How to treat a drug addiction
The first and very important step of the treatment is to recognize that a drug dependency exists. Professional help should definitely be sought, since drug addiction is a serious disease. The basic concept of treatment is usually withdrawal, i.e. the discontinuation of the substance in question.
Depending on the treatment or substance, this can be abrupt or gradual. With many drugs, withdrawal is carried out as an inpatient procedure. Withdrawal symptoms can be severe or even life-threatening, but are usually easily treated.
In the case of a serious or long-lasting dependency with low chances of success for withdrawal, substitution can also be sought. This is particularly the case with opioids. In this case, drugs are not completely discontinued, but are administered to the person concerned in a controlled manner.
This is intended to prevent uncontrolled, risky and illegal consumption with serious consequences for the patient. Often, drug dependence is associated with other diseases. Particularly mentally ill patients often show an attempt to self-medicate by taking certain drugs or even drugs, which can lead to drug addiction.Therapy of the original disease can also improve drug dependence.
An important component of treatment is withdrawal. Here, an attempt is made to stop taking the substance. A basic distinction is made between cold and warm withdrawal.
In cold withdrawal, the intake of the corresponding substance is stopped suddenly and without substitution. In contrast to this, warm withdrawal attempts a slow release of the corresponding drug. Warm withdrawal is preferred for substances that can cause severe withdrawal symptoms.
Withdrawal symptoms often occur when drugs have been taken in high doses over a long period of time, so that habituation to the drugs has taken place. Depending on the medication, they can be of varying severity. Severe withdrawal symptoms can even be life-threatening without treatment. In this case a slow withdrawal in an inpatient environment is recommended.
Duration of the treatment
The duration of a treatment varies depending on the patient and the medication. For some medications, a one-time discontinuation of the intake with a cold withdrawal is sufficient for a successful treatment. Much more often, however, longer treatments are required.
These can also be carried out as in-patient treatment over several weeks. Relapses are a major problem with addictions. Even after years, an addiction can break out again. In this case, fast professional help is of great importance.
