When answering the question, “What sets this center apart from others?” we can point out that there are many ways to approach addiction treatment, including 12-step models created in the 1950s in the U.S. based on religious content for a Protestant society with a strong presence in the community and its social life. This model emphasizes a higher power, and although it has evolved, it was originally based on the view that the people who sought treatment there (those with alcoholism) were “morally weak.” I understand addiction as a lack of willpower.
Addiction treatment models based on “rehab centers” or detox clinics, where upper-class patients receive (generally covered by private health insurance) high-quality hospitality services, with accommodations designed for relaxation, nutritionists, and even private hairdressers. Although they do have psychologists, doctors, etc.; there are countless services here that focus not so much on treatment or recovery as on making the hospital stay more comfortable.
Coercive treatment models, in which the patient is viewed as a “sick person” who must be cured or reeducated regarding their vices or habits, placing all responsibility for addictive behavior on the individual’s subjective responsibility and, once again, on their willpower. In such settings, when a patient leaves the group because they disagree on one issue or another, they are criminalized, and social pressure is used to force them to remain at the center.
Treatment models… “à la carte,” which do not follow any particular model but are merely individualized interventions designed to identify the factors that are not working for patients; and when they fail (a situation that, unfortunately, often occurs over time), patients must seek help to be admitted to detoxification centers.
Scientifically validated, evidence-based clinical treatment models and updates on addiction, understood as a biopsychosocial disease with a strong organic or neurological component regarding impulse control deficits, alterations in the limbic system and the brain’s reward circuitry. I view addiction as a brain disease (as indicated by a vast body of research) and not as a purely individual issue. In summary, this is the approach that guides us in UniAdic, using a unified transdiagnostic model which emphasizes that we must look beyond addictive behavior and instead understand how that person functions, their individuality, and their support system; understand their relapses in order to prevent them; comprehend how they manage their cravings; and help them using the latest advances in psychopharmacology to improve their neurocognitive functions.
Ultimately, we don't believe that one model is better or worse than another; it's up to the patient to find the one they think will help them, and if not, to seek a second opinion…
