Thursday, January 28, 2016

The Main Options In Addiction Therapy Toronto Residents Should Know

By Barbara Graham


There are many different forms of addiction people struggle with. Broadly, these may relate to the abuse of substances or to behaviors. The most commonly abused substances include alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, cannabis and prescription drugs among others. Although a good number of addicts are willing to change and break away from these addictions, the desire is often too strong. We will look at some of the options used for addiction therapy Toronto residents need to consider.

Since the nature and magnitude of the problem tends to vary from one person to another, treatment is usually individualized. The available therapies are usually used in combination to increase the chances of success. Cognitive behavior therapy (or CBT) is one of the most effective therapies for most of the addictions. In the treatment, the addict participates in the process by helping identify the problem and formulate a treatment plan together with the therapist.

Some forms of addictions such as that of opioids are chronic, relapsing illnesses. As a matter of fact, it is a lifelong illness in some cases. Maintenance therapy is important to ensure that the patient remains stable and functional. Methadone (or naloxone) are the commonly used drugs for this. There are instances in which these drugs have been administered for decades. Experts say that counseling should be continued as well to augment the drugs.

Medications are also available for the management of other types of addictions. Tobacco addiction is managed with nicotine preparations and drugs such as bupropion. The preparations are available as patches, gum, lozenges and nasal sprays. Bupropion is a drug that is often used alongside the nicotine preparations. For alcohol dependence, the drugs that may be used include naltrexone, disulfuram and acamprosate.

The success of treatment is determined by a number of factors. Compliance to drugs and retention in the program is one of the most important. This in turn is related to factors such as individual motivation, the presence of a strong social support structure and the nature of the relationship between the addict and the therapist. It is the role of the clinician to ensure that they build a strong relationship with their client.

The family is a very important component of the rehabilitation program. Studies have shown that when these relationships are strengthened, relapse rates are lowered. The two ways in which the family can be included in the treatment process are family and couples counseling. Not only does the family influence a positive change in the addict but also begin to heal themselves from the emotional wounds they have suffered.

Treatment may be given at individual level or to a group. In general, group therapy appears to be the more effective option. The main benefit is that it allows persons with the same problem to interact with each other. This interaction helps in generating ideas that are focused on overcoming the challenge of addiction. The members also support each other. Individual therapy is the better choice if there are other conditions to be treated as well.

There is a need to choose between residential and outpatient treatment. In the residential type, the client is housed in a specialized period of time and only released when they have shown progress. This arrangement allows them to stay away from their old tempting environment. For the outpatient type, they make regular visits to the clinic.




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