Addiction Treatment: Things to Consider
Consideration in determining level of care.
We previously explored the different types of substance use and abuse disorder and addiction treatments available, and now we will take a deeper dive into the factors to consider in determining the correct level of care for you or your loved one. Determining the level of care is not a one size fits all formula. Below we will explore a few considerations that intake workers and mental health professionals typically use to determine the best course of treatment for individuals struggling with addiction and substance use and abuse disorders. Be advised, that these are general guidelines for determining the best level of care, and it is always in the best interest of each individual to be personally evaluated for their needs, risk factors, and substance use history to determine the best course of action for their addiction treatment needs. An incorrect evaluation of care can at best, lead to relapse, delay in addition management, and at worst result in medical concerns or bodily harm.
The American Society of Addiction Medicine has developed a multi dimensional guide for considerations when selecting the right level of care for addiction recovery. These considerations include:
Evaluation of current substance use and withdrawal potentials: This includes understanding the number of times per week or day a substance may be used, the amount of substance used and the length of time that the individual has been using the substance. Substances interact with the physiology of the human body and complete withdrawal of substances without the correct level of medical oversight for physiological concerns can pose dangerous health risks or compromise the success of the additional treatment.
Evaluation of current and past health conditions: As explained above, withdrawal symptoms can pose real physical concerns depending on duration and amount of substance use. For healthy holistic care in addiction treatment, any previous or current health conditions need to be evaluated for client safety.
Evaluation of mental health history as well as emotional and cognitive concerns: The actual use of the substance is often only one component of the complex set of mental and emotional factors leading to the development of addiction or substance abuse disorders. The National Institute of Drug Abuse estimates that of those meeting criteria of an addiction or substance abuse disorder disorder, 37.9% also had some other mental health related disorder. Common co-occurring disorders include anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress or trauma disorder and personality disorders. For successful treatment of an addiction all components of an individual's mental health must be addressed for long term success and sobriety.
Evaluation of the motivation and readiness for change of the individual: Addiction sobriety is hard and often requires significant life style, social, familial and personal changes for successful recovery outcomes. Not everyone is ready to make these changes, and evaluation of that motivation is important when considering successful addiction treatment.
Evaluation of relapse risk and the individuals relationship with the addiction: Relapse prevention is the aim of most addiction recovery programs. Understanding an individual's risk factors associated with prior experiences with relapse, contributors to substance use continuing, and overall health of the environment in which the recovery will take place has a major impact on recovery outcomes.
Evaluation of the context of individual and how their environment may help or hurt their recovery/ sobriety success: Our environment, the people that we are surrounded by, the social norms of the places that we go an people that we surround ourselves with all have major impacts on the choices that we make and behaviors that we are most likely to exhibit. This is no different for addictions and substance use rates.
Here is graphic from The American Society of Addiction Medicine that breaks down these six dimensions of recovery even further:
If you are ready to take the next step in your addiction counseling and recovery journey, and are a Texas resident, our team of outpatient counselors would love to connect with you. Whether you are interested in online therapy, or in person at our Arlington, Texas based counseling center, we would love to connect with you and evaluate the next steps in your recovery journey and how we may be able to help you. Our team is trained to work with co-occurring trauma treatment needs, and offers EMDR therapy and anxiety therapy services to meet your needs. Learn more about how counseling services may be able to help you.
