A lot of people find themselves with conditions that require them to take medication. Maybe it’s chronic pain that requires an opioid. Maybe you or someone you know has ADHD and has to take alprazolam. Or maybe it’s something else entirely.
Regardless, medication is prescribed to help with these conditions. But just because a doctor prescribes a medication doesn’t mean that you can’t succumb to addiction and dependence. Prescription drug use can still lead to addiction, and there were roughly 1 million Australians over the age of 14 who reported at least one instance of non-medical pharmaceutical use.
Is there prescription drug addiction help that can get you clean? Can you overcome the misuse of prescription medication? And how can the underlying condition that compelled a doctor to prescribe the medication in the first place be managed? In this article, we discuss some of the possible options for treatment for you or your loved one.
Modalities in Prescription Drug Addiction Treatment
A lot of people take prescription drugs, and while not everyone becomes addicted to them, you may be one of them. For a variety of reasons, a small population of those who are prescribed become addicted to the medication that they take. Some of the options for treatment to help address these addictions can include:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a form of therapy that is concerned with the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. This can help you identify the thought patterns that may contribute to their substance use disorder. CBT can also help you develop healthy coping mechanisms so you don’t resort to drug use.
CBT is a versatile therapeutic modality that can be used for a variety of mental and behavioural health concerns that you may have.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
DBT is an offshoot of CBT that was originally used to treat Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). It has since proven to be effective for various other conditions, including multiple forms of substance abuse.
DBT can help you manage your relationships, cope with crises, and handle strong emotions without turning to substance use.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
If your substance use is rooted in trauma, then EMDR can help you. EMDR is a form of treatment that uses bilateral stimulation to process traumatic memories, which can sometimes get stuck in the brain. By processing these memories, the emotional weight they carry is lightened.
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
Another modality that can be used for substance addiction is MI. This modality can help you resolve ambivalence about your recovery as well as help you discover intrinsic motivation to recover from prescription medication use.
Why Seek Treatment at All?
You may wonder if you need to seek treatment for pharmaceutical addiction. After all, these medications have medical uses, and you could legitimately need to take them.
Regardless of whether it is an addiction to a medication or an illicit drug, it can still have various detrimental effects. The exact physical and mental health effects can vary based on the specific medication, but the social effects can be similar across the board. Furthermore, many of these drugs can lead to overdose.
You may also become isolated as a result of addiction, as you’ll want to hide your addiction or prioritise using drugs over spending time with them.
Depending on the jurisdiction, possessing medication without a valid prescription may also incur legal consequences. You or your loved one may be so addicted to the drug of choice that you start doctor shopping, which is when a person goes from one physician to another to get a valid prescription. This will almost certainly fail, as many doctors have learned to identify drug-seeking behaviour.
The Importance of Addressing the Underlying Causes in Prescription Drug Rehab
If you’re addicted to prescription medication, then a treatment programme has to address the condition that compelled a doctor to prescribe you the medication in the first place. This allows a treatment team to simultaneously tackle your drug addiction and any co-occurring disorders they may have.
This can be essential in helping you. By addressing the co-occurring disorder that makes taking medication necessary alongside your dependency, a rehab facility can lower your odds of relapsing and increase your chances of comprehensive recovery.
Phases of Treating Prescription Drug Abuse
Treating your addiction to medication does not happen all at once. It is something that comes in a variety of stages. These stages include:
Detox
During this phase of treatment, you’ll purge your body of all traces of the drugs you’ve taken. It’s best to do this in a rehab centre, though cases of complicated withdrawal symptoms may be referred to medical facilities.
Inpatient Care
Inpatient care puts you in a controlled environment to receive intensive care for substance addiction. During this phase of treatment, various interventions such as the 12-step programme, group therapy, and individual counselling may be used to guide you in overcoming your addiction.
Aftercare
Those who struggle with addiction will often need continued support after prescription drug addiction help in a treatment centre. Aftercare programmes can offer you continued support while you work on your recovery.
What Medications are Frequently Abused?
There are a variety of medications that can be abused. Opioids are a fairly common misused medication. These are incredibly potent painkillers, and opioid addiction is a worldwide concern. The World Health Organisation reports that a quarter of the 600,000 deaths related to drug use in 2019 were attributable to opioids.
Benzodiazepines are another medication that is frequently abused. These are medications that are often used to treat anxiety and conditions that cause seizures. They are generally a short-term treatment, but some people can become dependent.
Stimulants are a class of medications that are used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. They often increase a person’s energy and make them feel more awake. These effects, however, can make people who have busy schedules prone to abusing them, as it can give them the energy to finish everything they feel that they need to.
Prescription Drug Treatment Can Help You Get Your Life Back
Many people have to take medication for a variety of symptoms. However, these medications can be addictive. There is prescription drug addiction help available at The Orchid.
At our treatment centre in Chiang Mai, we’ll offer you or your loved one prescription drug addiction help so you can live a life without misusing medication.
