Life Society and Drugs Substance Abuse Treatment Options

Life Society and Drugs Substance Abuse: Treatment Options and Family Dynamics By: Rae. An Butler

Exploration • When it came to me deciding what topic I wanted to explore I thought about different ways this course related to my life. On my fathers side of the family, from generation to generation, there has been a long road of substance abuse. From getting clean to relapsing, my question is: How do treatment programs work and how can an individual make this happen?

Choosing the Right Treatment Program • Making the decision to become clean can be stressful for an addict. Choosing the right treatment program just adds on to the pile. According to Leventhal there are important decisions to be made about the type of program that is best suited for a given individual. There are three general recommendations (Levinthal, 2014).

Outpatient Treatment • Less costly • Concentrates on adjustment to drug-free life in the “real world. ” • Consider impatient treatment: outpatient treatment fails, medical or psychiatric problems require hospitalization, and outpatient facility is too far. • Impatient care – no longer than 2 -4 weeks (Levinthal, 2014).

Contact • Continue contact with treatment facility for 6 -12 months. • Minimizes individual from dropping out of program or relapsing. (Levinthal, 2014)

Support System • Abusers with few sources of social support should consider a half-way or recovery house for 3 -6 months (Levinthal, 2014). Levinthal, C. F. (2014). Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society. Table 17. 7 - Fig. 17. 4

Enabling Behaviors • The people around you can have an impact on your recovery and enable you without knowing it. • A pattern of enabling comes in several forms:

Avoiding and Shielding • Enablers make up excuses to avoid social situations where drug abuse is going on and keep up appearances when among friends or neighbors (Levinthal, 2014. Table 17. 6. 2).

Attempting to Control • Enablers might buy gifts in an attempt to divert the abuser from dealing with his/her problems (Levinthal, 2014. Table 17. 6. 2).

Taking Over Responsibilities • Enablers might assume the responsibility for the abuser. For example: getting a second job to compensate for lost income (Levinthal, 2014. Table 17. 6. 2).

Rationalizing and Accepting • Enablers might communicate the belief that the episodes of substance abuse were isolated and sporadic, family members were not endangered, or that there was a positive side to the drug-taking behavior, such as the relief of depression of anxiety (Levinthal, 2014. Table 17. 6. 2).

Cooperation and Collaboration • At an extreme level, enables might facilitate the process of substance abuse by helping to clean and purify drugs, drinking along with an alcoholic, or lending money to purchase street drugs or alcohol so that stealing money is not necessary (Levinthal, 2014. Table 17. 6. 2).

Making the Journey Happen • An addict can ensure their recovery by following the three recommendations and starting fresh with new people in their lives to assure that there are no obstacles in their way.

References • Levinthal, C. F. (2014). Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society.