Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Health

5 Things You Should Know about Helping a Friend Find Effective Treatment

Addiction to heroin is a debilitating and life-threatening condition that requires professional assistance to save the person struggling with the substance. Unfortunately, treatment for heroin is not an instant activity. It requires time and patience on the part of both the patient and the physician. For those patients that have a strong desire to quit and live a healthy life, there are a variety of treatments available. These involve both pharmacological treatments and behavioral therapies. In case you have a friend struggling with addiction, here are 5 things you should know about helping them find effective treatment.

1. Help them admit that they have a problem

Willingness to quit is the most important step towards healing. It is often very difficult for addicts to admit that they have a problem and that they need help. If an addict is yet to make the conscious decision to get help, then it would be pointless to take such a person to a rehabilitation center. The moment a person realizes that they have a problem and goes ahead to ask for help, they have made it halfway through the healing journey. That’s why encouraging them to admit to having a problem is critical.

2. Detoxification is key to healing

Once your friend decides to go through the healing process, then you can start the medical treatment. The first step is having them go through a detoxification program. The medication that they receive in this program will help them reduce the effects of withdrawal such as diarrhea, vomiting, pain, nausea among others. Please note that the medication administered at this stage is not the actual treatment for the addiction. It is just a process to set the patient towards the full recovery process.

3. Finding the right Rehab Facility is critical

Now that your friend is on the path to healing, it is important that you find a suitable rehabilitation center suited to their needs. It is important to note that not all rehabs are suitable for any addicts. The level of addiction and the patient’s mental and health condition are important factors to consider when looking for a rehabilitation center.

4. Learn a thing or two about Contingency-Behavioral Therapy

This approach is part of the healing process meant to motivate the victim to continue with the healing process. In this approach, patients earn points depending on the negative drug tests they have. It is a step by step process that uses a voucher system to reward the patient every time they have a negative drug test. These vouchers and points help to keep the patient going, and encourage them to continue with medication and therapy. It is an effective way of preventing a patient from a possible relapse.  

5. Help them get a job or any other productive activity

Having an addict stop using drugs is good, but it’s not good enough. It is important that one is trained on how to return to complete normalcy, and be a productive person in society. Patients should be guided to stop their criminal activities, and improve their social, occupational and psychological functioning. Once a patient becomes fully functional in the family, then they can be considered healed.

Written By

Thanks for reading this article. If you're new here, why don't you subscribe for regular updates via RSS feed or via email. You can also subscribe by following @techsling on Twitter or becoming our fan on Facebook. Thanks for visiting!

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

You May Also Like