HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR MOST EFFECTIVE DRUG OR ALCOHOL TREATMENT PROGRAM (A Chapter from “AA Not the Solely Method”

By Melanie Solomon

Observe: That is NOT a free product. You don’t have the proper to present it away or promote it with out correct written consent from the creator.

The product is copyright © by Melanie Solomon.

No a part of this product could also be reproduced, saved in a retrieval system, or transmitted by another means: digital, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or in any other case, with out prior written consent of the copyright holder.

This product is equipped for data functions solely and, as skilled on this material because the contributor is, the fabric herein doesn’t represent skilled recommendation.

This product is designed to offer correct and authoritative data with regard to the subject material coated. It’s given with the understanding that the writer and contributor usually are not engaged in rendering any medical, authorized, accounting, or another skilled recommendation.

If medical recommendation or different skilled help is required, the companies of a reliable skilled must be sought, like one discovered within the complete listing part of AA Not the Solely Method.

The reader is suggested to seek the advice of with an appropriately certified skilled earlier than making any medical determination. The contributor, Melanie Solomon, doesn’t settle for any duty for any liabilities ensuing from the medical choices made by the readers of this product.

Copyright 2009 Melanie Solomon

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR MOST EFFECTIVE DRUG OR ALCOHOL TREATMENT PROGRAM (A Chapter from “AA Not the Solely Method”

By Melanie Solomon

How are you aware what you might be getting once you select a rehab program? There are principally 4 kinds of applications:

” Ethical

” Illness

” Behavioral

” Holistic

It is very important evaluate the various kinds of applications earlier than making your determination. A lot of them, particularly within the U.S., are based mostly on outdated methods of viewing the addicted particular person, and due to this fact their strategy is commonly outdated.

Briefly, the ethical mannequin says that an individual is unhealthy in the event that they make unhealthy decisions. (This was the primary view earlier than the illness mannequin got here into play within the 1930’s.) The illness mannequin views habit like having a illness, akin to diabetes; the addicted particular person is totally powerless over their illness. The 2 fashions taken collectively provide a really bleak outlook. Addicts are unhealthy individuals who haven’t any management over their very own lives. 12-step applications lean extra towards the illness mannequin. After these fashions, the behavioral mannequin, or cognitive-behavioral mannequin was developed. It says that every particular person has the facility to vary him or herself by altering the way in which they suppose. The latest mannequin to emerge is the holistic mannequin, which builds upon the great factors of the older fashions. This strategy makes use of the cognitive-behavioral mannequin as a core element of its strategy, and accounts for the various totally different contributing elements of the person’s distinctive habit drawback. This strategy addresses the well being of thoughts, physique and spirit, serving to the person to each forestall and reply to their issues. It teaches self-management expertise and strategies to stop relapse and advocates a multi-faceted strategy to assist the person. Most significantly, the holistic strategy views people as competent to assist themselves when given the proper training, instruments and assist.

Let’s look a bit deeper into the historical past and new developments within the addictions subject, particularly since habit often is the most controversial subject that has been addressed within the public well being and medical communities over time. The addictions subject has developed via a number of phases over the previous 100 years. What follows is a quick overview of among the adjustments in perception relating to the essential nature of “habit” or substance dependence, the right way to forestall its incidence and the right way to intervene as soon as dependence has change into obvious. As proven above, habit has been considered as a person ethical drawback, a medical illness and a behavioral dysfunction and now there’s an rising holistic mannequin.

The Ethical Mannequin is the idea based mostly on an ethical concept. In line with this concept, persons are individually chargeable for the behavioral decisions they make, good or unhealthy. Those that select good habits must be praised, whereas those that select unhealthy habits want punishment. This results in individuals with habit issues to be stigmatized, labeling anybody with a “unhealthy behavior” as a “unhealthy particular person.” The draw back of this mannequin has change into more and more clear over time. Individuals with habit issues are stigmatized and are due to this fact usually demoralized by emotions of self-blame, guilt and disgrace to the extent that they’re unwilling or unable to hunt any assist or therapy.

Within the 1930’s, the brand new Illness Mannequin started to be formulated. This new view was that habit was a illness brought on by genetic and organic elements. The addict was then now not held personally chargeable for their ‘unhealthy behaviors” since these behaviors have been now brought on by biogenetic elements past their management. A powerful argument could possibly be made that addicts have been sufferers deserving therapy, somewhat than criminals deserving punishment. The 12-step restoration motion with its accompanying therapy system enthusiastically accepted this mannequin. Now, formally, habit was a progressive illness for which there was no remedy, and the one approach to put the illness “in remission” was by a lifelong dedication to complete abstinence. Any use of alcohol or different thoughts altering substances was thought-about a relapse, regardless if it resulted in any dangerous penalties. So whether or not it was one drink or 100, it was handled the identical.

