Treatments

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT helps people understand the connections between their thoughts, emotions, and their related addictive behaviors. CBT then focuses on helping patients develop the necessary skills to change these thoughts and reactions so they can better cope with their queues (or “triggers”) which lead to their unhealthy behavior.

Identifying these everyday queues is important as they typically involve people, situations, and emotions. Emphasis is placed upon teaching strategies for managing the stresses many feel during their day and developing coping mechanisms for healthier behavior.

This therapy is based on the principles of social learning theory and views unhealthy and addictive behavior as functionally related to serious problems in the person’s life. It suggests that addressing this combination of problems will prove more effective than focusing only on the addictive behavior. It does not consider the underlying causes for the unhealthy and addictive behavior as something that takes a back seat only to be examined once the addictive behavior is addressed.

Emphasis is placed on overcoming skill deficits which lead to relapse. Educating the person on the skills they need to boost the person’s ability to cope with high-risk situations, including both relationship problems and other discomforts, such as anger or depression.

The program consists of 12 sessions with the goal of training the individual to use active behavioral or cognitive coping methods to deal with problems rather than relying on alcohol as a maladaptive coping strategy. The skills also provide a means of obtaining social support critical to the maintenance of sobriety.

Motivational Enhancement Therapy techniques (MET)

MET is based on principles of motivational psychology and is more focused on the design to produce rapid, internally motivated change. This treatment strategy does not attempt to guide and train the client, step by step, through recovery, but instead employs motivational strategies to mobilize the client’s own resources. MET consists of four carefully planned and individualized treatment sessions.

• The first two sessions focus on structured feedback from the initial assessment, future plans, and motivation for change.
• The final two sessions at the midpoint and end of treatment provide opportunities for the therapist to reinforce progress, encourage reassessment, and provide an objective perspective on the process of change.

Twelve-Step Facilitation Therapy (TSFT)

This therapy is grounded in the concept of alcoholism as a spiritual and medical disease. The content of this intervention is consistent with the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), with primary emphasis given to Steps 1 through 5. In addition to abstinence from alcohol, a major goal of the treatment is to foster the patient’s commitment to participation in AA. During the course of the program’s 12 sessions, patients are actively encouraged to attend AA meetings and to maintain journals of their AA attendance and participation. Therapy sessions are highly structured, following a similar format each week that includes symptoms inquiry, review and reinforcement for AA participation, introduction and explication of the week’s theme, and setting goals for AA participation for the next week. Material introduced during treatment sessions is complemented by reading assignments from AA literature.

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is a “whole-patient” approach to the treatment of substance use disorders through the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies.

Medications used in MAT are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and MAT programs are clinically driven and tailored to meet the need of each patient based upon the underlying substance.

Clinical Research suggests that a combination of medication and behavioral therapy can greatly improve the outcomes in successfully treating these disorders. MAT can act as primary therapy in giving the patient the initial cushion they need to reduce or eliminate drug use and, in many cases, help sustain recovery. MAT is also used as a preventive therapy to reduce opioid overdose.

MAT is primarily used for the treatment of the epidemic addiction to opioids. These opioids are found in such substances as heroin and prescription pain relievers that contain opiates. Based upon the prescribed medication, MAT operates to regulate brain chemistry and block the euphoric effects of opioids and alcohol. This relieves the physiological cravings, and normalizes body functions without the negative and euphoric effects of the substance used.

In 2018, an estimated 2 million people had an opioid use disorder which includes prescription pain medication containing opiates and heroin. (SAMHSA.gov) MAT has proved to be clinically effective and to significantly reduce reducing the need for inpatient detoxification services for these individuals. MAT provides a more comprehensive, individually tailored program of medication and behavioral therapy that can address the needs of most patients.

Research also shows that these medications and therapies can contribute to lowering a person’s risk of contracting HIV or hepatitis C by reducing the potential for relapse. Learn more about substance misuse and how it relates to HIV, AIDS, and Viral Hepatitis.