If you find yourself needing to looking into treatment options for someone in your life, you should know about the different options available so you can figure out what works best for your family’s needs. While looking at treatment options, it’s important to know that every child is different and what works for one kid might not work for another. It is okay to try out different options to get to the right one, just don’t give up.
Support/Self-Help Groups
Narcotics Anonymous (NA) has been around since the ’50s and can be found globally. NA offers a group setting as a support network for those trying to achieve a drug-free life. With NA, there is no focus on one set drug, including alcohol. Rather, they focus on giving everyone a chance to receive support and offer a shot at recovery.
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Medication-assisted treatment is typically used for those addicted to heroin and other opioids. It is a patient-based treatment option and uses medications that block the effects of opioids in the brain without the negative aspects associated with the drugs. There are three different medications involved: methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine. If you want your child to be completely drug-free without this type of assistance, this option might not work for you.
Inpatient Treatment
Inpatient treatment programs are where a patient resides at the treatment center, typically for 30 days. There are inpatient treatment programs that offer family programs with family-based counseling to offer support and encourage the patient to get better.
Outpatient Treatment
Outpatient treatment programs offer the same therapies at inpatient programs; however, patients will still live at home during their recovery. Outpatient treatment programs do not take place at a residential facility and should be for patients who don’t have an all-consuming addiction.
These are just some of the treatment options available and finding the one that works for your family might take time and commitment. Give whatever treatment option you choose a fair chance and give it time to see if it is effective.
There are some options and activities you can try to prevent your child from abusing substances from the get-go. Finding positive and healthy activities can keep them on the right track and away from drugs. Listed below are just a few examples of healthy activities.
Music – music can be a great creative outlet to get out frustrations and calm the mind
Art – art can be a great form of personal expression and a way to get out negative feelings
Family-Oriented Activities – spending more time together as a family can show your child that you care about them and want the best for them
A great resource for all things related to substance use disorders and family resources is Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. They are family-oriented and have tabs on their website dedicated to support, getting involved, and more information. They are merged with Center for Addiction and work to find the most effective strategies to handle addiction.
https://www.staging.addictioncenter.com/treatment/inpatient-rehab/
https://www.na.org/?ID=PR-index
https://www.addictioncenter.com/treatment/
