31. Addiction can be treated in a variety of ways

By Tom O'Connell

Because addiction is so complicated, it should be obvious that there is more than one way to approach addiction treatment. In addition, there is no single way that suits everybody. After all, addicts are as diverse a population as the human race itself.

Some addiction treatment facilities specialize in specific addictions such as alcoholism, compulsive gambling, and sex/love addiction. But many centers offer a broad umbrella approach. There are therapeutic communities, hospital-based medical models, psychiatric facilities, and psychological approaches.

Since addiction has an impact physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually, recovery does not respond to quick fixes. One doesn't change the patterns of a lifetime and adopt a new lifestyle in a few weeks, or in a few months.

Treatment today involves addiction specialists, psychiatry, psychology, medicine, social workers, mutual-help groups, counselors, clergy, and a host of professionals who provide inpatient care, outpatient treatment, day treatment, evening treatment, aftercare, group therapy,  individual therapy, family therapy, adolescent programs, and more.

Just as it's a challenge to find the right health care solution for other diseases and disorders, it also requires personal detective work to find the right approach to treating addiction. To get advice we need to consult people we trust. Some good places to obtain advice are councils on alcoholism and drug dependence, state and local health agencies, physicians and therapists familiar with addiction, community health centers, employee assistance programs in the workplace, mental health centers, health maintenance organizations, and hospitals.

Mutual-help groups, either alone or in combination with other treatment approaches, have helped vast numbers of people to recover from a variety of addictions. Alcoholics Anonymous has more than a million members and has been the forerunner of many other groups based on the Twelve Steps of spiritually-based recovery.

AA is acknowledged to be highly successful in long-term recovery by many health care professionals as well as its own members. As for short-term recovery, relapse is often part of the process. Addicts are highly resistant to changing their behavior. And it often takes an alcoholic years to put together more than 12 months of continuous sobriety.

Today many recovering addicts start with professional care, and then move to mutual-help groups while continuing the professional support. Eventually, as recovery progresses, less professional help is needed and many people can maintain recovery with regular attendance at groups. The groups provide a community where kindred spirits share experience, strength, and hope. And this improves the odds  for ongoing recovery.

For those who become uncomfortable in a particular group and have difficulty with the personalities they encounter, other groups are available. And any small group of recovering people can form its own support group. Also, because some people have a problem with  spiritual approaches, AA encourages skeptics to think of G.O.D. as a "group of drunks" or "good orderly direction."

AA and other Twelve Step groups are inclusive, not exclusive, and nonsectarian. There are no fees or dues. Activity is voluntary. The "Steps" are offered as "suggestions." And liberty for the individual is respected when it comes to beliefs and philosophies.

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