Millions of people enter drug and alcohol rehab each year. But treatment today is far more complicated than the “take two aspirin and call me in the morning” approach of yesterday. Substance abuse is a tricky disease that manifests itself differently in each individual. And we’re learning more every day about how patients are benefiting from individualized care.
Individualized care doesn’t mean starting over with every case. Good treatment plans will reflect what we’ve learned from addiction science over the years. Then doctors apply the best lessons in each plan.
The goal of treatment is to help you move toward sustained sobriety. And the evidence increasingly shows that patients are benefiting from individualized care.
Why Individualized Care?
Substance abuse disorders act on the body, like any other physical illness. But the course of the illness is shaped by other factors relating to thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. Consequently, cookie-cutter forms of addiction treatment won’t necessarily work for everyone. That said, individualized treatment plans are based around “principles of effective treatment,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Some of these principles include:
- Detox is only the first step toward treatment
- Use proven counseling techniques such as cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Addressing the addiction and underlying mental and physical health challenges
- Providing detailed treatment plans that are long enough as appropriate
- Medication-therapy may be necessary to cope with addiction
Treatment focused on these principles will produce a track record of patients benefiting from individualized care.
Benefiting from Individualized Care
Individualized care is a topic that transcends addiction medicine. Health care workers around the world have been exploring the concept of developing personalized treatment and care plans for a wide range of conditions. For instance, with enhanced abilities for gene mapping, doctors can customize treatment for certain cancers.
In addiction medicine, individualized treatment looks to understand and adjust the variables that can move an individual closer to recovery, according to a 2015 paper in the journal Behavioral Science.
Understanding those triggers can provide doctors and therapists with the information they need to respond in a preventive manner. When successful, this approach results in more and more patients benefiting from individualized care.
What to Expect from Individualized Treatment
Individualized addiction treatment based on genetics is where the field is heading. What does individualized treatment look like today? Customized treatment depends on a thorough personalized assessment and will look at the nature of your addiction and the circumstances that led you to this point.
One of the markers of individualized care: the existence of separate gender-specific programs that recognize the men and women follow different paths in addiction.
The assessment will determine the course of treatment. If your addiction stems from trauma, for instance, then your plan will be geared toward developing skills to cope with or overcome the dark events in your life. In this way, you increase the chances of benefiting from individualized care.
Reaching Out to Right Step
Substance abuse and addiction are disruptive to your life. Getting help is the right thing to do. Every individual is different, and treatment plans must be carefully focused on the issues you face. At Right Step Houston, our team of specialists focuses on your needs with drug and alcohol rehab programs aimed at restoring you to sobriety and supporting you with aftercare. Our programs include:
- Medical drug detox
- Inpatient drug rehab
- Alcohol addiction treatment
- Aftercare programs
- Addiction therapy programs.
Through these treatments, programs, and services, we’re poised to provide clients with the skills and resources they need to make a lasting recovery. We have a track record of patients benefiting from individualized care. So call us today for a confidential consultation at 1.844.768.0169.