Drug Addiction Counselling - Treating Drug Addiction
- By Rosemary Grace Brooks
- Published 01/23/2009
- Addiction Counseling
-
Rating:
Unrated
Drug Addiction Counselling - Treating Drug Addiction
Drug dependency has become a severe
problem in most countries with millions addicted to substances such as heroin,
methamphetamine, cocaine, alcohol and others. In recent years, staggering
information regarding the amount of drug use and abuse prevalent in society has
raised much awareness about the problem; yet treating drug addiction has not
received the same amount of press.
Many people who know someone with a drug
or alcohol problem believe that some time in a rehabilitation centre will make
all their problems go away and that the person will be cured following
treatment. This is not the case, as drug addiction is not caused by the drugs;
the problem lies within the addict.
For years, any type of substance abuse
problem has been labelled a moral failing – that the addict is weak, lacks self-will
and is a bad person. In the present day, a greater number of people are
beginning to see addiction as a disease – that addiction is terminal and
incurable, but can be arrested, treated and abstinence maintained. The disease
is obsessive and compulsive in nature, leading to addicts obsessively and
compulsively seeking drugs and other substances or experiences which will aid
them in avoiding unwanted feelings.
Why do addicts use drugs?
Addicts are usually incapable of
processing and expressing their feelings in a healthy way. Inner conflict and an
inability to deal with life and the feelings which accompany it are the motivation
for addicts to use substances. Getting high helps addicts to avoid their
feelings; whether happy, sad, depressed or ecstatic, addiction thrives on an
inability to cope with feelings, driving addicts to use.
When an addict uses drugs and engages in
obsessive and compulsive behaviour, they soon begin to lose all power over
their actions. This is the point at which their using progresses to a level where
nothing will stop them – losing family, their jobs, houses and self-respect
mean nothing compared to the desperation of getting the next hit. Addicts
usually recognise their using as a problem, yet are unable to stop using drugs,
despite their best intentions. They are powerless over their disease and cannot
stop using on their own, even though they have the desire to stop. It is at
this point that many addicts seek help for their problem.
How is drug addiction treated?
Treating drug addiction has progressed from
the way the problem was previously dealt with centuries ago. Exorcisms and
imprisonment in state mental hospitals were the normal way of dealing with
addicts before more was known about the disease. These days, drug addiction
counselling is based on helping the addict deal with their underlying issues in
a caring and supportive way and in a safe environment. Individual counselling
as well as group therapy has proved to be the best method of treating drug
addiction through the positive results yielded by the combination.
For addicts that have the privilege of
being able to attend a treatment programme in a rehabilitation centre and/or
receive drug addiction counselling, the prognosis of maintaining sobriety is
positive. However, an addict can only live a life of recovery if they are
willing to help themselves. If an addict does not want to stop using, no amount
of therapy or time spent in a treatment centre will help them, unless they are
motivated to stop and to invest their time and energy in helping themselves.
An important part of recovery from any
addiction is a daily programme of recovery for the addict to follow. Addiction
is incurable and if left untreated will prove to be fatal, yet with a recovery
programme which the addict applies themselves to daily, an addict can stay
clean and sober for the rest of their life, one day at a time. No matter how
much therapy and counselling an addict may receive, life will still present problems
and uncomfortable feelings. If an addict is unable to process these feelings in
an appropriate manner, they will not be able to maintain abstinence. Because
addiction is a disease, it will not simply “go away” – it can be arrested and
managed, but this takes effort and willingness on behalf of the addict in
question.
A daily reprieve from drugs
A daily programme of recovery that is
very successful is a Twelve Step programme as used in Narcotics Anonymous and
Alcoholics Anonymous. These programmes are based on the Twelve Steps of
Alcoholics Anonymous which lead addicts through a process of admitting that
they have a problem, establishing a belief in a power greater than themselves,
dealing with life and feelings appropriately and helping other sufferers find
recovery.
The programme includes suggestions such
as meeting attendance (in which the Twelve Steps and programme are discussed),
working with a sponsor (a more experienced member of the fellowship), reading
programme literature, written work (exploring the Twelve Steps) and service to
the fellowship and society.
Individuals suffering from the disease
of addiction do not need to live a life of shame and self hatred anymore.
Through counselling and adopting a programme to help maintain a healthy life,
mentally and physically, an addict can live the rest of their lives clean from
the use of drugs and alcohol. Recovery from drugs and alcohol takes effort and
vigilance, but will allow addicts who have lost everything to begin to lead a
normal and productive life again.
About the Author:
Oasis Counselling Centre is a
rehabilitation centre in Plettenberg Bay that offers drug addiction counselling
and counselling for other addictions by a highly qualified and experienced
team, using individual therapy and group therapy coupled with working a Twelve
Step Programme and a healthy lifestyle.
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