Harm drugs. 13 principles of effective drug treatment.

Harm drugs. Is it possible to recover from drug addiction? Is there a universal method that allows you to overcome the harm of drugs? How does the effectiveness of the treatment of drug dependence depend on the time of starting treatment? What should be considered in order to overcome the harm of drugs as effectively as possible? How much should treatment for drug addiction continue? What types of psychological counseling are used in the treatment of drug dependence? How important is drug therapy? How important is the detoxification of the patient in the treatment of drug dependence? Is the patient's desire to ensure that drug treatment is effective? How important is it that the patient does not use drugs during therapy?

1. Dependence on drugs is a complex but curable disease. Drug dependency affects the brain activity and behavior of the patient. Harm drugs is manifested in the fact that drugs have an extremely destructive effect on the structure and function of the brain, and these changes persist for a long time after taking drugs. This can cause relapse, even after a long period of abstinence from taking drugs and lead to disastrous consequences.
2. There is no universal method of drug treatment, which is suitable for all patients. In order to ensure that drug treatment is effective and that the harm of drugs has been overcome, it is necessary to apply a strictly individual approach to the patient, taking into account his needs and personal problems, when developing a complex of medical procedures, including medicinal methods and psychotherapy. Only with a special individual approach, treatment of drug dependence will be effective, and as a result, it will be possible to restore the patient's ability to build family and social relationships, as well as engage in work.
3. The sooner the treatment of dependence on drugs begins, the higher will be its effectiveness. The fact is that patients with drug dependence very often doubt whether it is worth starting treatment and can not decide to ask for help. But time passes, and the harm of drugs deeper and deeper releases its monstrous roots. That is why it is extremely important to immediately begin treatment when the patient finally decides to turn to specialists. If the treatment of drug addiction can not be started immediately or it is conducted using hard-to-reach means, its potential effectiveness is significantly reduced. The earlier treatment of dependence on drugs begins (as well as the treatment of other chronic diseases), the higher the probability of complete recovery of the patient.
4. To treat drug dependence as efficiently as possible, and harm to drugs is shown as little as possible, attention must be paid not only to drug dependence itself, but also to other psychological problems of the patient. During the treatment of drug addiction, it is required to find out the reasons that led to the emergence of drug dependence, as well as attention to the problems associated with this dependence with physical and mental health, social adaptation, career and law. Also, the treatment should take into account the age, gender, ethnicity and culture of the patient.
5. It is very important that drug addiction treatment lasts as long as it takes to produce a stable positive effect. The time it takes for the result of therapy to become noticeable depends on the type and severity of the drug dependence, as well as on the individual personality characteristics of the patient. According to the results of clinical studies, patients with a strong dependence on narcotic substances require at least 3 months to start overcoming the harm of drugs, i.e. at least to reduce the use of drugs or, at best, completely abandon their use. However, the appearance of a stable positive effect of treatment requires much more time. Treatment of drug dependence is a long and complex process, and often for a full recovery the patient requires several courses of therapy. As with other chronic diseases, depending on drugs, relapses are possible, which indicate that the patient needs a second course and, possibly, some change in the set of treatment procedures. Often, patients express a desire to complete the treatment ahead of schedule, so the specialist must develop in advance psychological impact strategies that will help convince the patient that the harm of drugs is still strong enough and it is too early to stop treatment.
6. Most often for effective treatment of drug dependence, psychological counseling is used, both individual and group work, as well as other forms of behavioral therapy. There are many options for behavioral therapy that can cause the patient to be motivated to fight drug dependence and stop drug use, learn to resist the desire to resume taking drugs, learn to cope with problems without resorting to drugs, and improve communication skills with others. In addition, involving a patient in group therapy and his participation in mutual help clubs can help overcome the harm of drugs and prevent relapses for those who have already stopped using drugs.
