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Saturday, June 18, 2016

By Steven Martin


Dependency on drugs affects the function and performance of the brain. It also affects the behavior of the individual. Hard and soft drugs are the main reason for the low rates of employment, spreading of sexually transmitted diseases and wastage of valuable manpower. There are two main ways carried out in Treatment for Heroin addiction, behavioral and pharmacologic methods. The article will explain some of the valuable information you should know about the program.

Through scientific research, scientists have discovered that it is possible to deal with drug addiction through administering other drugs. This method in dealing with drug addiction is known as a Pharmacological method. The method has been identified to reduce drug use and increases the chances of success and retention of the treatment program. This thus ensures that the patient will still have the will to avoid using the drug even after the completion of the rehabilitation program.

Drugs used in pharmacological treatments operate on the same receptors as those that the addictive drug works on. Although both drugs work similar receptors, the drugs used to treat the addict will not create any effect similar to those of the drugs. The drugs are divided into three groups according to the manner in which they affect the receptors. Agonists which activate the receptors, partial agonists that activate receptors for small responses and antagonists which block receptors.

Withdrawal symptoms are mandatory for any rehabilitation process. The patient might have severe vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and pain that often prompts patients to quit the rehabilitation. The withdrawal symptoms vary from one patient to another. To help patients cope with the withdrawal symptoms during the detoxification stage, some drugs are used in reducing the symptoms.

Different drugs are administered differently in the pharmacological method. Methadone are administered slowly so as to act slowly as expected. It is an agonist drug. Naltrexone is an antagonist that has been recently discovered to last for up to a month thus they are administered as monthly injections. Finally, buprenorphine a partial agonist is administered orally or sublingually.

Behavioral treatments are mainly offered to outpatients and patients in residential areas. It is of two main ways, contingency management, and cognitive behavioral therapy. In contingency management, positive reinforcement is used. Thus the patient is rewarded for every negative drug result. Alternatively, cognitive behavioral therapy aims to change the expectations and behaviors of the patient that relates to drug use and instead offer them skills to enable them to handle life stressors.

Although the behavioral and pharmacologic treatments work best alone, some patients will require a combination of both methods to ensure more effective rehabilitation. The method used thus solely depends on the condition or character of the patient. Only a professionally qualified doctor in rehabilitation should analyze and determine the best method of treating an addict.

It is important to note that different people have different needs. Thus, one method that works for one person is not guaranteed to work on another. The guardian thus has to work hand in hand with the doctor to ensure that the patient receives the best treatment, medication, and method or treatment approach that meets the particular needs of the patient.




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