The only hope for ending the growing addiction epidemic is to change our mindset and accept addiction as a disease. Instead of locking away someone experiencing a drug or alcohol problem or treating them as outcasts, drug policy should be completely overhauled to treat addiction as a health problem.
Full Answer
How can we end the growing addiction epidemic?
The only hope for ending the growing addiction epidemic is to change our mindset and accept addiction as a disease. Funding addiction treatment and making it more available is the only proven method to reduce substance abuse rates.
Is it possible to overcome addiction?
Overcoming addiction is possible but it often requires a combination of approaches to achieve the best outcome. Treatment may include: 10,11 Medication and Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), which can vary depending on the substance (or substances) you used.
How can we reduce substance abuse rates?
Funding addiction treatment and making it more available is the only proven method to reduce substance abuse rates. Because first step to recovery is asking for help and a solid commitment to healing, reducing the stigma surrounding these issues will cause far more people to seek available help. Article by Sam, a writer for Sober Nation.
Where do opioid addicts receive care?
Still, in Vermont, for example, almost 50 percent of opioid users in treatment receive care in their doctors’ offices- they don’t have to go to addiction specialists or intensive treatment programs to receive care.
What techniques are used to treat addiction?
Some of the most common forms of modern addiction treatment include behavioral therapies delivered as individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy.
What is the most effective way to deal with addiction?
5 action steps for quitting an addictionSet a quit date. ... Change your environment. ... Distract yourself. ... Review your past attempts at quitting. ... Create a support network. ... For more information on finding an effective path to recovery, check out Overcoming Addiction, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.
How do you change the stigma of addiction?
Removing the StigmaGet to know more. Just like heart disease impacts the heart, addiction results in physiological changes in the brain. ... Talk about it. Discussing addiction helps humanize the disease and shows recovery is possible.Show compassion. If you notice any signs of addiction, say something.
What kinds of programs have been successful in treating addiction?
There are many options that have been successful in treating drug addiction, including:behavioral counseling.medication.medical devices and applications used to treat withdrawal symptoms or deliver skills training.evaluation and treatment for co-occurring mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.More items...•
What rehab has the highest success rate?
Roughly 80 percent of patients report benefiting from improved quality of life and health after completing drug and alcohol rehab. Florida has the highest success rates of drug rehab compared to all other states.
What makes a treatment effective?
3. Effective Treatment Attends to Multiple Needs of the Individual, not just his or her drug use: To be effective, treatment must address the individual's drug use and any associated medical, psychological, social, vocational, and legal problems.
What is the politically correct term for addicts?
The Global Commission's latest report advises political leaders and journalists to use the expression "person with drug dependence" - not "addict", "drug abuser" or "junkie".
How do we reduce stigma surrounding mental health and or addictions?
Seven Things You Can Do to Reduce StigmaKnow the facts. Educate yourself about mental illness including substance use disorders.Be aware of your attitudes and behaviour. ... Choose your words carefully. ... Educate others. ... Focus on the positive. ... Support people. ... Include everyone.
How can we reduce the stigma of opioid use disorder?
The following evidence-based guiding principles should inform all activities intended to reduce the stigma surrounding opioid use disorder.Use person-centered language. ... Emphasize societal vs. ... Incorporate solution messages whenever possible. ... Use sympathetic narratives. ... Emphasize that effective treatment exists.More items...
What are three options for drug abuse treatment?
What Are Three Options for Drug Abuse Treatment?Medically-assisted drug detox to get through withdrawals and restore normal bodily function.Individual therapy such as CBT.Group therapy, either guided by a therapy expert or more peer-oriented forms of support.Inpatient care at a rehab facility.More items...•
What are the four basic categories of treatment program?
4 Types of Addiction Treatment: What's the Difference?Detoxification. ... Outpatient Addiction Treatment. ... Peer Support and Self-Help Programs. ... Residential Addiction Treatment Programs. ... Choosing one of the types of addiction treatment.
What is the first step in treating a drug abuse problem?
Detoxification is normally the first step in treatment. This involves clearing a substance from the body and limiting withdrawal reactions. In 80 percent of cases, a treatment clinic will use medications to reduce withdrawal symptoms, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
What are the twin forces that have transformed addiction treatment?