7. Drug therapy is also a very important part of the complex of treatment procedures, especially in combination with psychotherapy and other forms of behavioral therapy. For example, methadone and buprenorphine are effective in treating patients with heroin and other opioid dependence - they help stabilize patients and reduce cravings for drugs and, accordingly, reduce the harm of drugs. Naltrexone can also be used to treat patients who are addicted to opiates and those who overcome the harm of alcohol . In addition, as part of drug therapy for patients with alcohol dependence, such drugs as acamprosate, disulfiram and topiramate are used. Those who are treated for nicotine addiction and overcome the harm of smoking are given substitutes for nicotine (plasters, chewing gum, lozenges) or preparations intended for ingestion (bupropion and varenicline). However, drug treatment is only part of the overall set of therapeutic procedures, which should also include various forms of behavioral therapy.
8. In the treatment of drug dependence, it is necessary to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment program developed for the patient and, if necessary, to make changes to it. Perhaps during the therapy and the appearance of a positive effect of treatment, the patient will need new treatment procedures or a change in the order of the actual therapeutic actions. To make the harm of drugs more effective, for example, in addition to counseling and psychotherapy, there may be a need to prescribe medication, family therapy, work with the patient's relatives, develop recommendations for effective resumption of work, as well as social relations and compliance of the law. It is the long-term treatment that takes into account the needs of the patient, which can change during therapy, leading to the most effective and sustainable results.
9. Many drug-dependent patients also suffer from other forms of psychiatric disorders. Dependence on drugs is a form of mental disorder, which often develops against other mental illnesses. Identification and treatment of these diseases significantly increases the effectiveness of treatment of drug dependence and allows more effective overcoming the harm of drugs.
10. Detoxication of the body with the use of medications is only the first stage of treatment of drug dependence, which does not play a significant role in the treatment of drug abuse in general. Despite the fact that eliminating the toxic effects of drugs on the body with the help of medications can reduce the harm of drugs and alleviate the condition of the patient after stopping drug use, and also serves as a good start for a long-term program of dependence treatment, detoxification alone can not help the patient overcome dependence, especially long. That's why you need to convince the patient of the need to continue treatment after detoxifying the body. Proper motivation and ability of the attending physician to convince the patient of the need to continue the course of therapy play a very important role for the effectiveness of the course of therapy in general.
11. For the effectiveness of therapy, it is not necessarily the patient's personal desire to be cured. If a family member is forcibly sent to a narcological clinic by a member of the family, if problems with drug dependence have caused problems at work or if the patient was prescribed compulsory treatment in court, even in the absence of personal motivation, in many cases rapid treatment results are observed, the frequency of relapses and, in general, the high effectiveness of treatment.
12. It should be strictly monitored that the patient does not use drugs during treatment, although sometimes doctors miss this aspect of therapy. If the patient knows that during treatment access to drugs can not be obtained, he has additional motivation to cure drug dependence, which contributes to speeding up the treatment process. In addition, patient control helps identify signs that may indicate a relapse approach and indicate the need for adjusting or completely changing the set of therapeutic procedures in accordance with the needs and individual characteristics of the patient.
13. When developing therapeutic programs, it should be borne in mind that drug dependence can cause diseases such as HIV / AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, etc., and, accordingly, take measures to reduce the risk of contracting patients other infectious diseases. In most cases, the treatment of drug dependence is aimed at overcoming the harm of drugs, namely, stopping drug-related activities and, in particular, leading to the infection of the aforementioned diseases. As a result, the risk of sickness is reduced. Individual and group psychotherapy can also help those who already suffer from one or more of the listed diseases, having a positive impact on the mental state of patients and helping them find ways to cope with the disease or to muffle its course. Moreover, treatment of drug dependence can facilitate the transition of these diseases from acute to chronic and less life-threatening. But some patients resist to eradicate the harm of drugs as early as possible, and refuse to take tests for HIV and other diseases, because they are simply afraid to find out their diagnosis. In the process of treatment, it is necessary to convince such patients of the need for analyzes, and also to explain to them that early diagnosis of HIV and the use of modern methods of maintenance therapy (in particular, highly active antiretroviral therapy) yields effective results, especially after curing for drug dependence.

Source of material for the article: "Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment" .