chapter 2: treatment options
The recovery services for families at Tranquil Shores help rebuild relationships between parents and between children and parents.
Hear from Chad Johnson
Chapter 2: Treatment Options
Despite how helpless you or your addicted family member might feel, know that addiction is completely treatable. In other words — it is never too late to recover from addiction, and complete remission is possible with treatment.
There are many components of treatment, and they depend on the individual’s needs. Before treatment, your loved one will be assessed by a counselor to determine the best course of action for their situation. A counselor will consider the following factors:
- Family history
- Medical history
- Co-occurring disorders
- History of mental health disorders or substance abuse disorder
- Life circumstances such as employment status and relationship health
Most treatment programs aim to treat the cause of addiction and help the addicted individual learn new coping skills.
At Tranquil Shores, we develop unique treatment plans to meet the needs of each individual and guide them on a journey toward long-term success. Contact us today to learn more.
Family members and individuals struggling with drug addiction should keep in mind that recovery does not happen overnight. Recovery is a long but rewarding process and could save your loved one’s life.
What Are the Types of Substance Abuse Programs?
Drug abuse and alcoholism is not the addicted family member’s identity — they are greater than their addiction, and a treatment program can help them realize this. There are many different treatment options available to suit your loved one’s unique situation.
Some treatment centers specialize in long-term treatment, while others treat clients in an outpatient setting. Some centers offer detoxification services, while others do not.
Detoxification may require medical attention and medication to help manage withdrawal symptoms. Often, a patient will be referred to a treatment program after completing detoxification with a physician in an inpatient or outpatient clinic.
Most treatment programs involve the combined effort of specially trained substance abuse counselors, social workers, doctors, psychologists or other qualified professionals. In this chapter, we will explore the different types of treatment options.
1. Long-Term Residential Treatment
Long-term residential treatment programs provide care 24 hours a day in a non-hospital setting and may last 12 months or longer. During this time, individuals are provided with safe housing and comprehensive care.
Long-term residential care provides intensive treatment and focuses on developing responsible and productive individuals. The environment is highly structured and helps keep clients focused on their goals. Throughout treatment, clients explore negative thinking patterns and behaviors. They learn to replace old beliefs with new, more constructive ways of thinking and interacting with others.
Long-term residential programs also often offer career-training services to help clients prepare for a productive and satisfying life outside of treatment.
Long-term residential programs may be the best option for individuals who have severe substance abuse disorder, an unstable employment history or limited support outside of treatment.
2. Short-Term Residential Treatment
Short-term residential treatment programs usually last three to six weeks. Just like long-term residential treatment, individuals live in the treatment center and receive intensive services.
Continuing with outpatient rehabilitation is strongly encouraged after initial treatment, to help prevent relapse.
3. Outpatient Treatment
Outpatient treatment may be the best treatment option for individuals who have strong support systems and stable employment. This type of treatment does not involve living in a treatment facility.
Different outpatient programs have different requirements. For example, one program may require meeting with an individual once a week while another might require daily meetings. Meetings are usually held in a treatment clinic or a counselor’s office and often occur in the evening or weekends so clients can continue going to work or school.
Outpatient treatment is less-intensive than residential programs. It may involve group counseling and is often designed to help with other disorders in addition to substance abuse disorder. For example, a counselor might help an addicted family member work through depression symptoms and examine how depression influences their choice to abuse drugs or alcohol.
At Tranquil Shores, clients usually stay between three to 12 months. To learn more about our day & night treatment programs, contact us today.
What Are The Different Types Of Addiction Treatments?
The first step in any treatment program is determining the type of treatment an individual needs. The next step is stopping the drug or alcohol use. This part of the journey is known as detoxification.
Not all treatment centers offer detoxification services, and not all individuals need to have withdrawal symptoms monitored by a doctor. Some substances produce more severe withdrawal symptoms than others, and it also depends on how much your family member was using.
