Getting help

It is important that treatment for drug addiction is obtained before it is too late. People with this problem and their families need the best possible treatment for this disease. It's important that families and those suffering with drug addictions know that they are not alone. Millions have confronted the problem of drug abuse, and they can conquer and overpower it in their lives. There is hope.

Often times however, when those who love the addict mention the word "treatment" the user will link of only long-term residential facilities or detox. In fact, treatment includes both of those options and many more.

Treatment is important because it addresses the drug user's physical, psychological, emotional, and social conditions. While its goal is to get the user to abstain from partaking of drugs, it also seeks to heal the whole person-often times the reasons why they are using drugs. The type of treatment appropriate depends on the severity to which drug use is a problem. Some people may only require a screening and brief intervention. Others may require a more intense process.

All treatment begins with a screening. This identifies the amount and frequency of drugs that are being consumed and the consequences to the person. After the screening, some people may need a brief intervention. In an intervention, those that are close to the drug addict share their feelings of how the drug abuse has affected them and how it is affecting the user's family as a whole. The drug addict may also be asked to share their own feelings about their drug abuse and their desire to receive treatment. People who want help will be referred for additional evaluation and treatment.

Formal treatment is present in all different forms and types. There is no one treatment that is best for everyone. There are many roads to recovery. Different options for drug addiction treatment include:

• Medications
• Residential Treatment Centers
• Wilderness Therapy Programs
• Day treatment
• Outpatient treatment
• Weekend treatment services
• Day programs
• Residential boarding schools
• Hospitals
• Support groups
• Family co-addict groups
• Government association groups
• Halfway house programs