For many people, the first step in getting treatment for a substance use disorder in North Carolina is to admit that they have a problem. The second step is to find out what treatment options are at their disposal. You may have determined that your loved one is in need of treatment for a substance use disorder, but there may also be a mental health disorder. You can find treatment for both disorders at the FAR Drug Treatment Centers in North Carolina.
Partial Hospitalization Program
A person in a partial hospitalization treatment program in North Carolina remains at their place of residence and travels to the rehab center several days a week. This type of treatment program provides treatment services for the whole person with the purpose of keeping the individual from entering an inpatient program. Members receive the following treatment in the partial hospitalization program:
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Skill-building
- Psychopharmacological assessments
Partial hospitalization treatment is not meant to take the place of inpatient treatment. It is one of the best treatment options that people in inpatient programs have other than returning home. Sometimes, this isn’t optimal for the person after his stay at an inpatient treatment facility is over.
Partial hospitalization treatment can also be recommended for individuals who need mental health services as they suffer from co-occurring disorders. A PHP is the most intensive addiction treatment option available as an outpatient program. It is not recommended that individuals continue to attend school or work during this program since treatment and therapy will take up the bulk of the individual’s time. North Carolina addiction treatment providers that offer PHP utilize exceptional quality care standards that match any inpatient treatment options.
Intensive Outpatient Program
Intensive outpatient programs in North Carolina provide treatment options for individuals who do not require 24-hour monitoring in rehab facilities. To fit into this program, this segment of the population should not need to go through the detoxification process. However, intensive outpatient treatment offers members more support than they receive in traditional outpatient treatment programs. Intensive outpatient treatment or IOP was created with the purpose of providing people with psychosocial support and offering them coping strategies so that they can prevent relapses.
People in IOPs at treatment centers receive at least nine hours of treatment per week. This occurs in three separate three-hour sessions. If a member needs more time, the treatment facility will increase the number of sessions. The rehab center can also lengthen the treatment sessions if the patient agrees to it. As time goes by, treatment services become less intensive.
The IOP offers the following treatment services:
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Psychoeducation
IOP provides North Carolina treatment that alleviates substance use disorders as well as mental health disorders.
Outpatient Drug Rehab
Outpatient drug rehab in North Carolina is less intense than an IOP. Members do not spend as much time at rehab centers when they are in outpatient addiction treatment. The outpatient drug rehab only requires that they spend between 10 and 12 hours at the treatment facility per week.
If your loved one is currently capable of going to school or to work, outpatient treatment may be right for them. People enrolled in outpatient programs also need to have support systems like family members they can utilize during a crisis. Group therapy may be a large portion of the outpatient program. They are also designed to help people diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder and a managed mental health disorder.
Dual diagnosis is also known as “co-occurring disorders.” This is when a person has been diagnosed with a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder. Both disorders must be treated together because one disorder may interact with the other. This can cause one disorder to exacerbate the symptoms of the other disorder; one disorder may also compromise the prognosis of the other.
Dual diagnosis treatment in North Carolina is common because there is a link between drug abuse and mental health disorders. Since the 1980s, researchers have known this to be the case. For example, evidence suggests that people diagnosed with mood or anxiety disorders are twice as likely to be diagnosed with a substance use disorder. This is also the case for those diagnosed with conduct disorder or antisocial personality disorder. The same thing happens the other way as well. Those diagnosed with a mental health disorder first are twice as likely to be diagnosed with a substance use disorder later on.
Treatment of comorbid disorders may begin with behavioral therapies.
A DWI assessment in North Carolina is an evaluation for substance use. Rehab centers provide DWI assessments to determine the extent of your loved one’s substance addiction. The assessment also gives treatment centers the ability to develop a personalized treatment plan that addresses their loved one’s specific needs.
The assessment begins with an interview with a substance use professional. The interviewer asks your loved one about his history of using his drug of choice. Your loved one may be required to offer a urine sample at this time. Then, the professional develop the treatment plan that will help your loved one overcome his addiction to substances.
Alcohol detoxification in North Carolina is a program that treatment centers offer for the purpose of helping people overcome their addictions to substances. During this process, the patient becomes accustomed to living without substances. Your loved one will also be evaluated for a mental health disorder at this time. The purpose of outpatient detoxification is to prepare your loved one to enter into ongoing drug abuse treatment.
Outpatient detox is equally as effective as inpatient detox. People have the opportunity to reside at home and travel to their treatment centers each day except for Saturday and Sunday. Outpatient detox is extremely flexible in North Carolina. For example, your loved one can schedule sessions for either the morning hours or in the evening.
The first day of outpatient detox for drug and alcohol problems consists of an interview about the history of drug use, a physical examination and the ordering of laboratory studies. Then, the detoxification treatment begins. The subsequent sessions usually last for about 15 to 30 minutes. It will last longer if the patient schedules other types of therapy sessions for the day. Outpatient detox lasts between three days and 14 days, and it is an excellent place to begin treatment for a substance use disorder.