For example, alcohol withdrawal can be severe and can result in seizures or hallucinations. Marijuana or cocaine usually do not require hospitalization during detoxification. Nevertheless, the detoxification process is difficult for anyone, and support is needed.
Detoxification is not enough to stop an addiction. However, once the drug or alcohol is out of your loved one’s system, they will be ready to tackle the addiction at its root. Here are common types of addiction treatments:
1. Medication for Addiction
You might feel hesitant to give a family member medication when they struggle with addiction, but medicine is often prescribed to reduce the effects of mental health disorders. During treatment, a counselor will evaluate your family member and determine if a co-occurring mental health disorder exists. They will then treat your loved one for both substance abuse disorder and a mental health disorder if needed.
Other times medication is prescribed to manage withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Detoxification does not always happen overnight. Depending on the substance, detoxification can take days.
2. Motivational Interviewing
Motivational interviewing refers to short-term counseling before a treatment program begins to help a client resolve issues they have with going into treatment.
This counseling method is an important step for individuals who feel unmotivated to change. During the process, a licensed counselor will talk with the client about a need to change and their own reasons to change. It is a supportive, empathetic method where the counselor listens more than speaks and helps bring the motivation out of the client.
There is usually only one or two sessions before a client receives cognitive behavioral therapy, joins a support group or participates in some other form of intervention.
3. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps clients recognize triggers to use substances and learn healthy ways to cope with these triggers.
During CBT sessions, a therapist and the addicted individual work together to identify harmful behaviors and learn skills to change the behaviors. An important element of CBT is anticipating problems and developing self-control and effective strategies to cope with the problems.
As a result of CBT, clients learn to identify and manage cravings. They also learn how to recognize high-risk situations and how to avoid them.
CBT is has been shown to be effective even after an individual receives treatment. Many treatment clinics offer CBT as part of their treatment programs.
4. Individualized Counseling
Many treatment programs incorporate both individual and group counseling sessions, so the client can experience the benefits of both.
During an individual counseling session, the client receives full attention. They have a chance to express their deepest fears, feelings and concerns without the pressure of a group setting.
A counselor will address the client’s unique recovery program and contributing factors like relationships, employment status and co-occurring disorders. They will help teach healthy coping skills either by using CBT methods or other techniques and make referrals for other professionals or services to help the client reach their goals.
5. Group Counseling
Group counseling works best when combined with individual therapy. Many treatment programs hold group counseling sessions. If your loved one seeks outpatient treatment, they might attend group meetings held at a clinic or community center.
Although group counseling does not put as much focus on individual needs as individual counseling does, it still has benefits. Being addicted can feel like a lonely road, and loneliness can fuel cravings for drugs or alcohol. Group therapy helps addicted individuals realize that they are not alone — other people in their community know what they are going through because they too are struggling with addiction.
Group counseling also helps remove the stigma attached to substance abuse. Each member of the group can experience encouragement and support from others in similar situations.
6. Family Therapy
Addiction takes a toll on family relationships. Family members who are close to the addict often feel an intense range of emotions from guilt to anger. Likewise, each family member plays a role in the addiction of a loved one. Some might be an enabler. Others might act as the family hero and like everything is okay, even though they feel hurt or inadequate inside.
Family therapy can help repair broken relationships and teach effective and healthy communication skills, which are the foundation of a strong family. Family therapy also helps family members establish an understanding of a loved one’s addiction. They learn how to support their loved one, instead of enabling them.
7. Life Skills Training
An addicted family member may have lost sight of their career goals or life dreams. Or perhaps they never took steps to advance their career or learn marketable skills. Addicted people often feel low self-worth, and some believe they have little to contribute to society. These negative feelings are non-productive during recovery. They are also completely untrue.
Life skills training helps clients build self-esteem and realize their potential. A lot of treatment programs offer clients the chance to explore career interests and learn new skills for employment and self-sufficiency. With counseling, support and drug-free living, individuals can become empowered to take control of their lives and future.
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