The Importance of Personalised Treatment
Addiction is a complex disease that can cause uncharacteristic compulsive behaviors leading to destructive actions that pull families apart and ruin lives. The effects of addiction are hard to ignore, but often, they are quickly justified, or dealt with through, harsh, and sometimes rushed treatment processes.
Because the fingers of addiction reach into every facet of life, each addiction situation is a little different—complicating the treatment process.
Effective treatment programs incorporate individualized treatment approaches to deal with the varying facets of addiction. And with a combination of time, quality care, and personalised strategies, every addicted individual can start on their unique path to recovery.
What an individualized treatment program looks like
Since the 1970s, a lot of research has been done in the realm of addiction and recovery. We’ve learned a lot, and as a result, scientists, psychologists, and counselors have collectively come up with a solid list of treatment best practices.
Here is a list of some of the most important principles of an effective individualized approach to addiction recovery (source: National Institute of Drug Abuse):
-
Addiction is a complex but treatable disease: Addiction affects brain function and behavior; because of this, medical attention is a necessary part of an effective treatment program.
-
No single treatment is appropriate for everyone: Treatment centres should not use the same approach and treatment steps for all of its patients. This is not to say treatment centres shouldn't have a basic philosophical approach to treatment, it just means that addiction is different for everyone, and should be dealt with situation by situation.
-
Effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual: Treatment should deal with the psychological, emotional, and physical effects of the drug problem.
-
Remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time is critical: There is no such thing as a ‘quick-fix' when it comes to addiction treatment. Long-term recovery takes time and commitment from the treatment program, and the addicted person.
-
An individual’s treatment and services plan should be adjusted to his or her needs: The assessment of the patient's needs should be continually modified as necessary to ensure that it meets his or her changing needs.
-
Many drug–addicted individuals also have other mental disorders: Dealing with these mental disorders should be an important part of the recovery process.
-
Medically assisted detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment: Detox by itself does little to change long–term drug abuse.
Individualized Treatment in Practice
Programs that focus on the individual needs of their patients will strive to incorporate these ideas into their core approach to treatment. A good example of this in action is DARA Drug & Alcohol Rehab, located in Koh Chang, Thailand.
DARA is a world-renowned centre that seeks to individualize their treatment program through a number of clinical strategies:
They offer over eight unique treatment therapies to help their patients deal with different aspects of addiction.
Their program includes integrated family treatment, and personal dietary and fitness evaluations and classes.
Every patient leaves DARA with an individualized aftercare plan, a sober coach, and free addiction aftercare visits for life.
DARA is just one example of a treatment program whose approach reflects the values listed above.
Taking the First Step
Taking the first step towards recovery is often the hardest. Finding an effective treatment program, and reaching out for help while dealing with an addiction can be overwhelming and intimidating.
We've tried to make this first step a little easier by collecting more than 600 centres throughout India and around the world and listing them all on this website.