• What is residential treatment? • Why can't someone who is addicted stop on their own? • What if a person has an addiction and a psychiatric problem at the same time? What is residential treatment? Residential treatment for chemical dependency provides a supervised group living environment for individuals who have been unable to abstain from alcohol or drugs while in their home environment. Common reasons that individuals are not able to abstain while in their home environment include, abusive relationships, anxiety and depression, lack of community resources, lack of healthy support systems, and multiple life stressors. Most often, individuals seeking residential treatment engage in substance abuse to the extent that dangerous consequences are inevitable. Patients who participate in residential treatment are exposed to a variety of therapeutic services designed to teach the patient how to intervene in his or her relapse cycle. Why can't someone who is addicted stop on their own? Almost everyone who has suffered from addiction has believed that they could control their use or stop using without assistance. In fact, the defining characteristic of addiction is the compulsion to use alcohol or drugs despite adverse consequence. Not only is it psychologically difficult to stop an addiction, changes in brain chemistry that result from substance abuse cause physiological problems that can be fatal if one abruptly stops using on their own. It is important that individuals seeking treatment for chemical dependency receive professional assistance to determine the safest way to stop their addiction. What if a person has an addiction and a psychiatric problem at the same time? Chemical dependency causes changes in the way the brain functions. Because of these changes, individuals who are dependent on substances often experience psychiatric problems, such as anxiety, depression, confusion mood swings, hallucinations, irritability, insomnia, memory loss, and poor impulse control. Some individuals struggling with chemical dependency report psychiatric problems prior to their first use of alcohol or drugs. For these individuals, alcohol or drug use may have begun as a solution for their psychiatric problems. Whether the psychiatric problems began before or after the addiction, both problems are treatable while in residential treatment. What if someone has tried alcohol or drug treatment before? Addiction is a chronic and relapsing biologically based disease. As such, it is not unusual for a person to experience multiple treatment episodes prior to achieving long term recovery. Most individuals that experience long term recovery have relapsed at some point in their addiction recovery process, and that relapse has prompted them to pursue further treatment options. What if an addicted person doesn't feel they have a problem? Denial is certainly part of the recovery process and is to be expected. Denial is a defensive mechanism that protects us from perceived harm. For those addicted to alcohol and drugs, denial can be a reaction to the perception that harm will result from abstinence or change. It is always advisable to seek the assistance of a licensed professional when helping someone understand their addiction and treatment options. Is family involvement important in alcohol and drug treatment? Family involvement during treatment is of paramount importance. Years of alcohol and drug abuse greatly affects many dynamics within the family unit. Issues relating to coping, communication, trust and trauma, are just a few examples. During the course of treatment, families can learn about the addiction process, and how to help their loved ones prevent relapse. (Back to top)
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