Drug Addiction Treatment
The Three Initial Steps to Drug Addiction Treatment - It's a Lifelong Journey!
A troubled teen and young adult's full recovery from drug addiction is a difficult, albeit far-from-impossible, journey. This voyage to sobriety - as challenging and heart-wrenching as it may be to venture - is provenly achievable as it is also a well-navigated path that has previously been conquered by millions of young addicts, from all over the world.
But with every addict in recovery, he or she must take the initial first step that involves "surrender" and admitting that "I am an addict." Unless one takes this first step, the chances of lifelong recovery is almost zero. The second important initial step involves a drug assessment or evaluation. Lastly, the teen seeking recovery must also be under the direction of a professional treatment provider who has developed and is following a prescribed treatment plan. In this article, you will learn the three most important initial steps to overcoming drug addiction and living a sober life in recovery.
"...Choosing the most suitable substance abuse treatment option mostly depends upon the individual addict and the specificities of his or her addictive behaviors. For example, your age, the State and city you live in, your insurance coverage, your age, and the depth of your mental health problems all have a bearing on the treatment option that is best for you..."
Clear and Concise Diagnosis - Understand the Tiger You Have The Tail
Just remember, recovery and sobriety is just about finding the "perfect drug treatment program." The treatment program you chose is very important, no doubt. But there is something even more important. You must have a clear diagnosis and in-depth understanding of the child's mental, emotional, and physical health status before the best treatment option, plan, or approach can be determined.
Finding the perfect addiction treatment option, there must be a drug addiction assessment performed prior to seeking treatment. The assessment can reveal the most appropriate form of treatment designed to meet the need. An addict and his/her family must know what they are dealing with before they can find the right type of treatment.
The Practical Measures of Finding Recovery Through Drug Treatment
Before a parent can choose the best treatment center for their troubled teen they must know more about the depth of the related issues. Rarely is "addiction" the only major problem. Typically, kids who are addicted have other mental and emotional issues that caused the drug use in the first place. For example, the child could have started using drugs as a coping method for his or her chronic long-term depression. Or, the child might have bipolar disorder, and his or her addictive behavior is a secondary but very important life or death problem.
It really is very simple - it is very difficult to find the right drug treatment program unless you first have a drug assessment/evaluation completed. A drug assessment is also called a "chemical health assessment," or a "Chemical Dependency Evaluation." The pre-admittance drug screening assessment is conducted only by licensed mental health professional or a certified substance abuse counselor. If you have not already, get the assessment done now - especially if there is no doubt about the addiction.
"...The main value of an assessment is the fact that an independent mental health professional will use proven tools and learn more about your child's drug use, the impact that it has had on his or her life, and how this in turn impacted your relationships, work, family life, school, and general well-being..."
As stated above, the teen addict and his or her family must know the depth of his or her drug problem before they can expect to find help for addiction.
The Importance of a Treatment Plan That Includes Professional and Personal Support
No drug treatment can be performed unless there is also first a comprehensive substance abuse treatment plan in place. Once the assessment is done, the next step is the creation of the treatment plan. A comprehensive treatment plan will be completed in the first few weeks (up to 30 days) after the child begins drug treatment. "Treatment Planning" is one of the first steps taken by the treatment program, and is required by law and by insurance carriers.
This treatment plan must include approved treatment provided by trained, qualified, professional substance abuse counselors, therapists, and/or other addictions specialists. We can't forget the most important group of people of all, people that MUST BE INVOLVED WITH ANY SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT PLAN. This group is made up by the teen's family, close friends, and members of a support group (made up of loving people who really care about the child).
"... "Fellow addicts in recovery" offer support to fellow addicts wanting recovery. The support of fellow addicts is not only essential, but it's the winning formula for recovery - the secret sauce - the way of a sober life..."
Addicts who are enjoying the fruit that comes from long-term recovery are people who know how to get and stay sober. These people know all about the importance of helping other addicts. They know all about the power of non-judgemental love, unyielding support, and unconditional acceptance - all of which is the simple message of "hope in recovery." One addict helping another addict, carrying the message of hope, is an important foundation element to living a lifetime of sobriety in recovery.
"...From their beaten path to recovery, once addicted and now drug-free young people (who have, themselves, completed this arduous journey), have created a map for fellow young addicts to follow - step by step..."
The good news is, that in order to "enjoy' recovery longterm, the addict must continue to help other addicts suffering from the throws of addiction. The moment the recovering addict stops helping other addicts, the recovery journey is paused or is stopped cold. When addicts stop helping others, the addict risks stepping back into the past, and dangerously close to returning to "active addiction." Helping other addicts to stay clean is the best form of ongoing long-term treatment for addicts in recovery.
Every Succesful Expedition Starts With Hope
As stated before, the first step for any addict, who longs to be free from the chains of drug addiction, is a simple admission: an addict must first recognize that they have a severe issue that is impossible for them to manage on their own. This reality can not be stressed enough. The flip side of the coin is having hope. "admitting" you are an addict is important, but on the other side of the same coin you find hope. Without hope, there is no chance of recovery. the addict seeking help must believe that there is hope, even if it is a small remote flicker of hope carried by others (family members or close friends) for him/or her. Someone
The addict seeking help must believe that there is hope, even if it is a small remote flicker of hope carried by others (family members or close friends). Someone involved in the journey must believe deep down that hope remains. If it's the addict who still has hope, then great. If not, then the addict's friends and family must stay strong and carry the message of hope and belief.\
Finding the Right Drug Treatment Program for Your Troubled Teen
After coming to terms with the severity of their addiction, and being armed with a fresh diagnosis, the next initial step is to seek out therapeutic and rehabilitative treatment for substance abuse and/or addiction. Fortunately for young addicts, there is no shortage of drug addiction treatment facilities that cater to their specific, therapeutic, recovery needs.
