What is Drug Addiction Treatment?

Drug addiction treatment is the first step to recovery.

If you or someone you know has a drug problem, or if you are simply curious, you may be wondering “What is drug addiction treatment?” The more you know, the easier it will be to help yourself or someone else.

Drug Addiction Treatment Consists of Three Main Points

There are three factors in recovering from addiction. A drug addiction treatment program covers all three. First, it helps the addict stop using drugs. Second, it provides the best foundation for the addict to refrain from using drugs again. Third, it provides the education and counseling necessary for the addict to live a healthy, fulfilling life.

The reason why so many addicts fail is they focus only on the first factor. It does not matter whether you stop using drugs on your own, detox in a health clinic, or even attend 12 step meetings. Whether you relapse or not, you cannot achieve quality sobriety without help.

A drug addiction treatment program will teach you about the nature of addiction. While you may have learned about drugs and alcohol in your school years, it did not include how it affects you as an addict today. When an addict hears about statistics, he thinks of himself as an exception. When he sees the destruction drugs and alcohol have caused in his life, he tends to blame other people and other situations. Learning about the nature of addiction begins by applying it to yourself. This is a very important phase in staying drug-free.

12 step programs often say an addict needs to work on himself. While 12 step programs can provide valuable peer support, they are not meant to replace professional help. Your entire way of life needs to change. This can only happen when you can see yourself as the focal point of that change. Although the obsession and compulsion of drug use accounts for a large portion of an addict’s problems, there may also be other factors. Drug and alcohol abuse can also affect the brain. An addict cannot resolve these problems by himself. 12 step programs cannot resolve them, either. This is why an addict who is serious about recovery needs drug addiction treatment.

Drug Addiction Treatment is the First Step

As you can see, quitting drugs and finding peer support are only two parts of drug addiction recovery. A good drug addiction treatment program will include counseling or therapy, education, and monitoring your progress.

Whether you are trying to stop using drugs, have recently managed to quit, or have been drug-free for a period of time, there are plenty of benefits to drug addiction treatment that you cannot afford to miss. The chance of relapsing is only one risk you will take if you do not get appropriate treatment. You could also live for many years without ever using drugs again, but not experience improvements in your life. If you currently have a drug problem, or have had one in the past, drug addiction treatment is for you. Afterward, when someone asks “What is drug addiction treatment?” you can reply it was the beginning of your new life.