When it comes to addiction recovery care, there are so many different treatment options that are available today.
It is so important to find a medical clinic that will put together a bespoke treatment plan that is completely tailored to suit your needs.
After all, there is not one singular treatment that is best for everyone. We all have different reasons for falling into substance abuse and the drugs that we take can have different impacts on our bodies.
This is why it is so important that a bespoke plan is put together, consisting of different treatment that is going to be the most effective for you.
In this guide, we will take a look at the best evidence-based types of addiction recovery care available around the world today.
What does evidence-based approach mean?
Before we take a look at the different types of addiction recovery care that are available, is important to establish what we mean by evidence-based treatments. Evidence-based practice means the conscientious use of the best practices is available.
These are treatments that have been proven scientifically to provide the best results. This means that extensive research and numerous clinical tests have been conducted to prove the effectiveness of the treatments that we are going to talk about the low.
Medicated assisted treatments
Medication-assisted treatments involve combining medications with behavioral therapy to treat substance abuse disorder.
There are many different types of medications that can be prescribed in order to treat drug addiction, whether this is an alcohol addiction or opioid addiction.
However, it is worth pointing out that there are currently no FDA approved medications for cocaine, marijuana or methamphetamine dependence.
Because there are lots of different medications available that can be prescribed to someone with a substance abuse addiction, and because there are a number of risks associated with these medications, it is so important to see an experienced and trained doctor who will carry out an evaluation.
This evaluation will help to correctly diagnose a substance abuse disorder, as well as evaluating how severe the addiction is and whether the person has any physical and mental health problems. Medication should only be provided once this assessment has been carried out.
Once the evaluation has been completed, the medical professional will determine whether or not you are a good candidate for medication-assisted treatment. You are likely to be a good candidate for this if the following applies:
- There has been an official diagnosis of your addiction to opioids or alcohol
- You are willing to comply fully with their prescribing instructions
- You do not have any physical health issues that could be made worse by the medication
- You are fully aware of the alternative options that are available to you
On the other hand, you may not be a good candidate for this treatment if the following applies to you:
- You have a low level of motivation to get sober
- You have a severe physical limitation, for example, a heart or lung condition, which the medication may complicate
- You have a co-occurring substance addiction
- You have an addiction to a substance that cannot be treated with an FTA medication
- You have a history of medication use
As the name suggests, this form of treatment does not only involve medication. It is a mixture of medication and behavioral therapies, and so the medication that you are provided only plays a part-role in helping you to recover from substance abuse.
To ensure that you maintain long-term abstinence, medication will be combined with education, evidence-based behavioral therapies, and relapse prevention programs.
This can involve getting to the bottom of the underlying issues that have contributed to substance abuse, as well as building and teaching healthy coping skills, promoting a positive self-image, and rectifying negative behaviors, feelings, and thoughts.
Mind-body connection
This relates to therapies that use the body to impact the mind. It’s about using mind-body therapies, and body-mind therapies; basically, it’s all about acknowledging that both are related and impact one and other. Some examples include:
- Guided imagery
- Hypnosis
- Relaxation
- Qigong
- Taichi
- Biofeedback
- Yoga
- Creative arts therapies
- Prayer
- Meditation
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Patient support groups
Therapy for traumatic experiences
Often, a lot of people can become addicted to drugs and alcohol because of a traumatic experience that happened in their life. Therefore, a key treatment for these individuals is often therapy for the traumatic experience that they went through.
As is the case when determining any sort of treatment program, you will always begin by having a thorough evaluation. The doctor will then decide what sort of psychological therapies will be best suited to you.
You may be advised to have a combination of medication and psychological therapy if you have a severe drug addiction. Generally, there are three types of psychological therapies that are used to treat people that have experienced something traumatic in their life. This includes the following:
Group therapy
Some people find it helpful to speak about their past experiences with others who have gone through something similar. Group therapy can be used to help you understand your condition and manage your symptoms.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
Commonly shortened to EMDR, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is a relatively new treatment that has been found to lower the symptoms that are associated with post-traumatic stress disorder.
It involves making side to side eye movements while recalling the traumatic incident. You will typically follow the movements of your therapist’s finger, although other methods can include the therapist playing a tone or tapping their fingers.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Finally, the most common treatment used for post-traumatic stress disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy. This involves talking to your therapist about any of the problems that you are experiencing, with the purpose of changing how you think and act. The aim is focusing on the way you are feeling so that you can get rid of the negative thoughts that cause you to turn to substance abuse.
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