Addiction presents several life challenges not only for the individual but also for their family and loved ones. Understanding how addiction is an illness presents a new approach to treating it. Reviewing methods of recovery from addiction helps individuals make choices about the programs they use.
Why Do Some People Use Religious-Based Treatment?
More traditional treatment centers use religious-based treatment programs and present the addict with a series of steps. The first step of the program is to surrender their lives to God. For individuals who are religious, the programs might present some clarity and give them a spiritual path to recovery. However, these treatment programs are often outdated and don’t apply principles that are relevant to today’s world. People fighting addiction that seek God can find help, but the biological drive that defines the addiction still remains.
Does Religion-Based Treatment Cure Addiction?
No, there isn’t a cure for addiction. There are techniques that work for different individuals and help them fight addiction by identifying the biological factors that push the individual to use. It is best to consider treatment programs as a way to treat addiction instead of curing it. Even after the individual recovers from addiction, they will remain an addict for the rest of their lives.
What changes is that the individual can find a way to control their desire to use alcohol or drugs. Religion can help someone if they believe in the religion presented to them. However, when it comes to addiction, too often addicts don’t recover completely and face self-criticism that often leads them to relapse.
What Happens During Traditional Recovery?
During traditional recovery programs, the patient is admitted to the program, and they are restricted from seeing anyone outside the facility until after the detox process. A medical team oversees the detox, and the staff goes through the patient’s belongings to determine if they have any drugs or alcohol with them. The purpose of detox is to flush out the substance from the body. During the process, the patient is given fluids if they become dehydrated. However, most traditional facilities don’t give patients medication for the withdrawal symptoms or any pain or discomfort they experience.
Immediately after detox, the patient starts a series of counseling sessions through one-on-one and group counseling. Group counseling sessions don’t give the individual any privacy and put them on the spot around strangers.
Why Science-Based Opportunities are Better?
Science-based recovery is based on treating the addiction like an illness which is what it is. It is based on the effects the addiction has produced over the course of the addiction. The patient stays in an apartment within the facility and meets with a personal counselor. None of the programs are based on religion, but instead, they are based on self-discovery.
Addiction presents individuals with dire circumstances if they don’t seek professional help. The drive to use is often overwhelming and prevents the individual from focusing on anything else. It can destroy their lives and their family. Individuals who are suffering from addiction and need help are encouraged to contact a counselor now.
