Drug Treatment Center San Jose
Drug Treatment Center San Jose
DRUG ADDICTION
Drug addiction is a complex illness characterized by intense and, at times, uncontrollable drug craving, along with compulsive drug seeking and use that persist even in the face of devastating consequences. While the path to alcohol and drug t begins with the voluntary act of taking alcohol and drugs, over time a person’s ability to choose not to do so becomes compromised, and seeking and consuming the alcohol and drug becomes compulsive. This behavior results largely from the effects of prolonged alcohol and drug exposure on brain functioning. Addiction is a brain disease that affects multiple brain circuits, including those involved in reward and motivation, learning and memory, and inhibitory control over behavior.
Because alcohol and drug abuse addiction have so many dimensions and disrupt so many aspects of an individual’s life, treatment is not simple. Effective alcohol and drug treatment programs typically incorporate many components, each directed to a particular aspect of the illness and its consequences. Alcohol and drug treatment (drug Rehab) must help the individual stop using drugs, maintain a drug-free lifestyle, and achieve productive functioning in the family, at work, and in society. Because addiction is typically a chronic disease, people cannot simply stop using alcohol and drugs for a few days and be cured. Most patients require long-term or repeated episodes of care to achieve the ultimate goal of sustained abstinence and recovery of their lives.
Too often alcohol and drug addiction goes untreated: According to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 23.2 million persons (9.4 percent of the U.S. population) aged 12 or older needed alcohol and drug treatment (Drug Rehab) for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem in 2007. Of these individuals, 2.4 million (10.4 percent of those who needed Alcohol and drug treatment) (drug Rehab) received treatment at a specialty facility (i.e., hospital, drug or alcohol Rehab or mental health center). Thus, 20.8 million persons (8.4 percent of the population aged 12 or older) needed alcohol and drug treatment (drug Rehab) for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem but did not receive it. These estimates are similar to those in previous years.
Principles of Effective alcohol and Drug Treatment (Drug Rehab)
Scientific research since the mid–1970s shows that drug treatment (drug rehab) can help patients addicted to drugs stop using, avoid relapse, and successfully recover their lives. Based on this research, key principles have emerged that should form the basis of any effective alcohol and drug treatment programs:
* Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior.
* No single alcohol and drug treatment (drug rehab) is appropriate for everyone.
* Treatment needs to be readily available.
* Effective alcohol and drug treatment (drug rehab) attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her drug abuse.
* Remaining in alcohol anddrug treatment (drug rehab) for an adequate period of time is critical.
* Counseling—individual and/or group—and other behavioral therapies are the most commonly used forms of alcohol and drug treatment (drug rehab).
* Medications are an important element of treatment for many patients, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies.
* An individual’s alcohol and drug treatment and services plan must be assessed continually and modified as necessary to ensure that it meets his or her changing needs.
* Many drug–addicted individuals also have other mental disorders.
* Medically assisted detoxification is only the first stage of alcohol and drug addiction treatment (drug rehab) and by itself does little to change long–term drug abuse.
* Alcohol and Drug treatment (drug rehab) does not need to be voluntary to be effective.
* Drug use during treatment (drug rehab) must be monitored continuously, as lapses during treatment do occur.
* Drug Treatment programs should assess patients for the presence of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases as well as provide targeted risk–reduction counseling to help patients modify or change behaviors that place them at risk of contracting or spreading infectious diseases.
Effective Treatment Approaches
Medication and behavioral therapy,