According to the NIDA (the National Institute on Drug Abuse), there are five basic questions you should ask yourself before you start looking for and beginning a addiction treatment program

The ultimate goal of the treatment for drug abuse and use is for the person suffering from an addiction to stop using drugs and return to leading an active life with their family, at work, and in all their relationships. However, the challenge of any treatment is keeping the person engaged long enough to achieve lasting change. Therefore, when starting out, it is essential to take the time to research and find the treatment that best suits each person’s specific needs.

There is NO single treatment for drug addiction that works for everyone. In general, treatment outcomes will depend on factors such as:

• the scope and nature of the person's problems,
• how appropriate the treatment is for the current situation,
• the availability of services, and
• the quality of the relationship between the individual and the team that will be helping them.

During treatment, family, friends, and partners can play a very important role in motivating people with addiction problems to begin and remain in a drug treatment program. However, trying to find the right facility for a loved one can be a difficult process for many reasons.

According to the NIDA (the National Institute on Drug Abuse)(ACL), there are five basic questions you should ask yourself when looking for and starting a treatment program:

• Does the center I'm seeing offer programs and provide specific training in addiction?
• Is the treatment tailored to each person's needs, or will I have to adapt to the center?
• Does the program adjust the treatment when a person's needs change?
• Is the duration of treatment sufficient for me, or is it more than I can handle?
• How do group recovery programs fit into the detoxification process and the period that follows?

Psychotherapies vary in their approach and may include:

• work on motivating the patient to change,
• provide incentives to stop using drugs,
• develop skills to resist drug use,
• replace drug use with constructive and rewarding activities,
• improve problem-solving skills and build better personal relationships,
• address the factors that lead to a higher number of relapses.

Examples of supportive behavioral therapies

Individual supportive psychotherapy.
It aims to help patients recognize, avoid, and cope with high-risk situations (SAR) or low-risk situations (SBR) that may lead to drug use.

Motivational incentives.
It uses positive reinforcement, such as offering rewards or privileges for remaining drug-free, participating in counseling sessions, or taking treatment medications as directed; this approach is generally used more widely in the United States and some parts of Central Europe.

Motivational Interviewing.
It uses integrated strategies to motivate individuals to quickly change their behavior so they can stop using drugs, enter treatment, and remain abstinent.

Group therapy.
It helps patients confront their drug abuse objectively, accept its harmful consequences, and increase their motivation to remain drug-free. The group is an important factor because it serves as a mirror for learning to listen and be heard; it is a key enabler for a second phase of treatment.

Pharmacological or medical treatment as a cross-cutting theme in addiction: Medications are an important part of treatment for many patients, especially when combined with psychotherapy. There are different types of medications that can be helpful at different stages of treatment: to stop drug abuse (antagonist medications), to stay in treatment (medications that improve impulse control), and to prevent relapse (anti-craving medications).

The key to success in helping a person return to a productive life lies in ensuring that treatment settings, programs, and services are tailored to the person’s specific problems and level of need. It is important that the treatment approach be comprehensive; the severity of the addiction and previous efforts to stop using drugs can also influence the treatment approach.

The best programs offer a combination of therapies and other services to meet the patient's needs. In addition to treatment for substance abuse, the patient may require other medical services, family therapy, parenting support, job training, social and legal services, assistance with daily activities, etc.

Finally, because addictive disorders often occur alongside other mental disorders (dual diagnosis), si una persona tiene alguno de estos problemas, también debe ser evaluada con una mirada amplia. Cuando estos problemas se presentan concurrentemente, el tratamiento debe abordar ambos (o todos los problemas), incluyendo el uso de medicamentos, según corresponda, lo que mejora la adherencia al tratamiento, evita las recaídas y por lo tanto la institucionalización de la persona o la etiqueta que se le acaba poniendo.

A person undergoing treatment may require different combinations of services throughout the course of treatment, including ongoing assessment. For example, the program should include drug testing so that the treatment plan can be adjusted in the event of a relapse. For most people, a continuous care approach yields the best results, with the level of treatment tailored to the person's changing needs.

The patient's needs for support services, such as day care or transportation, should also be met during treatment, although this is more difficult in private settings than in public ones.

La duración adecuada del tratamiento depende del tipo y el grado de los problemas y las necesidades de la persona. Según los principios de tratamiento del NIDA, la mayoría de las personas que padecen una adicción necesitan al menos tres meses de tratamiento para realmente reducir o dejar de consumir drogas, y que cuando el tratamiento dura más tiempo, se obtienen mejores resultados. Los mejores programas medirán el progreso y sugerirán planes para mantener la recuperación. La recuperación de la adicción a las drogas es un proceso a largo plazo que a menudo requiere varios ciclos de tratamiento y el apoyo permanente de la familia y de la comunidad de apoyo (amigos, colegas, etc).

It is important to remember that a relapse does not mean that treatment has failed

The chronic nature of addiction means that a relapse is not only possible but also likely, much as is the case with other chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma, which have both physical and psychological components. And just like these illnesses, addiction also requires ongoing evaluation and, if necessary, adjustments to treatment.

A relapse into drug use indicates the need to reestablish or adjust the treatment strategy, but it does not mean that the treatment has failed.

The best-known programs rely on the social support provided by conversations among people with similar problems to help promote and maintain a drug-free lifestyle.

Most drug addiction treatment programs encourage patients to participate in group therapy during and after formal treatment. These groups offer an additional level of community support to help people in recovery stay sober and achieve other goals that lead to a healthy lifestyle

It is a COMPREHENSIVE ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTER. It features a team profesional de médicos, psicólogos, educadores sociales y terapeutas especializados en adicciones con experiencia nacional e internacional. Como una UNIDAD privada de intervención, realiza collaborations in the Clínica López – Ibor in northern Madrid and on an outpatient basis at the center in Madrid, en el barrio de Chamberí. El método y programa terapéutico de UniAdic, comparte los últimos avances médicos y psicológicos, ofreciendo un enfoque adaptado a cada paciente en singular; en tralcohol addiction issues, cocaine addiction, sex addiction, heroin addiction, gambling addiction or gambling addiction, and other addictions—both substance-related and non-substance-related