Regardless of the extensive acceptance and enchantment of this illness mannequin (over 90% of U.S. alcohol and drug therapy applications adhere to it), a lot of shortcomings and limitations have emerged via years of analysis. Though these applications do work for some individuals, there are specific contradictions and paradoxes that forestall others from discovering them useful. The notion that the 12-step manner of restoration is superior to all others is under no circumstances backed by the analysis. Individuals can get better with out AA or another 12-step program and be simply as wholesome as those that discover them useful. Inside conventional therapy, there was a bent towards a “one-size-fits-all” strategy to restoration, which contributed to excessive dropout charges. And by defining habit as an incurable, progressive illness, many individuals will discover it tough to vary their addictive behaviors or determine to surrender alcohol or drug use on their very own.

In latest many years, an alternate mannequin has emerged that challenges the normal illness mannequin and its “one-size-fits-all” strategy to restoration. This mannequin relies on the belief that addictive habits has a number of parts and that people fluctuate in danger relying on their distinctive bio-psycho-social historical past. On account of the truth that each behavior acquisition and behavior change are primarily influenced by cognitive and behavioral rules, this strategy has change into often known as a cognitive-behavioral mannequin. A serious emphasis on this mannequin is positioned within the reward penalties of partaking within the addictive habits, together with each constructive reinforcement, resembling enhanced euphoria related to getting excessive, and damaging reinforcement, resembling self-medication leading to stress discount or reduction.

By bringing the eye again to the particular person with the substance abuse drawback, therapy targets now shift from being strictly set by a therapy program supplier, with abstinence as the one acceptable possibility, again to the patron, (you), who now has a alternative in their very own therapy targets. People can select from quite a lot of targets, starting from abstinence to discount in dangerous penalties, and by inserting this alternative into their arms, there may be now acknowledgment that the majority addictive behaviors signify an issue in self-management that may be resolved by the person. The substance abuser is now not “powerless” however is taking again energy over his or her personal life. This mannequin respects the shopper’s alternative and tries to satisfy shoppers the place they’re within the various levels of behavioral change. This differs tremendously from the normal illness mannequin, the place emphasis is on shopper confrontation and enforcement of abstinence as the one acceptable purpose.

The holistic mannequin, or biopsychosocial mannequin, is the rising mannequin, which takes a extra holistic strategy to well being and well-being and incorporates the strengths of the varied fashions of the previous and makes use of these varied insights to impact change. New understandings from years of analysis are coming into play and the holistic mannequin is basing its strategy on this necessary data. It’s being found that social, financial, cultural and environmental situations, in addition to behavioral decisions, influence each psychological and organic processes. In flip, psychological and organic adjustments affect behavioral patterns.

Now, motivational strategies, transient interventions, cognitive-behavioral remedy and pharmacotherapy co-exist with new approaches, together with acupuncture, meditation, good diet and stress administration (see earlier part for extra particulars). What has change into clearer and clearer is the competence of people to handle their lives when data, assist and decisions can be found.

Since the most effective predictor on your success is your potential to decide on your individual program and set your individual targets, it’s advisable to ask the next essential questions to make sure that an acceptable drug and alcohol program is chosen that may meet your specific wants.

1. What sorts of therapy applications do they provide? Is it primarily 12-step based mostly, or do they provide different self-help choices as nicely, i.e. SMART Restoration, SOS, or Ladies For Sobriety? So that they match therapy settings, interventions and companies to every people specific issues and desires, since that is essential to 1’s final success in returning to productive functioning within the household, office and society?

2. Does this system handle a number of wants of the person, not simply his or her drug use, resembling any related medical, psychological, social, vocational and authorized issues?

3. What kinds of credentials does the workers have, resembling docs, counselors, and anybody else who has contact with the shoppers, and what’s the ratio between the workers and shoppers?

4. Is there a health care provider on the therapy’s premises 24 hours a day, or only a couple instances every week to dole out remedy?

5. What’s the therapy program’s philosophy or concept in the direction of habit? Is it spiritual, bio-psycho-social, psychological, neurological, bodily and psychological, trauma-based (habit that has stemmed from a sole traumatic occasion in a single’s life), and does their specific strategy go well with your individual character, beliefs and values, or is it one which you could imagine in, and rebuild your life based mostly on it?

6. Does the therapy program element constructive approaches in the direction of therapy, utilizing up-to-date strategies, resembling motivational remedy, cognitive-behavioral remedy, stress private duty, this can be a illness/not a illness however a alternative amongst many others?

7. Do you suppose this strategy resonates with you, or your beloved, that will want inpatient assist?

8. Does this system provide counseling (particular person or group) and different behavioral therapies, the place problems with motivation, constructing life-skills to withstand drug and alcohol use, relapse prevention, bettering problem-solving expertise and facilitation of interpersonal relationships and skill to perform within the household and group usually happen?

9. How does the rehab program help a person through the withdrawal course of, i.e. medical therapy for withdrawal offered, or should this be carried out elsewhere, previous to coming into the power?

10. To what extent is the household concerned within the therapy course of?

If a therapy program is set to be essential, asking these essential questions will no less than provide the necessary data of whether or not or not they’re merely a standard therapy heart, solely providing one possibility, the 12-step technique, or whether or not they have taken all of the important analysis under consideration and have now integrated many various various modalities into their program. Keep in mind, the notion that “one dimension suits all” within the therapy of alcohol and different drug issues has been utterly destroyed by the scientific proof, and due to this fact, there can’t be a “one dimension suits all” answer.