In recent years, America's addiction treatment industry has been transformed by twin forces: the opioid epidemic and the Affordable Care Act. Overdose deaths have climbed steadily since the early 2000s, creating a crisis of unprecedented proportions. Simultaneously, the ACA extended health coverage to millions of previously uninsured Americans ...
What did the ACA do to the recovery industry?
Simultaneously, the ACA extended health coverage to millions of previously uninsured Americans and mandated the coverage of substance abuse treatment . This combination of widespread need and broadened coverage has dramatically expanded demand for treatment – and permanently altered the recovery industry in the process. ...
What percentage of Wyoming treatment centers offer free services?
Wyoming was the notable exception to this rule: Of all the state's treatment centers, 72 percent offered a free service. Indeed, these figures indicate that access to treatment at no cost may be saving lives in the Equality State.
What is the effect of dopamine on substance use?
The activity of one neurotransmitter in particular, known as dopamine, increases in association with several types of substance use. A drug-related surge in dopamine activity can have reinforcing effects, making compulsive use of that drug more likely. 2.
What is a substance use disorder?
If you are struggling with addiction, it’s crucial to remember that addiction to drugs or alcohol is not a character flaw, a weakness, or a moral failing; substance use disorders (SUDs) are chronic mental health conditions characterized by an inability to control your drug or alcohol use.
What is the relapse rate of addiction?
Addiction has a relapse rate similar to other chronic diseases; for example, the relapse rate for asthma or high blood pressure is 50-70%, while addiction has a relapse rate of around 40-60%.
How does dopamine affect addiction?
Many of the most common drugs of abuse have an impact on dopamine activity throughout the brain’s reward centers . Dopamine neurotransmission is thought to underlie feelings of motivation, pleasure, and reward, and is believed to play a key role in the development of addiction. 2,3
What is MAT treatment?
Medication and Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), which can vary depending on the substance (or substances) you used. For example, opioid addiction may be treated with methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone, while alcohol addiction may be treated with naltrexone, disulfiram, or acamprosate. Medication is often used as a part ...
What does it mean to be unable to meet your responsibilities?
Being unable to meet your responsibilities at work, home, or school because of your substance use. Continuing to use drugs or alcohol even though it’s causing social or relationship problems. Giving up or stopping activities you once enjoyed so you can use drugs or alcohol .
What are the most addictive substances?
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) says that some of the most commonly used addictive substances include marijuana, synthetic marijuana (K2 or spice), prescription opioids, prescription stimulants (like Adderall), sedatives, tranquilizers, and hypnotics. 6.
What is a SBIRT program?
A program called SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment), which seeks to identify risky substance use and includes as few as three counseling sessions, has proven effective in many cases, and may be implemented in general healthcare settings.
How long does detox last?
Patients are put in programs for arbitrary periods of time. Three or five days of detox isn’t treatment. Many residential programs last for twenty-eight days, but research has shown that a month is rarely long enough to treat this disease.
What to do if you don't want to quit drugs?
If you do want to quit, (1) Just say no. (2) Call the cops when that dealer forces drugs on you against your will. (3) Dump the druggie friends and get some like-minded anti-drug people organized and armed.
How many people died from overdose in 2015?
In 2015, 52,000 people died because of overdose, including 33,000 on OxyContin, heroin, and other opioids. Almost three times that number died of causes related to the most-used mood-altering addictive drug, alcohol. The 2016 and 2017 overdose numbers are predicted to be higher.
Do people who enter residential treatment get sober?
Some of those who enter residential treatment do get sober, but they relapse soon after they’re discharged, with, as addiction researcher Thomas McLellan, PhD, sums, “a hearty handshake and instructions to go off to a church basement someplace.”. As he says, “It just won't work.”.
Is addiction a health problem?
Since addiction is a health problem, the logical answer would be the addiction-treatment system, but it’s in disarray. Currently most people who enter treatment are subjected to archaic care, some of which does more harm than good.
Where do people enter the medical system?
Most people enter the medical system in their primary-care doctors’ offices, health clinics, or emergency rooms. Currently, most doctors in these settings have had little or no education about addiction.