Every day, someone in Georgia chooses to leave drugs behind for good, and that person may enroll in a formal drug rehab program for assistance. A report produced by the Executive Office of the President of the United States suggests that cocaine is most likely to be responsible for that person’s addiction, as this substance is the drug most frequently cited by people who enroll in care in Georgia, but almost any drug could be a problem for people in the state. Even prescription drugs like Vicodin could cause addictions for people in Georgia. The treatments people might receive in their programs can vary, depending on the drugs they use, but there are some basic aspects of care that tend to remain the same, no matter what substance started the person on the path to addiction.

Getting Started

Even though rehab programs are designed to assist people who have very strong cases of addiction, few program administrators will accept clients who wander through the door in an intoxicated state. People under the influence can trigger cravings in people who are in recovery, as their behaviors tend to spark memories of substances taken long ago. Inebriated people can also be difficult to treat, as they may be unable to focus and unwilling to work. As a result, most rehab programs in Georgia require clients to complete a detoxification program before treatment.

Drug detox allows a person to achieve sobriety in a safe, supervised and controlled manner. Sometimes, this means providing medications. Those addicted to cocaine may not have specific drugs they can use to make cravings disappear, but they might appreciate therapies that could help them to:

  • Sleep soundly
  • Feel less anxious and worried
  • Soothe pain
  • Ameliorate feelings of depression

Some people might not even take new medications in detox, as the drugs they have been taking can simply be tapered until they’re not taking any drugs at all. A study in the journal Health Psychology suggests that some withdrawal protocols from prescription benzodiazepine medications can take 10 weeks to complete, but some can get through the process much quicker.

Those addicted to opiates like heroin or opioids like Vicodin, on the other hand, might appreciate tailored therapy with replacement medications. These drugs work on the same receptors accessed by illicit drugs, soothing the brain and easing pain. Treatment with these replacements can make for a safe and relatively easy transition from intoxication to sobriety.

Learning More

When detox programs like this are complete, clients must pick up new skills that can allow them to maintain the sobriety they just achieved. Therapy plays a key role in this process, and much of the addiction therapy provided is focused on building up new and important skills.

Talking is important, as is sharing, but learning and growing are the real keys to success in addiction therapy.

In a typical session, a client might be asked to describe the feelings that arise in the moments before a drug craving hits. The counselor and the client might then break those feelings apart, examining their roots and coming up with new strategies to handle those feelings without using drugs. Those feelings involving anxiety might best be handled with deep breathing and meditation, for example, while those that arise from depression might fade with visualization and positive self-talk.

Addicts in Georgia might be unfamiliar with the idea of sharing intimate details with those they don’t know well. Even so, they might find that participating in support groups might be a great way to tackle an addiction. Here, they’ll be put in touch with others they’ve never met, and they might not even know the last names of the other participants, but they’ll know that everyone in the room has an addiction in common. The group can share stories, as well as techniques they’ve used to handle an addiction issue. They might also form in-depth relationships they can lean on when times are tough.

Individual therapy and group work might be augmented by outreach to community programs that can assist with:

  • Employment
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Housing

Deficiencies in these areas can lead to dysfunction and a return to drug use, so it’s vital for programs to address these concerns. In fact, in a study in the Journal of Addictions Nursing, experts found that people who got this kind of advanced treatment tended to have a more robust level of recovery, when compared to people who got counseling with no outreach. It seems like an important part of the healing process, so it simply can’t be chopped out of the care programs.

Opening the Door to Recovery

While programs in Georgia have the capacity to make life better for people with addictions, many of those who need help simply don’t think that treatment will help, or they’d rather try to deal with the problem alone, instead of working with an expert. Sometimes, families need to break down this kind of denial by holding a formal intervention for addiction. Here, the family outlines all of the changes seen in the person that could be attributed to addiction, and the family then outlines all of the ways in which treatment could make the situation better.

Conversations like this can seem a lot like conflict, and some Georgia families may dislike the idea of accusing or confronting someone they love about an issue that’s so personal. Since addictions are considered mental illnesses, it can seem cruel to pick on the person in need. In reality, many people who have addictions relish honest conversations with the people who love them. In fact, in a study in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, researchers found that confrontations were accepted by most substance users, as long as those talks were delivered in a spirit of love and support, by people the addicted person was close to, and as long as the talks provided both hope and practical solutions. This is exactly the sort of help an intervention can provide, so it might be easily accepted by people with addictions.

Healing Is Possible

In a study quoted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, three-quarters of participants expressed the belief that recovery from addiction was possible. If someone you love is addicted, you need to share that belief and help that person to see the need to change life for the better. We can help. Black Bear Lodge is located in Georgia, and we offer a full suite of services to people who have addictions, mental illnesses or both. We can provide you with information on our therapies that you can share in your intervention, and we can even schedule a tour, so you can see our work with your own two eyes. Please call us at 706-914-2327 to find out more.