A New Paradigm Substance Use Disorder Treatment

A broad range of medical and psychological therapies is currently available for people who struggle with substance addictions. The scientific community is working on evaluation of various treatments to determine which strategies offer the best chances of successful outcome. People who need treatment for alcoholism and drug use are very diverse group. Addiction is a disorder that requires an individual case approach; therefore, different ways to

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that there are about 100,000 of deaths per year and there are approximately 8 million people in the United States who have a substance abuse problem (CDC, 2015). A better understanding and greater attention to the commonly abused substance and its treatment would be beneficial in a provider's practice and will also protect the provider from the legalities of prescribing these medications. There are several forms of treatment for every abused substance and the main goal is to help the patient to stop the stop and helping them during the phase of withdrawal. The intent of this paper is to discuss the commonly used substance for abuse and its treatment with the implications

Addiction is a condition that the patients lose control over drug use. The patients tend to overuse and grave for opioids despite the harmful impact on themselves and on the society. (Kaye et al., 2017, S95)

The initial decision to take drugs is mostly voluntary. However, when addiction takes over, the ability to control person’s emotions, behaviors and desires can become seriously weakened. A review was conducted by McLellan et al. (2000) to compare the diagnoses, heritability, etiology, pathophysiology, and response to treatments (adherence and relapse) of drug dependence with type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and asthma. The authors found that drug dependence produces significant and durable changes in brain chemistry, as well as in brain function (McLellan et al., 2000). The results of their study, as well as other researches’, demonstrated that addiction is a manageable chronic disease that can be treated successfully by combining behavioral therapy with medications.

People’s ability to manage their health related behaviors may occur along a spectrum ranging from highly controlled at one end to profoundly disordered at the other. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s 2009 National Survey, Drug Use and Health Report, found that 22.2 million people in the United States met the criteria established for a substance use or dependence diagnosis. Out of those identified, only 2 million are estimated to seek treatment in a given year and less than half of that population will be able to maintain their sobriety after leaving a therapeutic environment. Based on these statistics “the overwhelming majority of

Harm reduction aims to reduce the rate of severe events that stem from substance abuse. The main goal is to keep people safe when they engage in drug and alcohol abuse, not to prevent them from doing it altogether. Harm-reduction strategies support the idea that there are many ways to abuse drugs and alcohol, and some methods are much more safer

In the field of substance abuse treatment the needs of the LGBT addict is seriously lacking. Specifically, there is a significant void in knowledge about the special needs of the transgender population that is suffering from substance abuse. Primarily, substance abuse treatment works in the gender binary, as well as, traditional knowledge of what substance abuse looks like. It does not take into consideration substance abuse among transgender does not only include the typical opiates, barbiturates, amphetamines and such. Many times also transgender addict is also uses hormones and silicone materials that are purchased off the street. While wanting to focus on just the disease of addiction with the clientele most providers lack the knowledge

Addiction as a whole is an epidemic which has grown rapidly in recent years, 23.5 million Americans are addicted to alcohol and drugs (HBO, USA Today, The Gallup Poll, 2006). Approximately 46 Americans died per day in 2010 from drug overdoses (Jones, 2013). Addiction in its many forms is a habitual and debilitating disease which affects not only the addict but the loved ones around them. There is no solid answer as to why an addict is an addict nor pertaining to the selection of who becomes addicted and who does not, however, scientists are making profound advancements. The vast majority of medical practitioners acknowledge that

Despite advances in pharmacotherapies over the last few decades, behavioral treatments remain an important component, and often the only evidenced-based component, for the treatment of various substance use disorders. Among those with the strongest level of empirical support from randomized clinical trials are 1) contingency management, where abstinence or other targeted outcomes are reinforced with incentives (Higgins et al., 1991; Petry, 2006), 2) cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches specific strategies and skills to reduce substance use (Carroll et al., 1994), and 3) motivational interviewing, where a specific, nonjudgmental interviewing style is used to enhance motivation and harness the patient’s capacity for change (Hettema et al., 2005; Miller, 1985). However, despite the established efficacy of behavioral treatments for substance use disorders, their widespread efficacy is hampered by the considerable cost and resources needed for successful implementation. Thus, more efficient ways to implement behavioral treatments are needed and in an effort to do so, it is important to better understand how and when the treatments work. This information can then be used to maximize the effects and develop a more targeted approach.

As one takes on the task of working with those who have an addiction problem we come to the realization that it is multi-dimensional and affects them in various aspects of their lives. The individual can be affected in a physical, emotional and spiritual ways. This aspect is called the Tri-Fold Model or some call it the Biopsychosocial approach. By using this approach, the professional will take into account all different aspects of the addiction and how it is affecting the client. A complete recovery must encompass every facet of life, because each and every aspect of life is deeply affected by addiction (Journey Malibu website, 2016, para. 1).

Drug addiction is a chronic disease. People who are addicted to a drug or substance are driven by a desire that is uncontrollable. They don’t stop to think about harmful consequences and negative effects it will have on their lives and the lives of their children. The desire to either do the drug they are addicted to or to drink the alcohol that they need overcomes all logical thought. These substances can cause changes in the brain, which can be long lasting. Drug addiction is not only a chronic disease it is also a relapsing disease. Relapse is the return to drug use after an attempt to stop. This disease is not something a person can just decide to stop it takes extensive therapy to overcome addiction. In order to prevent substance-abuse and addiction, communities should offer more help and rehabilitation options.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is a totally treatable disease. However, like any other chronic disease, relapse is very common. In fact, between 40 to 60 percent of drug addicts relapse. Keep in mind that relapse is very common among many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma and hypertension. This is because there is a great amount of behavioral and psychological self-control needed in order to successfully manage a chronic condition such as a drug addiction. Therefore, relapse does not mean failure, it simply means that an alternative method or medication is needed.

The definition of “ Addiction is as chronic, relapsing of the brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. It is considered a brain disease because drugs change the brain; they change structure and how it works”. That means addiction is a severe case that should be treated immediately because if not it alters your brain and destroys you, that addiction can lead to a

Scientifically, addiction can be defined as an adaptation in specific structures that together render the state of addiction. More than 5% of the population is affected by addiction and it costs almost 3% of the domestic gaining to treat and support patients. Moreover, current therapies are not sufficient for preventing the patients from relapsing (Collins et al., 2011).

Addiction is a dependence on a substance where the individual who is affected feels defenseless and unable to stop the obsession to use a substance or prevent a particular behavior. Millions of Americans have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and even to behaviors such as obsessive gambling. Pharmacotherapy is a treatment process in which a counselor can use a particular drug to counter act an addictive drug or behavior. Not all counselors agree with this type of treatment. However in order to provide a client with an ethical treatment and unbiased opinions they should be made aware of all scientific evidence of different treatment options. “Thus, attention to addiction pharmacotherapy is an ethical mandate no matter what prejudices