According to hospital records taken fromCarrollton ERs, more than one hundred people were admitted to the hospital dueto heroin overdoses. In addition, 130 were treated for overdosing onprescription opioids like oxycontin, percocet, vicodin, or lortab. While opioidaddiction has become an epidemic all across America, Carrollton overdoses fromopioid-based drugs accounted for more hospital visits than cocaine, crack,meth, ecstasy, and other prescription medications combined. While these numbers may seem staggering, thenumber of deaths in Georgia due to drugs comes in just below the national average.
This islargely because Georgia offers some of the most effective drug and alcoholtreatment centers in the country. Further, its treatment facilities are tightlyregulated by both the state, and internally by the high standards of theAmerican Medical Association. For Carrollton and Atlanta Metropolitanresidents looking to turn their lives around and kick the habit, there arequality resources out there that will help them do just that.
But they andtheir loved ones may be unsure of what the process entails, and let’s face it,major changes such as this one can be scary, especially when you’re taken outof a comfortable, albeit dangerous, place and tossed into a frightening, albeithealthy, one. It won’t be easy, but knowing what to expectwill help many manage the transition easier. So, these are the fundamentalelements of drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Hopefully, knowing what to expectwill make the process less intrusive.Drug Assessments: What They areand How They’re Conducted A drug assessment is the first step inrecovery for the many millions of people who have successfully quit usingaddictive drugs or alcohol. The assessment is designed to help your doctorsdevelop a successful detox plan and treatment regimen. Drug assessments generally include thefollowing: ? Urine and blood tests to determinetoxicity levels? Questionnaires designed todetermine a patient’s beliefs surrounding their drug or alcohol use? A patient history that shouldinclude not only the personal history of the patient, but also a history oftheir family members? A mental health assessment thatcan determine any factors that contribute to the desire for drugs and alcohol? A safety screening to determinethe likelihood that a patient would harm themselves either passively byoverdosing or actively.
This may include an assessment for suicidal ideation ordesire.? A physical assessment to determinethe extent that a patient’s drug abuse has had on their physical health Drug assessments are meant to do just that:assess an individual patient’s condition and determine what the best treatmentplan would be for their recovery. It helps doctors familiarize themselves withyour case and understand the extent of the addiction. Intake and Detox This is where the real work begins. It isoften the scariest and most difficult part of the process for those with drugdependency issues and their families. Heroin and opioid addiction is renownedfor its painful detox, but alcohol detox can be just as painful and dangerous.This is especially true when it’s not overseen by a trained medical staff.
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Many folks with drug issues fear detox themost, but medical science has gotten fairly good at making the process aspainless as possible. Nonetheless, those that are going through detox,especially for alcohol and opioids, need to have medical staff on hand tomanage the process, and to ensure that it’s as safe and comfortable aspossible. That being said, there are a number of thingsto keep in mind.
Drugs for Easing the Symptoms ofWithdrawal Rehab clinics may administer drugs such asAtivan or Methadone to patients that are suffering from severe withdrawalsyndromes. Ativan is generally prescribed to those that are going throughalcohol withdrawal because it helps manage the symptoms of delirium tremens. Heroin or opioid addicts mayneed a drug like Methadone that will help relieve the symptoms of withdrawal.In the latter case, it becomes a matter of weaning a patient off the addictivesubstance.
The process of weaning patients off helperdrugs like Methadone is often among the most difficult parts of the process.Physically, the addiction is still there, and likewise, the craving for thesubstance remains. These drugs provide a temporary buffer that makes theprocess less painful, but the pain of detoxing can’t be eradicated entirely.This is another reason why inpatient treatment during this phase is crucial.The desire to go back to using the substance of choice will be at its strongesthere.Dual Diagnosis or Co-OccurringPatients Dual diagnosis and co-occurring refers topatients that have substance dependency issues that occur alongside anothermental health diagnosis. This includes major depressive disorder, anxietydisorders, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. It also can include personalitydisorders such as borderline personality disorder.
Patients with co-occuringmental health and addiction diagnoses are extremely vulnerable to the lure ofdrug addiction. For them, it will mean not only becoming aware of how theirmental health diagnosis impacts their desire to use, but maintaining andmanaging their health moving forward more proactively. For obvious reasons, many folks with mentalhealth diagnoses choose to self-medicate their condition with street drugs oralcohol. This has a nasty tendency to make matters worse. Hence, theirtreatment plan will not only involve the managing of their detox, but alsogetting the symptoms of their mental health problems under control.
This might involve the prescription ofantidepressants or anti-anxiety medications. For those with schizophrenia andrelated conditions, it may involve the prescription of an antipsychotic. Post-detox Treatment Options Post-acute detox symptoms can last up totwelve months after the patient has cleaned the drug out of their system. Thereis such a thing as psychological and emotional detox.
Unfortunately, it can beevery bit as difficult and painful as the process of physically detoxing.Patients are generally very vulnerable at this stage. In fact, most relapsesoccur within six months of detox. Thus there are a number of intensive waysthat rehab clinics manage a patient’s sobriety after they’ve detoxed from theirdrug of choice.Inpatient or ResidentialTreatment Programs (RTC) Detox isn’t the end of drug rehabilitation.It’s just the beginning.