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Medication-assisted treatment in North Carolina uses medications as well as behavioral therapy to treat substance use disorders. This is known as a “whole-patient” approach to treatment. The Food and Drug Administration approved each medication that treatment centers use to address substance use disorders.
The medications that treatment centers prescribe for medication-assisted treatment relieve the withdrawal symptoms that people experience when they stop ingesting their drugs of choice. The medications also prevent people from enduring cravings for the drugs.
Some people are concerned that medication-assisted treatment exchanges one drug for another, but this is not the case. In reality, the medications used in medication-assisted treatment have been researched and proven to relieve withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
Alcohol Use Disorder
The FDA approved the following medicines for the medication-assisted treatment program:
- Acamprosate
- Disulfiram
- Naltrexone
The medicines above are highly effective for treating those with alcohol use disorder.
Opioid Use Disorder
Rehab centers prescribe the following medicines for opioid use disorder:
- Buprenorphine
- Methadone
- Naltrexone
Addiction Therapy
A treatment facility offers several therapy services that treat substance use disorders in the long term. Facilities tailor these treatment options toward each person’s unique needs. These options include the following:
Cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective therapy for the treatment of substance use disorders in North Carolina; it also treats several mental health disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the following:
- Psychological problems arise because of the destructive thoughts of those with substance use disorders.
- Psychological problems are largely based on negative behavior patterns that people learn.
- Those experiencing psychological problems can learn to effectively contend with them so that they can relieve their symptoms and live more functional lives.
Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches strategies that help people think differently. These strategies include the following:
- Developing confidence in your own abilities.
- Learning new skills that help people cope during difficult times.
- Learning to recognize the true motivations of other people.
- Learning to recognize the thinking that leads one to experience difficulties. Then, they learn to examine those thoughts as they truly are.
Dialectical behavior therapy in North Carolina is similar to cognitive behavioral therapy. For example, they both focus on negative thoughts and behaviors that the person learns while ensconced in a substance use disorder.
One major difference between dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy is that DBT is more optimistic. For example, DBT expresses the following:
- Each person does his best as he is involved in each particular situation.
- Each person wants his situation to improve.
- Each person can learn new behaviors that will lead to improvements in their lives.
- The problems that each person has are not necessarily their fault, but they have the responsibility to improve them.
Human beings naturally congregate in groups, so researchers determined that group therapy is one of the best treatment options for substance use disorders. The reason is that group therapy relieves participants of the belief that they are alone in their struggles. Group therapy in North Carolina also lets new members witness the successes that older members have throughout the process. In addition to that, group therapy is also an effective treatment for those experiencing mental health disorders.
Group therapy takes advantage of the following five types:
Psychoeducational Groups
Psychoeducational groups teach the members of the group about substance abuse.
Skills Groups
These groups teach people new skills that help them on their recovery journey.
Support Groups
Support groups give members a chance to confront other members as they make excuses. They also give members the opportunity to congratulate members when they do things well.
Interpersonal Group Psychotherapy
These groups encourage people to examine the past and confront the problems that they used to escape by using substances.
Individual therapy in North Carolina gives people the opportunity to meet with a therapist in a one-on-one environment. The patient sees the same therapist over a period of time so that both develop a rapport that allows the patient to be comfortable with the therapist. The fact that individual therapy gives people the chance to discuss things that may be embarrassing to them in a group setting also causes the individual to be as comfortable as possible.
In individual therapy, the therapist has time to concentrate on one person’s thoughts and emotions. With this being the case, the person has the best chance of coming to the right conclusions in the shortest period of time. The therapist and the client work toward a personalized solution that leads to recovery.
Psychoanalysis in North Carolina is when the therapist delves deeply into the patient’s personality with the purpose of examining the issues that are troubling the patient. This treatment also leads the therapist to explore the patient’s feelings, phobias and personal defenses.
During the treatment session, therapists ask open-ended questions that allow patients to get to know their thoughts and feelings on the deepest levels. Together, they have the opportunity to better understand the issues and search for positive solutions to the problems.
Additional treatment options include NA or Narcotics Anonymous and AA or Alcoholics Anonymous.
Narcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous is a treatment program in North Carolina in which former substance users help other substance users remain sober. Everyone is eligible to join this organization if they want to stop using substances.
If someone joins NA, he or she can expect to be welcomed with open arms. This group is not interested in anyone’s past, how much the person used, or how much or little they currently have. The organization states that, when people join their organization and stick with it, they remain sober.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is a treatment organization that brings people together to eliminate their drinking problems in North Carolina. Members do not have to pay dues, and they can join the organization at any age. They can have multiple degrees, or they can be high school dropouts. The main purpose of AA is to help people with alcohol use disorder overcome their addictions.
If you are looking for treatment for yourself or a loved one in North Carolina, contact us today at FAR’s Drug Treatment Centers in North Carolina.
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https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh22-1/44-46.pdf
https://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment
https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral