Role of Patients in Treatment phase of Addiction

Drugs change a person’s consciousness by activating and sustaining the disease process. Prior to treatment, patients need to understand it completely when they decide to come to treatment; they have to completely stop their all drug of choices. Many patients try to reduce their drug consumption or switch to lesser substances. When patients come to the treatment phase, they go through the initial task of detoxification. The purpose of detoxification is to cleanse the brain and body from toxic chemicals and cycle of intoxication and withdrawals. Patients experience withdrawal symptoms such as insomnia, intense body pain, loss of appetite, restlessness, irritability, mood swings etc. These withdrawal symptoms usually depend on the choice of drug, quantity, amount, frequency and duration of use; and also, the individual’s health and disease stage. Patients undergo a detoxification process under supervision of a medical physician.

After detoxification, patients’ mental and physical health is gradually in improvement. Patients learn about their disease through group lectures, sharing groups and workshops. Purpose of these psycho-educational groups is to build insight among patients that addiction disease is not curable, it has to be manageable by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Here, recovery or relapse (success or failure of treatment) totally depends on the patient’s willingness to cooperate in the treatment phase. Therefore, PRC Rehabilitation makes sure patients learn and build understanding about their disease and adapt to a healthy manageable lifestyle.

Self-diagnosis is the most important task of treatment because it gives motivation to the patients towards recovery. Since alcohol addiction is a chronic, progressive and fatal disease, patients once build their insight regarding their disease condition and stage, next step is self-diagnosis in which they identify and analyze symptoms of their disease. Here patients focus on mindset towards addiction, such as are they experiencing their symptoms and problems due to their Comparing Out (compare own self with other addicts and make statements that abc drug did not harm me, I felt consequences when I took xyz drug or I have no facing severe issues as other addict person facing it) and their Defense Mechanism (normal response to a uncomfortable reality i.e Denial – inability to recognize problem as problem despite its existence evidence, Rationalization – making excuses for problems due to drug use, Externalization – blaming drug use on other circumstances, Minimizing – making problems seem less important than they are, and projection – projecting own thoughts, feelings and beliefs on others).

Routine and diet management is a very important step in the treatment phase, because it is the main key of success of recovery life or failure of relapse. In routine management, patients go through proper schedule of all in house-activities from dawn to dusk such as attending morning meetings, psycho-educational lectures, sharing groups. Where as in diet management, patients take their hygienic and nutrient food along with intake of fresh fruits. The purpose of proper time and diet management to teach patients by adopting a healthy routine, they can manage their disease because disturbed routine and unhealthy diet lead to stressing and malfunctioning which can be disposing of many other psychological disturbances and drug addiction.

Along with group sessions in treatment, individual sessions are provided to the patients where they learn dealing of their drug addiction by identification and modifications of their maladaptive behaviors to healthy behaviors along with dealing of emotional management, resolving past personal psychological issues. Family therapy is also the main part of treatment where the family consults the treatment team in dealing and supporting their addict persons regarding disease.

During treatment, patients identify their risk factors to relapse such as internal and external factors. In external factors, certain places, occasions and people are included while in internal factors, their personal conflicts, any unresolved business from past, maladaptive behaviors and excessive use of defense mechanisms. As it is mentioned above, dealing with disease, patient willingness towards treatment is very important, as it is brain and behavioral disease.

In-patient treatment, where patients learn to deal with addiction disease by attending psychoeducational groups, individual therapy and group therapies, they build insight regarding disease concept and their maladaptive behaviors to health behaviors. With the consultancy with counsellors, patients identify and resolve their unhealthy coping mechanisms, defenses, unresolved issues from the past and present life problems that were leading to chemical or non-chemical addiction. To achieve recovery, it is essential for the patients to come for the follow-up treatment phase after the completion of initial treatment (in-patient program). After treatment, mostly families have high expectations from their loved ones who are suffering from addiction, to stay sober and ready for a fresh start. These high expectations from families can be overwhelming and stressful for creating anxiety and fear among patients, which can lead to relapse with substance use/ drugs. In follow up treatment at P-R-C, more focus on supporting the patients for recovery where crucial facilities to sustain sobriety are provided such as relapse prevention plans are designed on subjective preference and to give resources that need to reenter society.

Addiction is a brain as well as behavior disease, primary, progressive, chronic and fatal. The purpose of treatment is to provide awareness regarding disease and how to adapt a healthy manageable lifestyle. During in-patient treatment at Rehab Clifton Karachi, patients learn to break the cycle of addiction whereas in follow-up treatment they learn to reduce risk of relapse with chemical and non-chemical addiction. In the entire process, patients’ willingness for treatment is very important as well as the support of family and a good treatment program.

If you or your loved one in your family is suffering from the disease of addiction, feel free to contact us at 0341-1959599 or visit our treatment center.