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Whatever your needs and preferences, we’ll find the right fit for you. Some of our addiction treatment programs include:
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- 12-step programs and alternatives to the 12 Steps
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- Specialized programs for teens, professionals and other groups
You’re headed in the right direction. Get the expert care you or a loved one needs to turn your life around.
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Understanding the Psychology of Addiction
Addiction,
regardless of what the addiction, is a deeply psychologically
based condition. The roots of addiction’s causes, beginnings, and
overall control over a person often are based within the person’s mind.
Even
if the addiction requires a physical act and has a physical response,
it is largely mental. Having an understanding of addiction’s
psychological aspects can greatly help with understanding addiction and
treating it.
The Complexity of Addiction
Due to the large psychological
aspects of addiction, it can be an incredibly complex condition. Often,
those with an addiction may not even be aware of their behavior as being
out of control and damaging to their person and others.
The
reasons a person engages in their addiction behaviors in the first place
may even have been a result of something in their subconscious. Often,
addiction may have arisen as a means of dealing with emotional stress.
There might have been existing mental illness that predisposes the
person to addiction, or make them see addictive behaviors as “normal”.
Mental State and Perception
Many addicts don’t perceive their substance use or behavior as a problem.
The
psychological causes of addiction are often heavily debated by those in
the medical field. However, having an understanding of how addiction
affects the person’s mental state can have a huge impact on their
treatment and recovery.
The way a person’s mind is before the
addiction sets in can show how they will respond to their addiction and to their treatment.
Sometimes, a person’s mental state can affect how they see their
addiction. In some cases, it may be like the person is almost blind to
the severity of their addiction, simply because their mental state
prevents them from registering it as a concern.
Addiction and Chemistry
According to the DEA,
each person is affected differently by addictive substances. This is
often why some people, when exposed to drugs, do not become addicted
while others do. Due to the chemistry of people’s brains and bodies, it
cannot be easily determined how someone will respond.
Addiction
can actually change a person’s psychology, which is often why loved ones
will remark that they don’t recognize the person when they are using or
don’t understand why they simply can’t stop. The NIDA
further elaborates on the topic, stating that some addictive substances
can mimic the natural chemical structures of the brain, overwriting
normal functions.
Some can also cause what may be like a system overload in the mind as well.
As
a result of the variations in the psychology of addiction, treatment
often is required to be easily adjustable for a case by case basis.
Usually, there is often multiple levels of evaluation done to determine
what treatment options can be used.
Sometimes,
what works with one person won’t work with the next, even if they were
both addicted to the same thing. There also is the issue of any mental
conditions that existed before the addiction took hold, which may
require further psychoanalysis.
Due to the deep hold some
addictions have on a person’s psyche, treatment can take considerable time
and may require modification along the way. Addiction can have a high rate of relapse due to the extent of the psychology associated with it.
If you or a loved one is suffering from addiction, do not hesitate to contact us at 800-815-3910 in order to speak with a caring specialist and to find out more information about addiction and recovery.
What is an Intervention?
The effects of drugs on the mind
cloud a person’s sense of judgment and reasoning to the point where
getting and using drugs becomes his or her primary motivation in life.
Under these circumstances, a planned, coordinated effort is required to
get any kind of “don’t do drugs” message across.
An intervention
meeting brings together all the people in the addict’s life in order to
help him or her see the severity of the problem. Ultimately, the answer
to “what is an intervention” involves affecting some degree of change in
the addict’s daily routine, whether that means entering treatment or
accepting the consequences as laid out by the meeting participants.
As
there’s no guarantee the addict will agree to get needed treatment
help, a big part of the intervention requires each participant to assign
consequences for continued drug use in the event the addict refuses to
get help.
How Does it Work?
An intervention is a meeting where loved ones express their concern for a person’s substance abuse.
A
drug intervention entails confronting the addict about the effects of
his or her behavior in a caring and loving manner. With this in mind,
asking, “what is an intervention” throughout the preparation process can
go a long way towards helping to keep the overall goal of the meeting
in mind.
In effect, the question “what is an intervention” implies
a single event, when it’s actually a process in which planning plays a
pivotal role in the overall outcome. According to the Mayo Clinic, planning should include –
- Determining who should be present at the intervention meeting
- Devising a script for each participant that outlines the issues each person will address
- Rehearsing what each participant will say
- Make arrangements with a drug treatment facility in the event the addict chooses to get help
Since
there’s no guarantee the addict will agree to get help, each
participant must also be prepared to state and assign consequences for
the ongoing drug-use in the event the addict refuses treatment,
according to the Indiana Prevention Resource Center.
As
interventions can easily bring out the worst in people when done
haphazardly, a considerable amount of planning should be done before the
actual meeting takes place. When all is said and done, the real-life
answer to “what is an intervention” has to do with affecting some degree
of productive change in the addict’s lifestyle, be it through
consequences or drug treatment.
and Finally Remember:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
– Matthew 7:7-8
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