While there might be two people being admitted for treatment for the same addiction, they require different kinds of help. One patient might be afraid of the withdrawal and have great family support, while the other one might suffer from depression, lack of stability in his life, and previous efforts to get rid of it. 

Ignoring those aspects and assigning the same program of treatment because of the same diagnosis means to ignore a number of aspects that are essential for a particular person’s life.

This is why the first step in the addiction treatment process cannot be the schedule, but rather the discussion. The proper assessment helps to find the health problems of a particular patient, the appropriate level of treatment, and what goals he plans to reach. This way, recovery becomes a choice that will be evaluated from time to time.

The First Assessment Should Look Beyond Substance Use

It is crucial to be aware of the kind of substance one has consumed, how often and its effects during the attempt to withdraw from the drug in order to determine the risks of withdrawal and possible medical assistance. Undoubtedly, there are other factors to take into account, including the state of a client physically and mentally, past experiences with treatments, location, working and social life.

One client has undergone treatment before and knows which procedures have been effective and which not. Another one has no experience of treatment and does not know what to expect from it. It is equally important to hear all the stories. Moreover, the answer to the question “How was your treatment?” gives more information than the question “What treatment have you had?”. It is also essential to find out “What happened after the treatment?”.

These questions are aimed at helping the program to create an individual treatment plan. For instance, Aura Recovery Center offers its clients personalized plans as a part of Kentucky detox and addiction recovery services. On its website, it states that it considers co-occurring psychological issues and follows the process of treatment further. Nevertheless, the specific program depends on an assessment of the client individually.

Immediate Safety and Longer Goals Are Different Questions

As compared to those seeking assistance who may focus on far-off goals like returning to work, regaining trust and reclaiming the control of their lives, clinicians need to focus on the things that they need to focus on presently. Where medical assistance is required to withdraw from some of the substances, it becomes necessary for clinicians to know the best starting point based on the past and present situation of the individual.

After dealing with their immediate needs, the discussion can be expanded through questions like how the circumstances made it hard for them to maintain their health, who supports them and who stresses them and whether they would be able to reach the treatment facility after coming out of the organized setting.

Short-term goals include frequent participation in the treatment process and recognizing the particular pattern which leads to substance abuse in the individual. The long-term goals include securing a stable place to live, getting ongoing mental health treatment and resolving family disputes. Reaching one goal doesn’t guarantee the accomplishment of other goals too.

Mental Health Cannot Be Left Outside the Conversation

Such problems with mental health and addiction can also impact each other. One reason the person might be abusing drugs is his need to alleviate pain, or the condition of his mental health has changed due to his abuse of the substance. Generally, it is not useful to speculate on the nature of these problems without interviewing the patient and doing an examination.

It does not mean that any treatment center will be able to do all kinds of mental health interventions. But it means that an evaluation should reveal those problems that need intervention and define how they will be handled. Patients will know whether there is a mental health screening procedure at the center, who performs it, and how a problem which requires some help and falls outside the scope of the procedure will be handled.

The matter stays relevant even after the person leaves the facility. People get better in such controlled environment but might need help with their symptoms that will persist when they leave. The follow-up care plan should specify who will handle the treatment.

Different Circumstances Call for Different Levels of Care

Treatment within the confines of a facility may also be considered for an individual who would need the structure offered at the early stages of his/her recovery process. Another individual may require the services of going to the facility for some outpatient treatment sessions or receive treatment while staying at home. This will depend on the clinical requirement of the individual together with the practical capabilities of the person.

As stated by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the treatment pathway for people with alcohol abuse disorder is determined through many different factors such as the severity of the problem, the co-occurring conditions, history of treatment, support and living environment amongst others. In this resource, one of the major lessons to learn is that there is consideration of the individual’s situation before choosing the form of treatment he/she requires.

Another point is that of transitions between levels of care. For instance, after leaving the residential facility, the person will have to participate in outpatient therapy, medication, and peer support.

Medication and Therapy Serve Different Purposes

However, addiction treatment may be considered as lying somewhere in-between counseling and medication. Nevertheless, the alternative varies according to the particular drug, diagnosis and needs. Some medication might be prescribed to address the withdrawal symptoms or certain substance use disorder. Counseling will help to analyze the case, to cope with the addiction and to resolve other issues in the life.

The possibility of using some medication is not equal to the fact that everybody will use it. Meanwhile, nobody should be forced to use it if he has a certain desire and there is a way to deal with the problem. It depends on the patient and the professionals, whether he will use counseling or medication or both.

It is important that counseling should have a particular aim that is not only to spend time while undergoing the treatment process. For instance, one individual may need counseling to overcome his cravings when he returns from work. Other individuals may need counseling since he has some family conflicts or suffers from anxiety.

Families Can Help Without Taking Over Recovery

It could be that family members would like to have some advice on how to help. They could be ready to drive patients somewhere, look after their children, or just ensure that they come to the required meetings. In addition, the families could be scared, exhausted, or they simply would not know how to act, because they already had some negative experience regarding treatments before. One has to take into account such circumstances rather than waiting that each family will behave in the same way.

Under the agreement of the patient, the families could learn how to help practically and what they should expect while going through service transition. They also would understand what actions are the responsibility of the treatment team and what actions are the responsibility of the patient. Such help does not include the control over everything that the patient is doing and treating the relapse as the complete failure of all the previous work.

The most valuable thing could be the one that would be expected and modest. Being timely, listening without turning every conversation into the examination, and helping to keep up the routine could prove to be more valuable than giving some declarations.

A Plan Should Change When Circumstances Change

The written plan is only an outline and is not always necessary to be followed even when changes happen. People discover that a particular treatment technique helps, transport is a barrier for getting to therapy, and clinical assessment of symptoms is required. That is why changes should be evaluated and assistance should be given accordingly.

The same logic applies when people relapse into their substance use disorder. Relapses could present quite serious problems due to changes in their tolerance level and require a different way of dealing with these cases instead of believing that more intervention won’t matter at all. The problem is in what kind of help is required in this case and what was not covered by the written plan.

People interested in these kinds of programs can ask about how often they will be evaluated and who will do it. People could also ask what this program would do if their initial intervention plan did not work for them. This information shows how providers move from personalized care to intervention.

The Transition Home Deserves Its Own Plan

A structured environment may facilitate the recovery process during the first recovery phase. The regularity, the appointments, and the availability of help reduce the number of decisions that need to be made. Coming back home, everything becomes different in an instant, regardless of one’s readiness to do this.

Nevertheless, in advance, it is necessary to find out about the place of appointments, the way the needed medication must be received, and whom to address in case of any difficulties. These circumstances, along with one’s work schedule, transportations, and family, affect the possibility of such plans. Referral proves to be effective only if one is able to access the provided help.

Besides, the establishment of the daily routine is a process which takes some time. It is impossible to balance sleep, meals, work, social contacts, and personal time in one day. A realistic plan includes all these elements and enables one to find the sources of help.

Progress Is Personal, but It Should Be Discussed Clearly

This kind of approach is not associated with any vagueness in goals setting. It should be absolutely clear for a particular individual what he or she needs to achieve at each step of the process and how he or she will estimate it and what options are there if his or her priorities change.

It is very individualized because everyone has his or her own history and health background. This approach will make it easier for him or her to go through the process gradually.