The cravings remain and the desire for the drug ofchoice won’t diminish entirely simply because the physical addiction has beenkicked. In fact, most of those who relapse do so after detoxification hasoccurred. The urge to use will remain strong for the rest of a patient’s life. For this reason, many patients choose toremain in a residential program for up to 90 days after initial intake. Mostresidential programs last at least 30 days.
The sense of doing this is that thepsychological lure of the drug remains strong even after the withdrawalsymptoms have diminished. During a residential treatment program, the patientwill be with others who are also attempting to kick the addiction. They willreceive both one on one treatment from board certified therapists, and be partof groups that aim at educating them on how to remain sober once they’rereleased.
This includes learning tools and skills to manage their lives movingforward. Community is a major factor in healing andhaving a support structure is one of the key components of recovery. It’s thereason why programs like NA and AA are so successful. Having a safe outlet inwhich to talk about their experiences helps patients come to terms with theirpersonal history and understand their motivations for using drugs in the past. One other obvious benefit of inpatientprograms is that it prevents patients from re-entering situations in whichthey’ll have easy access to their drug of choice.
As stated prior, patientstend to be extremely vulnerable during this period, and going back to persons,places, and things that encourage their addiction makes it that much moredifficult for them to maintain their sobriety. Residential treatment facilitiesenable a patient to focus fully on their recovery. Partial Hospitalization Programs(PHP) Partial hospitalization programs are a hybridbetween inpatient and outpatient programs. They involve spending part of theday at the hospital facilities. Patients are allowed to go home or to a soberliving environment. There will be some patients for whom partialhospitalization is not a good option. This includes patients that will be goingback to environments in which the temptation for using is very high.
Daily structure is provided for PHP patientswho are required to be at the hospital from 9am to 4pm for groups and sessions.Off hours, the patient will be required to abstain from drugs and alcohol andare likely to be tested frequently for relapse.Intensive Outpatient Programs(IOP) IOP programs are designed for those that canprovide their own structure. They’re ideally suited to patients with a strongsupport structure, are highly motivated to remain clean and sober, and don’tneed the medical support that PHP or RTC provides.
These programs offer daytimeand evening meetings designed to fit around the patient’s schedule.Which Treatment Option is Best? This depends entirely on the individualpatient. Most patients have gotten used to a lifestyle that includes excessivedrugs and alcohol and this has resulted in their lives becoming unmanageable.For a patient who has a solid support structure and whose home environmentprovides them with a drug free environment, IOP or PHP are going to be suitableoptions. Most patients end up needing the intensive care that RTC provides, buteach patient’s needs are different.
Continuing Care After Rehab hasConcluded Relapses happen in large number of cases. Thisis because patients who have fully recovered from their drug treatment start tobuild normal lives again. They’re surrounded by people they care about. They’reworking.
Things are going well for them. They then think that because they’redoing well they can go back to partying and that it won’t get out of controllike it did the last time. Suddenly, their work gets sloppy and they lose theirjob.
Their relationships fall apart because managing their addiction becomesmore important to them, and they’re right back where they started. Outpatient treatment does the best it can interms of managing co-occurring mental health problems and tox screening thoseas a condition of treatment, but it takes a real commitment on behalf of theindividual patient to maintain their sobriety. Absent that, it doesn’t work atall. Therapies for Recovering Addicts For most recovering addicts Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) isextremely helpful for staying focused on their sobriety and establishing goalsfor the future. The ultimate goal is to change patterns of thinking that haveled to self-destructive behavior in the past.
Cognitive behavioral theory holdsthat our thoughts influence our actions and behavior. By controlling anddirecting our thoughts, we can more successfully manage our behavior. For recovering addicts, this means identifyingtheir triggers to use drugs or alcohol, and avoiding situations that may causea relapse. But further, it also involves changing the meaning that we give tocertain stressful events that may cause those in recovery to relapse. Since ona long enough time scale, stress is unavoidable, recovering addicts are taughtways to manage stress in a healthy way.Twelve Step Programs Many people in recovery find 12 step programsto be immensely helpful.
This is largely because they provide a supportstructure for those that have none and those that need to be able to discussthe issues relevant to recovering addicts with those that understand and havegone through the process. Sober Living Environments For those that are in a difficult situationconcerning their housing, there are a number of options that the State ofGeorgia and Carroll County provide for those that need a place to stay whilethey rebuild their lives. These include transitional living services whereformer patients can live with roommates who are also going through roughly thesame circumstances they are. This type of living arrangement providesmedical and psychiatric services as well as career counseling and other avenuestoward rebuilding a person’s life. Moving Forward with a Sober Life Boredom, loneliness, and hopelessness arethree major roadblocks that recovering addicts face. It is thus imperative thatthey have a community of people around that understand what they’re goingthrough because they’ve been there before.
They need the structure and supportof those who care about them and medial staff that can help them manage theother obstacles they face on the road to recovery. If you or someone you love is in the thrall ofdrug addiction, help is out there and recovery is possible. Reaching out is thefirst step toward a brighter future.
