Drug addiction is a very serious condition that affects both our brain and behavior. It effects many parts of our brain including the limbic system, frontal cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia, cerebellum, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, cerebellum, periaqueductal gray matter, midbrain, putamen, midbrain raphe and anterior cingulate cortices. Drug addiction affects many areas of the brain, but in certain people, it affects more than others. Therefore, treatment for drug addiction should not be taken as one single treatment, as this can affect patients’ health and cause side effects. More-efficient and holistic treatments should also be considered for this.
There are a number of rehabilitation programs available today that can help treat drug addicts. The most popular treatment options include outpatient, inpatient, residential or community-based, combination therapies and special needs programs. Inpatient rehab programs focus on the whole patient, while outpatient programs deal with individual needs. Inpatient programs are mostly recommended by doctors when the patient is suffering from life-threatening or terminal illness. Residential rehabilitation programs mainly deal with outpatient issues. Community based programs are mostly given to those who have failed in traditional programs. Combination therapies are meant to treat addicts with several addictions, so that they are able to get back to their normal and healthy lives.
In addition to drug addiction treatment options, there are also psychotherapy programs that can be given to an addict. Psychotherapy programs are designed to address the person’s emotional, psychological and behavioral problems that might have led to his addiction. It is also designed to improve the person’s social, mental, emotional and physical capabilities and to enable him to cope up with the day-to-day situations that can trigger his addiction and withdrawal symptoms. There are some psychotherapists that use various methods and tools to treat drug addicts, which include medication, psychological therapies, psychodynamic counseling and hypnotherapy. There are also other treatment programs like detoxification programs, homeopathy and herbal therapy programs, that can be used to treat drug addicts.
