How Effective Are Addiction Treatment Services?

Posted On December 28, 2022

Most people, at some point in life, have heard about addiction treatment services. Whether it had to do with a friend or family member, or it was their own personal experience substance abuse is an issue that touches everybody in one way or another. When a person struggles with addiction disorder they can cause a lot of waves in their own lives, and the lives of everybody around them.

The good news about addiction is that there is a solution. As long as the person that is struggling with addiction is willing to face themselves and do some work, they have hope. They never have to use any substances again, even if they think they need to.

What Are Addiction Treatment Services?

There are a number of specialty facilities around that offer different types of addiction treatment services. Generally speaking, treating addiction is a means to help people that are struggling with addiction to various substances such as heroin and alcohol. 

When a facility offers treatment services for addiction it can be an in-house treatment center or a center where people come in for treatment and leave.

When a person is struggling with addiction to opiates or alcohol it is recommended that they go into a facility that will allow them to wean off of the substance slowly and gently in a way that does not make them endure the agony of withdrawal. 

Inpatient addiction services are when the patient checks into a facility where they keep them for a period of time while they get off of the drug and get through the stages of physical dependence. Much like a hospital the patient will be cared for and monitored as their body acclimates to the absence of the drug.

Outpatient addiction services are when an individual goes in for treatment but is not housed in the facility. Usually, outpatient services are after the person has undergone inpatient services and is following up with treatment so that they can remain free from the substance that they were abusing.

In a nutshell, any type of addiction treatment service is a means to help a person that is struggling with addiction to a substance get free from that substance and be able to live a somewhat normal life.

Opioid Addiction Treatment

Opioids are among the deadliest types of drugs in the world. At one point, opioids were derived from the opium plant that was smoked or ingested. In today’s time, however, pharmaceutical engineers have been able to mimic the natural elements of opium and combine them with traces of the natural compounds of the plant and create semi-synthetic variants of the drug for commercial use.

Although heroin is considered a semi-synthetic drug, and as horrible as it may seem to be, many of the prescription medications that are available for pain today are made out of the same basic elements of heroin but are much more expensive.

In any event, after prolonged use of opioids the brain of the person that is using them decides to stop creating natural endorphins that help to regulate pain and sleep. Once these endorphins stop producing the body becomes chemically dependent on the drug to provide these endorphins. What happens is that when the person stops using the drug the body will enter into a shock-like state where it is void of the compounds that help it to relax, stay calm, ease aches and pains…and more.

When the person suddenly stops using the opiates their body will go into a withdrawal mode that can last for several weeks. In this withdrawal mode, the person will not be able to naturally relax or be eased of any of the minor aches and pains that occur in the span of a day in the life of a human being.

One of the ways that this type of addiction can be combatted is with medication-assisted opioid addiction treatment.

The way that medication helps with addiction treatment is that a qualified health professional can prescribe a medication that consists of a partial opioid agonist and an opioid antagonist.

To bring this down into layman’s terms, this medication will be able to provide a small amount of the elements that keep the patient from suffering full-fledged withdrawal symptoms while blocking the euphoric “high” that comes from typical opioid use.

The intention behind this type of treatment is so that the suffering addict can gently get through the withdrawal stages and slowly wean themselves off of the drug for good.

Essentially it is the same thing as fighting fire with fire. As many wildland firefighters use the power of fire to burn away fuel before the main fire has a chance to consume it, many health professionals use opioids to counter the effects of the physical addiction of opioids.

Alcohol Addiction Treatment

While alcohol is legal and can be bought in just about any store millions of people are mercilessly addicted to it. Some would argue that it is the most dangerous drug ever invented, even worse than cocaine and heroin.

One of the worst things about alcohol addiction is that after a person has been consuming alcohol regularly for an extended amount of time they become physically dependent on it. This dependence is so intense that if they suddenly stop drinking it, they can go into delirium tremens and die.

Many of the people that suffer from alcohol addiction have to be admitted into an alcohol addiction treatment center and cared for in a way that keeps them from actually dying due to lack of alcohol.

One of the first things a person does when they go to an alcohol addiction treatment center is to get a physical and be assessed for any health issues that might cause them to have serious problems if they suddenly stop drinking.

Since alcohol is so easy to get it becomes a huge problem for the ones that are addicted to it. The purpose of having an additcion treatment facility that deals with alcoholics is to give the person a safe place to get away from the alcohol and the places to get it.

The problem with this type of addiction is that most of the people that suffer from it don’t realize they have a problem with drinking until after they have already lost much of their lives and been in and out of hospitals and jails because of the things that happen when they drink.

When a person goes to a treatment facility for alcohol it is important that they are aware that they have a problem and that they truly want to stop drinking. Otherwise, most of the time the people will go right back to drinking as soon as they leave the place.

Many of the people that suffer from alcohol addiction suffer from other underlying issues that cause them to self-medicate. Issues such as crippling anxiety or grueling depression are common among people that suffer from addiction.

When people stop drinking and get through the withdrawal symptoms they are still faced with the problems that they had been running from all along. This is why it is important that when a person stops drinking that they have plenty of support and people to talk to about their situation in the beginning stages of their sobriety. 

The Effectiveness of Addiction Treatment Services

The truth is that many people end up spending tens of thousands of dollars on treatment services only to go right back to their old ways. These types of services only work if the individual is willing to do what it takes to stay off of drugs.

If a person wants to use more than they want to stay clean they will talk themselves right back into using again, unless they have some sort of support group to reach out to when they feel like getting high or drunk.

Addiction treatment services are very effective for the ones that are ready for it. They provide a safe place to get off of the substances. These facilities are usually equipped with compassionate addiction counselors that tell the person that is suffering the right way to stay clean and sober.

If the person goes through the treatment with a good attitude, then continues to work on their recovery after they leave the place by going to 12-step meetings or joining some sort of support group they will have a good chance of never having to be plagued by active addiction again.