Addictions are one of the most widespread psychological disorders today in any Western society, and they have the particularity of deteriorating the quality of people quickly. Although there are differences between them in terms of the level of immediate danger, in general in all cases there is a tendency to experience very significant physical wear and tear that shortens the years of life, and impoverishment in all areas of life (social relationships, ability to find work, etc.).
That is why it is very important to tackle this type of problem as soon as possible and go to accredited and experienced health professionals to intervene in this type of disorder. But… What does addiction treatment consist of, exactly? We will see it below.
Addictions are much more than the tendency to perform the same type of actions over and over again to satisfy an impulse that becomes increasingly uncontrollable. It is a phenomenon that affects both the behavior of the individual and the context in which they live and that even generates changes in the functioning and structure of your brain
On the one hand, repeatedly consuming the need that generates addiction leads the brain to reorganize itself internally to make this goal the priority objective for the person, so that all other aspects of life become a priority. background.
It is not about a free decision or a moral position: it is about nerve cells always being activated in the same way through the reward system of the brain, which “learns” to interpret the source of the addiction as that which is capable of generate a moment of satisfaction a truly significant reward.
Over time, this need needs to be fulfilled more frequently and with greater urgency, and it is also necessary to engage much more in these types of behaviors to obtain the same sensation of temporary satisfaction, compared to previous stages of the addictive process. This is because the brain gets used to that torrent of chemical elements that take control of its functioning every time that impulse is satisfied, and it is the reason why, for example, the same dose of drug that months ago gave pleasure, after a while it generates frustration because it is insufficient.
Furthermore, as the person enters the addiction, their lifestyle and social context changes to adapt to the fact that practically their only concern is satisfying the addictive need. Thus, family relationships tend to deteriorate, lifelong friendships as well, and the people you spend your free time with are usually involved too in the sale or consumption of drugs, gambling, or whatever the element that drives the disorder.
Therefore, the treatment of addictions must adapt to this triple reality: the addiction is maintained and reproduced because the brain has modified its functioning to prioritize a single goal, the social and daily context exposes it more to addiction, and the habits of the person make them get used to organizing their daily life so that it is easy to relapse again and again.
Addiction treatment: what is it like?
As we have seen, an addiction is a complex phenomenon that involves several levels of intervention: the biological, the behavioral and the contextual. Therefore, addiction treatment consists of go through a process of regaining control over one’s life that takes these elements into account, leaving none of them unattended.
Below we will see what are the main phases that addiction treatment goes through. All of them are designed to direct the patient to a life in which the dependence on what has been addicted to is reduced so much that it stops conditioning the person’s day-to-day life, although at each stage procedures and subs are proposed. -different objectives, as we will see.
1. Detox phase
In the detox phase, the person is helped to spend several days away from the influence of the addiction and manage in the best possible way the discomfort generated by withdrawal during those first hours
It is about letting the body eliminate the accumulation of potential addictive substances, and preventing the symptoms of the need to consume from significantly harming the patient (for example, insomnia problems or strong anxiety). For this, intervention and supervision by doctors and other experienced health professionals is very important to act at this critical moment in which acute discomfort manifests itself.
Once the “monkey” has passed, the next phase of addiction treatment appears.
2. Dishabituation phase
In the cessation phase, physical and psychological health professionals help the patient take their first steps as a person who must move away from addiction. Although the acute discomfort of the first phase has gone, the need to return to what the addiction is based on is still present, and that is why here we must help “train” the person to manage their emotions, to recognize thoughts and behaviors that increase the risk of relapse and to generate healthy habits that keep them away from the influence of that form of dependency.
In this way, psychologists and doctors work together so that the patient organizes his life in a way that little by little gives him more independence and control over what happens to him, at the same time that the need to relapse ceases to be the only priority. .
3. Reintegration or rehabilitation phase
In this phase, the biopsychological aspect of addiction no longer causes as many problems as in the detoxification stage, although it is still present.
The goal here is allow the patient to re-create lifestyle habits linked to a context and that they do not rely on any of the elements that facilitate relapse, as well as providing them with situations in which they can get involved again in exciting activities and projects and with the ability to offer them incentives in the medium and long term, and from which they can return. to structure your life away from drugs, gambling or any other source of addiction.
Here we also work to get the person used to exposing themselves to social contexts away from potentially addictive stimuli, especially taking into account that those who have developed one type of addiction have a much higher risk of developing another. For this reason, participation in social groups of people who reject the use of drugs and the like is encouraged, as well as returning to family life or with friends who can help prevent relapse.
Are you looking for professional help for addiction treatment?
If you live in the metropolitan area of ​​Barcelona and are looking for help to overcome an addiction, we invite you to contact our professionals from CITA Clinics
This entity, which has a presence in Barcelona and Dosrius (Mataró), specializes specifically in the treatment of addictions, whether they are based on substance consumption or have to do with addictive behaviors (such as addiction to gambling ).
Besides, We have a detention center surrounded by nature and full of different services medical and therapeutic, monitoring and counseling, as well as leisure spaces to stay away from relapses: gardens, reading room and library, equine-assisted psychotherapy area, physiotherapy area, swimming pool, gym, physiotherapy room, etc.
If you are interested in knowing more about CITA Clinics to have our team of experts in addiction treatment, contact us through this link.