This step also includes finding the most "appropriate" treatment option(s). After receiving the results of an in-depth assessment, the next step is to find help to pick the perfect treatment option given your child's unique circumstances. Start with a referral. If you know parents who have navigated through this process and came out the other end with a restored and revived child, then ask them about their journey. Learn from them. Or, seek help from an advocate. There are plenty of professional mental health professionals with first-hand experience of the various treatment programs. Seek and find advice!
While there is a significant number of drug addiction treatment facilities - all designed to treat addicted young people - selecting the most appropriate treatment facility is not easy. The program you choose is crucial to achieving success in the recovery process. So, you have to get this right.
"...As any drug-free young man or woman in recovery will tell you: Like any summit worth reaching, or any long distance worth traveling, the recovery process starts with one, initial step. By reading this article the reader will have a new understanding of the fundamental steps leading to recovery. Literally, these steps must take place before one can find lifelong recovery from drug addiction..."
With this in mind, so far in the article up we learned that it is critical to first admit there is a drug or alcohol problem. Secondly, we learned the importance of identifying the depth of the addiction as well as any associated mental health issues. We learned that a drug or chemical dependency assessment can only be conducted by a professional mental health counselor. The assessment include a "drug" history, completing a psych-eval and/or a social and other vital diagnostic measures.
Types of Drug Assessments
Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth: A Practitioner’s Guide from The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The NIAAA developed this guide in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics, a team of underage drinking researchers and clinical specialists, and practicing health care professionals.
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C (AUDIT-C), or the CAGE Assessment: The CAGE assessment asks questions in four specific areas, usage, consequences, guilt, and obsession (like using the first thing when you wake up).
Diagnosing and treating a co-occurring disorder is as important as treating the drug or alcohol addiction itself. Drug use may contribute to or be caused by an emotional or mental health disorder. Therefore, professional therapists look for the possibility of co-occurring disorders. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 20 million adults in the U.S. suffer from substance use disorder (addiction), and of those people, 50% of them have an untreated or undiagnosed co-occurring mental illness disorder. Untreated mental health issues can really screw up the drug treatment and recovery process.
"...Mental illness tends to undermine any and all attempts at drug treatment, and therefore there is no sobriety and/or recovery until the co-occurring mental disorders are treated as well..."
Here is a list of other assessment tools used by professionals providing treatment and care of drug addiction:
- Addiction Severity Index (ASI);
- Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI);
- Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID);
- Alcohol Use Disorders and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule (AUDADIS);
- Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders (PRISM); and
- Semi-Structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism (SSADDA
These assessments help to identify and understand a teen's overall behavioral, emotional, and mental problems. The information is also used to determine a treatment plan. Sometimes, a mental disorder is associated with or complicating, the addiction issues, and must be treated along with the addiction.
Practical Step 1: Determine the young person's history of addictive and behavioral disorders by identifying the following factors in an assessment process:
- Age and gender of the addicted youth
- Medical, academic and behavioral history
- Whether or not the individual suffers from co-occurring disorders
- The length of time in which the addicted youth has been using
- The severity of the young addict's addictive and destructive behavioral issues, including risky behaviors or criminal behavior
- Determine whether or not addiction and addictive behaviors run in the family (family drug history)
After these factors have been identified, it is now time for Practical Step 2. Find a drug treatment program for the addicted teen or young adult that best matches up with their specific therapeutic needs. The most successful treatment options are as follows:
- Outpatient therapy
- Hospitalization
- Residential treatment program
- Wilderness therapy program
- Therapeutic boarding school (for those under the age of 18)
Important Factors in Choosing the Right Drug Addiction Treatment
Whether designed for troubled teens or young adults, drug addiction treatment centers - which vary significantly regarding their size, approach, cost and methodology- all typically strive to reach the same two goals:
- To help each patient achieve sobriety.
- To prevent future relapses by focusing on the teen or young adult's underlying issues which enable their addictive behavior.
Choosing the most appropriate form of treatment for an adolescent or young adult can be daunting. First, there is the matter of payment. While there are low budget options, the most efficient and sought after treatment facilities are often too expensive for the average person to afford.
Having said that, some expensive treatment options are covered by certain insurance plans, or may even accept flexible payment plans for those who need financial assistance.
"...For this reason, it is imperative to reach out to many potential treatment facilities and keep looking until you find the perfect fit. Keep looking until you find out the right insurance coverage, or a treatment program that offers payment plans. The last thing you want to do is simply pick the 'cheapest' or 'closest treatment.' "
Having said that, some expensive treatment options are covered by popular insurance plans, or may even accept flexible payment plans for those who need financial assistance. For this reason, it is imperative to call any potential treatment facility and find out if insurance coverage or payment policies are possible options - rather than simply picking the 'cheapest option.' or 'closest' treatment option.
Parents Seeking Drug Addiction Treatment for Their Child
If you are the parent of an addicted teen or young adult, your first and top priority is to do everything you can to save your child from further self-destruction. Pull out all the stops. While this may be a rather stressful burden to carry, it is absolutely necessary to stay positive, resourceful, and above all, supportive of your child.
"...Understand that your son or daughter's addictive issues are severe, but then take solace in the fact that their predicament is manageable, finding their appropriate treatment center is achievable, and their achievement of sobriety is just one right decision away..."
After considering these factors, know that your love and determination as a parent will eventually help overcome any obstacle you may face in finding the right treatment for your child. You just gotta believe!. This, in turn, will be all your child really needs other than the right program. If you want to help your child secure his or her freedom from their addiction and become the mature successful, happy and drug-free person you know they can be, DON'T EVER GIVE UP!