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Drug rehab gets high tech
By Newport Coast | December 20, 2007
Think drug and alcohol rehab is just AA meetings and detox? Drug rehab has come a long way in the past few decades, these advances are increasing the efficacy of addiction treatment and decreasing the average number of relapses per patient. I’ll list a few innovations in drug rehab that has made it more effective, and if you need a rehab program visit Newport Coast Recovery for a facility the latest techniques in drug addiction treatment.
1. Dual Diagnosis Principals
The idea of alcoholism and addiction as diseases isn’t all that new, but recently addiction researchers have better defined disease models for drug addiction. Addiction isn’t viewed in isolation as it once was - now it can be seen as a part of a bigger pre-existing psychological condition. Depression and Anxiety are common ailments that addicts are afflicted with prior to their drug use, and this isn’t a coincidence. Modern drug rehab programs realize this and utilize therapy and psychlogical counseling sessions to determine if there is an underlying condition. If there is a condition like depression or anxiety, it can be treated in addition to the specific addiction. Upon graduation form a drug rehab program, patients will have the tools needed to keep their various conditions under control. With the co-occurring disorders properly treated, the urges for drug use may be substantially reduced and relapse much less likely.
2. Modern medicine and Biochemistry
With a new understanding of how substance abuse affects the brain, scientists and researchers have formulated a myriad of new medications and procedures to address chemical dependency and drug abuse. These modern medications aim to treat the specific neurotransmitters and receptors in the brain that have been impacted by drug use. Medications to treat drug addictions are much safer and more effective now than they have been in the past. One reason for this is our growing understanding of the chemistry in the brain pertaining to drug abuse.
3. Holistic and New Age Treatments
Once regarded as pseudoscience, many holistic and new age treatments have now been show to aid the process of addiction recovery and have found their ways into many drug rehab programs. These new age treatments include everything from yoga and medication to herbal remedies and positive visualization. Many of these techniques are easy to fit into a routine after rehab and serve to reduce stress and anxiety (which can lead to relapses)
4. Advanced Imaging and Diagnostic Procedures
Tools like SPECT scans, which image metabolic levels in various parts of the brain and CAT scans (which image the physiology of the body) can be very helpful when used in conjunction with a drug rehab program. Advanced blood tests and other lab work can quickly identify certain compounds with levels that are too high or low. With addictions, the dynamics and the physiology of the brain are altered, and a goal of therapy is to bring them back to normal levels. With these tools, specific diets can be formulated and dietary supplements can be considered as well. Other health issues resulting from addictions are common and should be addressed by a comprehensive rehab program as well - these include liver damage and heart/circulatory system damage.
5. Modern Psychiatric Techniques
Psychiatry has traditionally been a very qualitative field of medicine, and because of this some people have regarded it as less effective in treating disorders than other fields of medicine. This isn’t the case anymore, and a high quality rehab program will generally implement the newest and most effective treatment techniques in helping addicts recover. One example of a relatively new treatment is ‘Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing’ also known as EMDR. This involves the use of moving lights which cause specific eye movements that can actually lead to changes in mental processes. It is often used to treat anxiety related disorders and is often utilized in drug rehab.
Topics: About Addiction, Cutting Edge Rehab, Uncategorized |