MAT is primarily used for the treatment of addiction to opioids, such as heroin, and prescription pain relievers containing opioids. The prescription drug works to normalize brain chemistry, block the euphoric effects of alcohol and opioids, relieve physiological cravings, and normalize body functions without the negative and euphoric effects of the substance used. According to the American Addiction Centers, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a valuable treatment tool because it can be used for many different types of addictions, including but not limited to food addiction, alcohol addiction, and prescription drug addiction. Not only can CBT help you recognize your unhealthy behavior patterns, but it can also help you learn to identify triggers and develop coping skills.
CBT can also be combined with other therapeutic techniques. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) may help you recognize your negative thoughts and give you ways to combat feelings of self-defeat. The goal of REBT is to help you realize that the power of rational thinking is within you and is not related to external situations or stressors. Contingency Control (CM) can be used to treat a wide variety of addictions, including alcohol, narcotics, and tobacco.
Contingency management therapy reinforces your positive behavior (i.e., maintaining sobriety) by providing you with tangible rewards. This type of treatment has been successfully used to combat relapse, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The brain becomes insensitive to the drug, so more drug should be used to produce the same effect. Drug addiction is a chronic disease characterized by compulsive or uncontrollable search and use of drugs despite harmful consequences and changes in the brain, which can be long-lasting.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies drugs, substances, and certain chemicals used to manufacture them into five distinct categories or programs, depending on the acceptable medical use of a drug and the potential for misuse of a drug. Treatments for prescription drug abuse tend to be similar to those for illicit drugs that affect the same brain system. Drug abuse changes brain function and many things can trigger the desire to use drugs in the brain. The use of psychoactive drugs without medical supervision is associated with significant health risks and can lead to the development of drug use disorders.
The UNGASS marked a shift in the overall discourse of drug policy to highlight the public health and human rights dimensions of the world drug problem and to achieve a better balance between supply reduction and public health measures. Scientific research since the mid-1970s shows that drug abuse treatment can help many drug offenders change their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors toward drug abuse; avoid relapses; and successfully exit a life of substance abuse and crime.
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