Abuse of alcohol and drugs causes a range of problems for the person who has the abuse. Often the addiction is only the tip of an iceberg, which deals with other problems or disorders to make it difficult to do anything about the addiction. This may include problems with intimate relationships, education, work and economy, as well as mental disorders such as anxiety and depression and physical ailments, such as cardiovascular diseases, nerve inflammation, hepatitis and cirrhosis.
What types of treatment are available?
The actual treatment of the addiction can be approached in different ways and different degrees of intensity, depending on how the individual has been abusing the substance. The most well-known forms of treatment are:
- Anonymous counseling
- Ad hoc
- Interventions
- Outpatient treatment
- Day treatment
- Inpatient treatment
- Special accommodation facilities
Once a course of treatment is completed, there is a strong focus on the possible need for aftercare. After treatment is a very central part of the treatment because it supports the progress achieved in the course of treatment, and can help to prevent any resumption of abuse.
Treatment
Substance abuse treatment is based both on a medical and social measure. It requires collaboration across disciplines and across sectors.
The purpose of the abuse treatment is to clarify what help the individual needs, and put together an offer that meets these needs. How long a particular process will take depends on the individual’s problems and life situation, and the overall offer can both consist of a single offer, or from the coordination of different types of treatments which both included individual interviews, social support, and medical treatment. What is needed in individual cases resolved in collaboration with citizens when the citizen writes himself into a treatment center.
The treatment can be changed along the way and evolve into the best plan for the individual’s needs. The more stressed you are by the level of your abuse and other problems, the more help you will typically need. One treatment measure rarely stands alone and must be complemented by other efforts to best meet the problems of one person’s overall health and life situation.
Therapy
Some of the most effective therapeutic models are cognitive behavioural therapy and motivational talks. Cognitive therapy can take place individually and in groups, and the focus is to understand the connection between feelings, thoughts and actions, and replace inappropriate behaviour with more appropriate strategies and action patterns. CBT will lead you to examine thoughts that trigger difficult emotions such as anxiety, sadness and uncertainty, which you would usually try manage by using alcohol or drugs. CBT will help you examine how to master difficult situations and test these new ways of thinking in everyday life.
Other methods
Finally, there are also other methods, such as:
- Psychodynamic treatment.
- Acceptance and Commitment therapy. This form of therapy is where you learn to identify and work with difficult thoughts and feelings so that they are no longer perceived as negative, but accepted and accommodated. Mindfulness deals with how you relate to thoughts and emotions and helps you achieve a more flexible approach to life that is based on your own values.
- Solution-oriented treatment is based on solving concrete problems by examining how past problems are solved successfully. Part of this work is to identify a) what already works and do more of it and b) what does not work and do something else. The work shall build on past and current successes and personal resources and resources in the social network.
- Dialectical behavior therapy focuses on supporting people to regulate strong emotions and problematic behavior that inhibits a meaningful life. This is done, inter alia, by supporting the ability to identify, accept and endure difficult emotions and become better at dealing with them in everyday life.
Families
Abuse is not an individual problem but also causes stress for the caregivers and family. Over the past year there has been an increased focus on the importance of services for families, and an increasing number of clinics now offer such programs. At the same time the social network which is important for starting and committing to treatment has been underlined. Special treatment of people with drug addiction focuses on the importance of contact with family and friends, and therefore seeks to involve the family in the treatment, and if possible, increase cooperation with relevant people within the educational system.
Skills Development