Regardless of whether the preferred substance is alcohol, cocaine or heroin, the basic pattern of addiction is the same. Addiction starts because a person wants to alter reality or escape some physical or emotional pain. It may also be the result of incessant boredom or peer pressure, and via the use of drugs, one may find temporary satisfaction. Unfortunately, this may eventually lead to regular use, so they continue to abuse them.
Continued and regular use of the drug reduces the body’s ability to produce certain chemicals resulting in the body substituting the abused substance for its own natural chemicals. This is what causes addiction, or the physical craving for a drug.
As a result of scientific research, it is well known and accepted that addiction is a disease that affects the brain and behavior. Biological and environmental factors, in concert with genetic variations, contribute to the development and progression of addiction. Research has outlined several evidence-based approaches to drug addiction treatment. These tend to be either in the form of pharmacotherapies, behavioral therapies or a combination of both.
Pharmacotherapies focus on the treatment of addiction via the use of drugs. For example, it is not uncommon to deal with heroin addiction by administering methadone — a synthetic opioid, at a dosage that will both prevent opioid withdrawal and decrease opioid craving. Other examples include nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), which includes the use of the transdermal nicotine patch, nicotine spray, and nicotine gum and lozenges.
Behavioral treatments assist people in drug abuse treatment by providing incentives for them to remain drug free. Addicts are taught coping skills to help them handle stressful circumstances and they learn the environmental cues that may motivate them to engage in drug use.
These approaches are varied and can include, for example, cognitive-behavioral therapy, known as motivational enhancement therapy (MET), was developed as a method to prevent relapse when treating problem alcohol and cocaine consumption. MET is a patient-centered counseling approach designed to engender behavioral change. This occurs by aiding individuals in resolving ambivalence about engaging in treatment and stopping drug use.
Family interventions, which are typically used for adolescents, are also employed when dealing with addiction. One such method is called brief strategic family therapy (BSFT). This approach is directed at family interactions that are thought to maintain or enable adolescent substance use and other problem behaviors.
Although treatments are available ranging from community self-support groups like Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous, prevention is the key. Drug addiction is a preventable disease. Thus it is important for schools, churches, family members and the general public to understand the importance of getting prevention messages into the community. –torrance stephens, ph.d.
