New Therapy Options for Treating Drug and Alcohol Addicts

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People suffering from alcohol and drug addiction can opt for an outpatient or inpatient treatment.  The modalities of the treatment can also be customized depending on the person’s unique needs and situation.  Also, health care specialists and therapists can create a recovery plan based on the severity of the addiction and the substance being abused.

Individual treatment programs and approaches continue to expand and modify that they do not appear to fit with the conventional treatment classification for drug addiction.  Nowadays, there are thousands of treatment options for alcohol and substance abuse and the success of each one can be dependent on the effectivity it has on the patient along with the motivation of the patient undergoing such therapy.  

Some of the new therapy options for treating drug and alcohol addicts include:

Individual Counseling

Individual counseling does not only focus on scaling down or ending the use of illicit drugs and alcohol, but also addresses other areas of the patient’s life including social and family relationships, unlawful activities, and other areas that can affect the effectivity of the rehabilitation.  Usually done by a counselor with a drug and alcohol counseling certificate, the process can be an effective way of teaching coping strategies for avoiding relapses.

Group Counselling

There are therapeutic frameworks that use group counseling to enforce social well-being.  This greatly helps in building a community where everyone can cooperate in creating a drug-free environment.  Patients who participate in group drug and alcohol counseling most often benefit from having social support that is needed when recovering from drug and alcohol dependence.  Group counseling can often be offered in coordination with individual counseling or can be arranged to match with the principles of cognitive behavior therapy.  A counselor with a drug and counseling certificate usually facilitates such therapeutic element.  

Activity-Based Therapy

This encompasses a wide variety of therapy including animal therapy, gardening, art and music therapy, and various other activities that involve creativity or nurturing.  This type of therapy usually allows a patient to think outside of himself by enforcing creativeness and ingenuity.  It builds self-awareness and restores self-esteem and confidence.  Activity-based therapy can also lower depression, lessen stress or anxiety, and remove exasperation in a patient involved in such activity.

Virtual Reality Therapy

Mostly compared to exposure therapy, virtual reality therapy uses virtual reality scenarios that can correct a person’s perception about certain situations.  It can be helpful in rehabilitating patients with various anxiety disorders or phobias and can be most especially helpful in treating patients suffering from PTSD.  Researchers are now looking for a way of creating a realistic virtual world which regenerates triggers.  This can be useful in assisting addicts in defeating cravings for addictive substances such as alcohol, nicotine, heroin, or marijuana.

Biochemical Nutrition and Restoration

This new type of treatment aims to improve the biochemical imbalances that motivate an addicted person to crave for unwanted substances.  It also aims to correct other disorders such as depression and anxiety which often sustain an addiction.  Biochemical nutrition and restoration use nutritional supplements to correct the chemical composition of the body.  This helps stabilize a person’s mood and supplies the body with essential nutrients.  
As certain biochemical imbalances can trigger a person’s addictive predisposition, the purpose of biochemical restoration and nutrition is to establish an improved balance in the biochemical makeup of an individual.  The process involves a personalized nutritional plan, micro nutrient supplementation, and other recommended physical activities.  In addition, when the biochemical balance is restored, it can be supported with other treatment modalities including counseling and other relapse intervention therapies.