What Are the Different Approaches to Addiction Treatment?

Addictions are very complex and classed as a disease that can affect many parts of a person’s life. Drug and alcohol addictions can affect a person’s relationships, family life, career, finances, mental health, and physical health. There are millions of people who require addiction treatment every year.

Addictions require specialised treatments that help to address the underlying causes, triggers, and symptoms of the disease, in addition to the consequences of longer-term addiction on the various areas of the person’s life.

Below, we will take a look at the five main approaches to addiction treatment, what these are all about, and why they are effective in helping addicts overcome their substance abuse problems.

Outpatient Rehab

Outpatient rehab programmes allow the person who is recovering to attend their treatments and therapies in their own time while still living at their own home. This is different to an inpatient drug or alcohol rehab where the person is required to reside within the treatment centre.

The outpatient rehab treatments may occur within a treatment centre, a hospital, a community health clinic, or another facility and the treatments will occur on a regular basis. Outpatient rehab treatments will follow the same sort of plan as an inpatient rehab treatment programme. However, it will usually be spread out over a much longer time. Outpatient rehab treatments can last for months or even years.

Outpatient rehab treatments are only recommended to people who are struggling with mild addictions. This is due to the fact that the person will remain in their own environment which makes it harder to overcome alcohol and drug addiction.

Residential Rehab Treatment

Residential rehab treatments are also commonly known as inpatient rehab treatments. These types of treatments require the person to live in the treatment centre throughout the course of their treatment plan.

In inpatient rehab, you will go through a supervised treatment plan where you will learn everything you need to know to overcome your addiction. These programmes usually last for around 28 days. However, they can last from a few weeks up to several months.

Inpatient rehab usually involves an initial drug and alcohol detox plan which aims to flush out all of the toxins from your body. This is then swiftly followed by various treatments and therapies which aim to get to the bottom of your addiction, and the underlying causes, as well as teach you new ways of thinking and behaving which will ensure you avoid relapsing in the future.

Inpatient rehab treatments are seen as the most effective way to overcome an addiction and these treatments have the highest success rates.

Holistic Approaches

Holistic treatments can be very useful in helping people along their addiction recovery journey. When you enter rehab, you may find that your mind feels very clouded and you may feel exhausted, both physically and mentally. Holistic therapies can help you to get your mind in good health.

If your mental health is suffering, this can also mean that your physical health is out of balance. This is why holistic treatments are seen as being very effective when it comes to recovery from addiction.

Holistic therapies can consist of many different things including yoga, meditation, mindfulness, animal therapy, acupuncture, music therapy, art therapy, and more. These therapies allow you to deal with your emotions and feelings in new ways. Sometimes, you may learn more about yourself with holistic therapies. Above all else, holistic therapies are great for helping to improve mental health.

Support Groups

Support groups are a very important part of recovering from an addiction. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are two very common 12-step support groups that are very effective in helping recovering addicts.

12-step support groups aim to promote continued sobriety and help to motivate the person to want to continue with their long-term recovery. In a support group, various people who are struggling with addictions will share their feelings and experiences with the group. This is great for keeping up the motivation towards recovery and can also be very inspiring.

12-step recovery means you will meet many likewise individuals who are also going through the same struggles as you. These people will help to motivate you on your journey and you will likely find that you will make some lifelong friends.

Support group meetings may occur in a rehab setting or they are hosted in various settings around the country. You will usually find at least one support group meeting within close proximity to your home. When a person leaves a rehab treatment programme, they are encouraged to join a local support group to help them remain motivated towards their recovery and to help with avoiding relapsing in the future.

The Role of Aftercare

Once you achieve sobriety in your rehab treatment, this is a huge accomplishment. However, it’s important that you know that your treatment doesn’t end as soon as you leave the rehab centre. Recovering from an addiction is a lifelong thing. This is why aftercare plays a very important role.

The first 12 months after leaving rehab are usually the most difficult and this is the time when you are most likely to fall into the traps of relapsing. With this in mind, most rehab centres will offer a 12 monthly aftercare plan for free as part of your treatment plan.

Aftercare is a type of ongoing treatment that can help you to stay motivated and avoid relapsing. There are many different things involved with aftercare, and your aftercare plan will be personalised to suit your specific needs. You will often be encouraged to join support groups as part of your aftercare plan and you will likely continue with various treatments and therapies to help you remain sober.

Your aftercare treatments will help you with the transition between being within a treatment centre and returning home to your usual environment and previous stressors and triggers. You will also have the opportunity to reach out if you are struggling or if you think you may relapse. This is very helpful for people who are just coming out of their inpatient rehab treatments.

For any queries about the different approaches to addiction treatment, call today on +44 (0) 800 012 6006.