Between the start of the second quarter of 2020 and the end of the first quarter of 2021, close to 92,000 Americans died of a drug overdose. This was an all-time high and the steep increase in the number of deaths over previous periods was ascribed to Covid isolation. In 2022, after the lifting of most Covid restrictions around the world, drug use is still high. Approximately 20 million Americans from the age of 12 years and up have substance use disorders (SUD).
For the sake of accuracy, we need to acknowledge that hype around the illegal use of fentanyl, an opioid derivative, has created a medical crisis for legitimate patients who need and have been prescribed these treatments for moderate to severe chronic pain. Opioids give people with chronic pain a better quality of life and this use is managed by clinicians. Similarly, multiple states have legalized marihuana. Yet many writers still include these users in national figures of SUD. Thus, the variously reported statistics need to be interrogated and not simply accepted.
That said, many US citizens have become addicted to various substances, which is having a negative effect on their lives and that of their families. About 38% of addicts have a comorbid mental health condition. Getting help for addiction is essential. We look at some of the therapies that are currently in use for recovery from addiction.
Behavioral Health Therapy
Behavioral Health Therapy For Addiction is one of the most popular therapies employed by addiction clinics. This can form the basis of group, family, and individual therapy. It often appears in popular treatment techniques that have been adapted from the original Behavioral Therapy. Examples of these processes include Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Contingency Management (CM). We look at a few of these below.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on thought processes with the understanding that negative thinking leads to behavioral issues. It also teaches addicts skills to cope with their lives. It is used to treat many mental health disorders.
CBT shows that moods can be affected by thoughts. Patients are shown how to change destructive automatic thoughts. Cognitive distortions are biased thoughts that make people feel bad about themselves and are also addressed by CBT. Treatment is individualized to be appropriate for a specific patient.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT was derived from Behavioral Therapy during the 1980s and CBT. It is effective in treating patients with suicidal ideations, risky behaviors, and severe mental illnesses. DBT concentrates on substance abusers making friends with disturbing feelings, whereas CBT works around them. Techniques used in DBT are interpersonal effectiveness, mindfulness, tolerating distress, and emotional regulation.
As Behavioral Therapy is so successful in managing addiction and the mental health conditions it often presents with, it has led to the creation of many new techniques based on its applications. Most rehabilitation centers use either Behavioral Therapy or one of its offshoots.
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