Substance Abuse and Treatment
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s World Drug Report 2022, around 284 million people aged 15-64 are suffering from substance abuse globally. Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to the excessive use of substances in a harmful manner to the individual or others. The ‘substance’ refers to alcohol, illicit drugs, and intentional overdose of prescribed or unprescribed medication. The individual would misuse or develop a dependency on an existing substance that can create long-term negative personality changes.
Symptoms of substance abuse
The symptoms of substance abuse differ depending on the substance being used. Some of the symptoms of substance abuse are as follows:
- A strong desire or urge to take substances
- Taking substances in larger amounts after the dosage in the prescription is over
- Unable to fulfill responsibility at work or home due to substance use
- Behavior to hide substances
- Withdrawal from family and friends
- Developing tolerance from substance and taking higher dosages to get the same effect as they were getting in beginning doses
- Confusion
- Sudden Mood Swings
- Physical changes such as disturbed sleep patterns, loss of appetite and appearance change unhealthy skin, hair loss, or thin and skeletal appearance
Treatment for substance abuse
There are several treatment options available for substance abuse. Here are some commonly used treatments:
Withdrawal Therapy
Withdrawal therapy, as the name suggests refers to medical, physiological, and psychological care of patients when they stop using drugs or alcohol. The practitioner would see if you are an outpatient or an inpatient depending on the severity of withdrawal symptoms. An outpatient is a patient who receives the treatment without being admitted to the hospital, whereas an inpatient is one who needs to be admitted to the hospital or a residential treatment center.
Different categories of drugs produce different side effects and thus require different approaches to treatment. Though, it is possible for a patient to relapse to drug use after undergoing withdrawal therapy. Hence it should be considered as a first step to prepare the patient for withdrawal from the drugs.
Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral therapy is psychological therapy done by a psychologist or psychiatrist. Various behavioral therapies can help individuals modify their thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors related to substance abuse. It can be done with a one-on-one session with the individual or with a family or a group. Some examples include:
– Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): It focuses on identifying and changing negative patterns of thinking and behavior related to substance abuse.
– Motivational Interviewing (MI): A client-centered approach that helps individuals increase motivation to change their substance use behaviors.
– Contingency Management: Involves providing incentives or rewards to individuals who remain abstinent from drugs or alcohol.
Medicines
Depending on your condition, your healthcare professional may prescribe medicines. However, medicines are helpful only in certain substance abuse such as opioid and alcohol addictions, but not for all substances. Medications can be used to manage withdrawal symptoms, reduce cravings for opioids, or treat underlying mental health conditions associated with substance abuse. Examples of medicines being prescribed for opioid and alcohol addiction include:
– Methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone for opioid addiction.
– Disulfiram, acamprosate, and naltrexone for alcohol addiction.
– Nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum, etc.) for tobacco addiction.
Self-help group
Many self-group uses a 12-step program that was first developed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to overcome an addiction to alcohol or other substances use disorder. Self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) can make the patient comfortable with their treatment and reduce a sense of embarrassment and isolation that leads to relapse. It assists the patients by providing peer support, guidance, and a sense of community.
Holistic approaches
A growing trend in the field of addiction recovery, holistic approaches to substance abuse refer to the simultaneous focus on mental and physical health, as well as other areas of the patient’s well-being such as spiritual health.
Holistic treatments like art, yoga, meditation, exercise, acupuncture, breathwork,
Weight
therapy, etc can help individual to overcome substance abuse disorder and improves overall well-being.
Conclusion
Over 20 million people in the US have substance abuse. It can range from mild to severe which hinders the patient’s ability to participate in their personal and professional life. The earlier you start the treatment the earlier you can recover from it. The blog mentions some of the treatments for substance abuse. Your medical professional would recommend the best suitable treatment according to the severity of the symptoms.
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