Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Drug abuse and Alcoholism are serious issues in the world today. Finding the right treatment that fits your personality and unique needs is also a challenge. Treatment for drug and alcohol addiction takes a serious commitment in time and money. Perhaps the most important issue is how much success you will have in the treatment option you choose. Many of the most widely used approaches have little or no success. That's why it's important to find out what you can before signing up for any rehab program. Many times, because of finances and other obligations you don't want to take the risk that you'll fail the first time.
What is addiction?
Addicts simply want to enjoy life, be free from stress and anxiety, have fun and feel good. It's that simple. That's what motivates people to act. If we have a headache we reach for an aspirin and it works. What happens with alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse, eating disorders, compulsive gambling, shopping disorders or a virtually infinite number of other problematic behaviors is that they become damaging to the person and/or those around them. It starts out as a quick and easy road to happiness, and winds up being painful and destructive.
Uncurable Disease?
Take a look at common beliefs about addiction. You'll hear that each one is a separate, unique uncurable disease. That is nonsense! In fact, the most significant difference among alcoholism, substance abuse, eating disorders, and self-injury is the behavior itself. That behavior is a symptom, not the problem. Speak with alcoholics, drug abusers, and anorexics and you'll hear similar stories from all of them. Treatment methods are also remarkably similar.
First, let's point out that the primary difference among drug addiction, alcoholism, eating disorders and compulsive gambling is simply the "drug of choice". In fact, many people choose multiple drugs of choice. It's not uncommon for a compulsive gambler, for example, to also be an alcoholic. Are these different diseases? Should they be treated differently? Just a few years ago, I remember speaking with a friend who was addicted to narcotics and alcohol. They recently switched from a narcotics support group to one that focused on alcoholism. Why did he switch? Because he'd slipped and binged on narcotics. He didn't want to face the group and admit it openly, but since he hadn't had a drink in two years he felt it easier to switch groups.
Drinking is a way to feel better instantly. We all know the toll it takes on our bodies, our minds, our weath, and our relationships. But it's not the problem, it's a symptom. The problem is that the alcoholic knows that after a few drinks they'll be laughing and having fun. They'll be a million miles away from anxiety.
Full Recovery from Addiction and Compulsive Behaviors
The cure, then, is to learn how to build a happy, healthy, fulfilling life without the quick fix. That means learning the skills to take control of life. I like to use the bedwetting analogy. We don't walk around calling ourselves "recovering bedwetters", even though virually all of us wore diapers at one point in our lives. What happened? We learned how to read our bodies. We learned how it feels when we have to go to the bathroom. We learned that if we wait until the very last moment, we might not make it in time. We learned the tools, practiced them, and at some point we forgot that we ever had the problem. Drug abuse, alcoholism, eating disorders, gambing problems, compulsive shopping and any other behavior that we're stuck in can be the same. It's hard work at first, ask any toddler who's recently stopped using diapers. But after a while, it'll be ancient history. That is, of course, if we're focused on a solution instead of the symptom.
It's not 100%, and it's not right for everyone. Still, the success rates for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and it's close cousin Dialectical Behavior Therapy are widely used and considered the most effective treatment for these sort of problems. There's strong research behind it, and it's gaining popularity among in-patient and out-patient treatment centers and psychologists. Our learning center will give you a wealth of information about this approach, and others. We recommend that you start treatment with a professional and get off on the right foot. In our learning center, you can learn how this approach works and get a reminder if you're brushing up on your skills. Our support community provides a non-judgemental place on-line to get help and support from your peers.
For most, the most effective approach to treating drug and alcohol addiction is Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), a combination of Cognitive Behavior and Mindfulness (the practice of being fully aware and present in each moment) has proven effective for patients who have been unsuccessful with CBT alone. We offer an online tutorial in the DBT Skills, where we recommend getting started.
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