Benefits with LEARN

Treatment for Problem Drug Use

What is treatment?

Treatment can help people stop using drugs. Treatment can include counseling, medicine, or both. It can help people fight urges to use drugs again. It can also help them take back control of their lives.

People start taking drugs for different reasons. Sometimes they might start as a way to fit in with other people, or they might have problems in their lives, like family trouble, money trouble, or problems at work. They might not know how else to cope, but drugs can make these problems worse.

Drug use can mess up every part of a person's life, so in treatment, people need help to improve all areas of their lives. This means working on a few things, like

• Their relationships
• Their ability to work or go to school
• How they have fun
• How they deal with problems

Treatment is for anyone using or misusing drugs:

• Treatment can help people who are just starting to get addicted.
• You don't have to be at "rock bottom" for treatment to work.

Why does a person need treatment?

Most people who are addicted to drugs can't stop using them just because they want to. Without drugs, they will often feel very sick. They won't feel better until their bodies and brains stop craving the drugs. Some medicines can make it easier to stop using certain drugs without feeling sick.

However, getting a drug out of a person's system is just the first stage of treatment. People with a drug addiction often stop taking care of themselves and their responsibilities. They focus on getting and using drugs:

• People with drug problems might stop taking care of their family, their work, or their community. People with drug addictions might forget things that matter to them. They have trouble keeping promises.
• They might stop taking care of their health. People with drug addictions might not eat or sleep well. They might not clean their teeth. They might not go to the doctor when they get sick. Their drug use might have caused other health problems.
• People with drug problems might stop enjoying the things that made them feel good. When people are on drugs, they stop caring about hobbies, interests, and friends. They need to relearn how to live without drugs.

Talking with doctors or counselors in treatment can help. They are trained to listen and help people solve personal problems. Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator at any time to find drug and counseling treatment near you: Link opens in a new windowhttps://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/. Your employee assistance program (EAP) can also help you locate resources close to you.

Does drug treatment work?

Yes. People who get treatment and stick with it can stop using drugs. They can change their lives so they don't go back to taking drugs. They have to try hard. They might have to try many times. Sometimes it takes a long time—but treatment does work.

It's important to get treatment for as long as you need it. If you don't think your treatment plan is working, ask your doctor if there's another plan that would work better. It's important that you meet with your doctor or counselor often to make sure your treatment is right for you.

What are the treatment options?

Different types of treatment work for different people. It depends on how sick a person is and what drugs the person is addicted to.

It also depends on the person. Each person is different. What works for one person might not work for someone else. It's important for people to talk with their doctor about a treatment plan that's just right for them.

Some treatment happens in hospitals. People might stay there for days, weeks, or months. Other treatment happens during the day at doctor's offices or clinics. People do not stay overnight. Doctors and counselors should use counseling and/or medicines to treat an addiction if possible, depending on the drug that is being misused.

Counseling

Talking about your feelings with counselors is an important type of treatment. It can help people with any type of drug addiction. Sometimes sessions are just between you and a counselor. Sometimes family members will join a counseling session, or you might talk with other people in treatment, in a group led by a counselor.

Counseling can be hard to do at first, but can be a necessary part of treatment. Talking helps people with drug addictions

• Understand why they got addicted
• See how drugs changed their behavior
• Learn how to deal with problems so they won't go back to using drugs
• Learn to avoid places, people, and situations where they might be tempted to use drugs

Even after treatment ends, people still may need help. People can go to support groups, use programs on their phones or computers to talk to counselors, or live in recovery housing.

Medicines

People with an addiction to some drugs can take medicine to help with uncomfortable symptoms of withdrawal. Withdrawal can feel different for different drugs. Going off a drug can make a person feel like they have a terrible case of the flu, make them feel really sad and worried, or cause the shakes and lots of pain in the body.

After withdrawal, there are other medicines that can help people who use certain drugs. Medicines can help people stop using alcohol or tobacco. They can also help with addictions to opioids, like heroin and prescription pain relievers. If someone gets treatment with medicine, it's best to also be in counseling.