Archive for February, 2010

Addiction Treatment

Although it is very difficult to break a drug addiction, the several addiction treatments available make it possible.

You are in great trouble if you are addicted or live with an addict. Due to addiction, most of the addicts die and also take down their family members with them. But if an addicted person really wants to recover, he must remain honest to himself. Addiction treatment can comprise medications, behavioral therapy (such as cognitive therapy, counseling or psychotherapy) or their combination. Drug Addictions can be broken through several Addiction treatments.

• Agonist Maintenance Treatment is a kind of addiction treatment which is mainly provided to the opiate addicts. This addiction treatment helps to reduce the patients craving for the opiate. Due to the sustained and adequate dosage of methadone, a well tested medication, the patient becomes stabilized and can function normally.

• Narcotic Antagonist Treatment which uses Naltrexone is conducted in outpatient settings. This addiction treatment has very few side effects and is taken orally for a certain period of time. By using this addiction treatment, all the effects of self administered opiate gets totally blocked. This addiction treatment can help to break the habit of opiate addiction.

• Outpatient Drug-Free Treatment is a kind of addiction treatment, which costs much less than impatient or residential treatment. Group counseling is given more emphasis in many outpatient programs. Some of these programs are designed for the addiction treatment of those patients, who are suffering from mental and medical health problems along with their drug disorder.

• In case of Long-Term Residential Treatment, special care is provided to the patients for 24 hours per day. Addiction is viewed regarding an individual’s mental and social deficits, and this addiction treatment mainly aims in developing the socially creative life of the addicted.

• Short-Term Residential Programs originally aimed to deal with alcohol problems, but after the cocaine epidemic in 1980’s, many started to deal with addiction treatment and illicit drug abuse.

• In case of Medical Detoxification treatment, an individual is withdrawn from an addicting drug under a physician’s care. In case of some types of drugs, like alcohol, barbiturates and other sedatives, detoxification may be medically necessary, and if it is withdrawn suddenly it may be deadly or medically dangerous.

From several researches, it is evident that, if we combine criminal justice sanction along with drug treatment, it can be effective in reducing drug use and other crimes.

In case of Prison Based Treatment Program, those under the addiction treatment should be separated from the prison population so that, the “prison culture” is not able to overcome the progress towards recovery.

Although it is very difficult to break a drug addiction, the several addiction treatments available make it possible.

Gay Addiction Treatment in the New York and New Jersey Areas

There are many addiction treatment centers in New Jersey and New York, but few with the ability to effectively treat the GLBT population. Most addiction treatment programs are heterosexual in nature, while the GLBT population requires at a minimum a gay addiction treatment component within the drug rehab itslef.

Addiction treatment program and alcohol addiction programs have been available for the heterosexual community in New York and New Jersey for well over 30 years. These addiction treatment programs have been of high quality and either, private, not for profit, federally funded, inpatient addiction treatment or outpatient addiction treatment. There has been addiction treatment for almost any kind of drug addiction or alcohol addiction. You can find addiction treatment programs for the elderly, adolescent, men or women, but what about the GLBT population (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender). Where do those with a different sexual orientation go and feel comfortable? Where do the GLBT go where they can receive addiction treatment without being judged?

Gay Addiction Treatment History Historically, the GLBT community suffering from drug addiction or alcoholism, were expected to fit into primarily heterosexual drug rehab or alcohol rehab programs. Can you imagine being heterosexual and being asked to fit into a gay addiction treatment program, gay drug rehab or gay alcohol rehab program. Think maybe you might feel a little uncomfortable, have trouble fitting in or experience the result of internalized homophobia. What do you think your addiction treatment experience would be like? That is correct, you would never receive the greatest possible benefit from you addiction treatment experience. Because of this the possibility of relapse would be quite high.

Today, the approach to treating the GLBT population has begun to change. You can find drug rehab or alcohol treatment programs such as Lakeview Freedom Rings that has designed addiction treatment for the GLBT population within the structure of a state of the art addiciton treatment program. Addiction treatment programs such as this, have begun to emerge, but on a limited basis.

What is the Clinical Structure Within the Addiction Treatment Program The gay addiction treatment component is almost a program within a program. While the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender certainly have their own set of specific issues, people are people and addicts are addicts. Any quality gay addiction treatment component will have its own addiction therapist trained in meeting the recovery needs of the GLBT population, the staff at the addiction treatment center will receive sensitivity training and education to reduce and sometimes eliminate any homophobic attitudes and the GLBT patients will participate in clinical services with the rest of the population outside of their component.

NY and NJ Gay Addiction Treatment Services