you are at the end of your financial rope, have no insurance, and have no family or friends to help you pay for treatment, nothing is stopping you from attending a local support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
Support group styles vary. Many rely upon a set of principles designed to give the addict a structure for recovery. The most well-known system is the 12 Step program, used by both NA and AA.
In short, the 12 Steps encourage adherents to admit they’re powerless over drugs or alcohol, and to surrender to a higher power. While many people have objections to the “higher power” aspect, most AA and NA groups encourage their members to interpret this however they wish. It doesn’t have to be a god as conventionally defined. If you’re atheist or agnostic, your higher power can be, for instance, Family, Love or Nature. If it still doesn’t sit right with you, you can find groups that don’t include this element.
A standard aspect of most programs is choosing a sponsor – a former addict who has been sober for a long time and can help provide guidance, support and advice. This is the person you can call when you have cravings, depression or doubts about your recovery.
Medical Attention and Therapy
Depending on the form and severity of your addiction, you may want to see a doctor to help you deal with withdrawal symptoms and any medical problems that have gone untreated during your addiction. Many addicts fail to take care of their physical health for long stretches of time. If this applies to you, you may find you have medical issues that you didn’t know existed or that you just never bothered to deal with. Now is the time to take care of them.
Meanwhile, seeing a professional substance abuse therapist can help you work through your problems in greater depth than in a support group. After all, there is often a psychological element to addiction that can make you your own worst enemy. Therapists can help you get the bottom of why you’re the way you are, why you abuse and why you’re powerless over this substance. Also, with your therapist you can discuss treatment options, map out your ideal path for the future and receive medication if needed.
Addiction Treatment Programs
If your addiction is so serious that you need in-depth, immersive taddiction reatment over many days or weeks, there are several different types of facilities to consider:
- Medical detoxification: Medical detoxification is used for people who need to be kept away from harmful substances. During this process, detoxification is safely guided, and withdrawal symptoms are dealt with medically. In most cases, this is only the first step in a long-term treatment plan.
- Residential treatment: Residential addiction treatment centers provide full-time treatment for anywhere between one and three months. Patients may undergo detoxification and therapy while also receiving medical care and access to support groups.
- Partial hospitalization: In these programs, patients receive monitoring and treatment for several hours a day while living at home and attempting to conduct a semi-normal life.
- Sober living: After receiving residential chemical dependency treatment, many addicts enter sober living facilities. Here, they can begin to rebuild their lives while being surrounded by a support network of therapists and other recovering addicts.
Making the Choice
The best treatment plans involve a combination of things. For example, if your addiction is very serious, you may enter a residential substance abuse treatment facility, followed by months or years of therapy and support group meetings. If you don’t need to enter an addiction treatment program, then a support group and regular therapy sessions may be enough.
Ultimately, the choices are so varied that it’s up to the recovering addict to weigh all the options and make this personal choice with the help of his or her friends and family. During your research, be sure to read up on the effectiveness and philosophies of various treatment methods, and ensure all medical professionals and facilities are accredited.
Don’t be afraid of treatment. Remember these options are there for you, and that most of them are run by people who truly care and wish to do everything they can to help you. If you’re nervous, go to a local support group just to listen. You’ll find that other people who are not much different from you have been in your situation, have faced their fears and have come out on top.
© 2012