Treatment (also known as rehab) is the process of assisting an individual to overcome addiction to alcohol or drugs. It can include a combination of counseling and medication. Often times, individuals who are dependent on drug or alcohol are also dealing with other mental health conditions that may need to be addressed during the recovery process.
During the early stage of treatment, it is important to establish a trusting relationship with clients and to communicate factual information about chemical dependency. Many addicts who enter treatment are well connected to a dysfunctional subculture, but socially isolated from healthy contacts. As a result, they may be resistant to information from the group. Therefore, it is essential for groups to be led by a skilled individual who can facilitate members’ confrontation of resistance and their reluctance to enter treatment.
As the treatment progresses, emphasis is placed on acculturating clients into a new culture, the culture of recovery. Various techniques, such as contingency management (incentives) and motivational enhancement therapy, are used to stimulate people’s desire for change. Individual and group counseling are used to address problems of motivation and to build coping skills that will allow individuals to resist drug use, replace drug-using activities with constructive non-using activities, improve family functioning, and develop healthier interpersonal relationships.
Medications are an important part of drug addiction treatment. Some medications are used to alleviate symptoms of withdrawal, while others reduce cravings for particular substances. For example, methadone and levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol are effective in helping heroin addicts stabilize their lives and eliminate their illicit drug use. For those who are addicted to cocaine and/or other stimulants, oral medications such as naltrexone or bupropion help them break the habit. Generally, these medications are combined with behavioral therapies.