Drug Addiction is a chronic disease. It begins with the voluntary use of drugs and evolves into a compulsion that overtakes a person's life. Addiction is a medical condition that can be treated. Persistent use alters neurological function, molecular structures in the brain are remapped, and it literally changes a person. A combination of biological, psychosocial and environmental factors contribute to the level of addiction on an individual basis. Therefore treatment should vary among individuals, and the kind of treatment needed will change over time. Medicine and behavioral therapy have been extremely successful in aiding addiction recovery.
Recent research has negated the will theory around stopping drug use. Addicts cannot stop their compulsive behavior by force of will alone and that is why recovery is a many faceted process. Addiction takes hold of the decision making process after a line is crossed between voluntary and involuntary use. The American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association define addiction as an uncontrollable, compulsive drug craving, seeking and use despite the negative health and social consequences. Drugs and alcohol move to the top of the list of priorities in an uncontrollable compulsive cycle for addicts despite the cost of family, career and health.
Addiction is a chronic and relapsing disease, and therefore repeated cycles of addiction recovery treatment may be necessary to reduce the compulsive return to the substance until a state of absolute abstinence can be reached. Addiction Recovery necessitates biomedical treatment. It is also a part of an individual's personal motivation to maintain sobriety by continuing their treatment. Addiction is a combination of biology and behavior. It is a disease of the brain and there is treatment available.
Addiction recovery begins after detoxification, and when applicable medical and behavioral therapies are in place. There are several options of treatment for those seeking help. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous / 12 Step meetings are open to the public. They are often used in conjunction with other more intensive programs and then continued as a constant place of support throughout a recovered addicts life. Outpatient programs work with a consistent schedule at a specific hospital and are available for those who can balance the demands of daily life while living away from their treatment program environment. Outpatient programs can also be used after a residential stay to continue recovery work in a structured environment with trained professionals. Residential treatment centers offer a consolidated block of time, usually 30-90 days, where addicts move through all stages from detoxification to recovery. These in-patient addiction recovery programs are designed to unite all of the facets of medical and behavioral therapies available under one roof (or with transportation to any additional resources necessary for a client's recovery). Sober Living is useful in conjunction with outpatient programs or following a residential treatment stay for continued communal support.
Like any chronic disease continual addiction recovery treatment is necessary to keep the illness at bay. Relapse is a recurrent cycle affiliated with drug and alcohol addiction. Education, medicine, and therapy are all components to a healing program. Detoxification is only the first step to addiction recovery, and it is with the help of trained professionals that the individual's life can be restructured to a place of abstinence from psychoactive substances. Family's need to be rebuilt as well as new life structures. The conditional cues that are a familiar part of a recovered addicts life need to be processed in a way that will not lead back to former behaviors. It takes time, effort and a continued commitment to sobriety. If relapse occurs, as it often does with chronic illness, than treatment should begin again until there are no more lapses in addiction recovery.
Cliffside Malibu is based on a 12 Step foundation, and uses alternative medicine to address each individual case on a singular basis. An initial assessment determines any additional mental health issues, if dual diagnosis is appropriate, and the level of detoxification necessary for the client. Medicine may be prescribed to help in withdrawal stages and also to balance neurological function. Behavioral therapies include using the 12 Steps program, individual, group and family meetings to address the core issues of addiction. Nutrition and exercise are integrated into the recovery process to improve the health of those in addiction recovery. An aftercare plan is designed to address the need for a continual course of treatment outside of a regular program.
The line of addiction from voluntary drug use to involuntary drug use is different for everyone. That is why it is important to remember that there is no treatment that is right for all persons in addiction recovery. There is no one way for an addict to stay in recovery beyond abstinence from psychoactive drug use. Some people thrive in sober living communities and need the support of longstanding recovered addicts and alcoholics. Others find meetings at support groups on a regular basis an ideal source of continued support and align with a sponsor in order to have someone available to help. The degree of therapy and medication will vary from person to person. All combinations of the aforementioned treatments are part of the recovery process.
