The saying “once you pop, you can’t stop” is an ancient adage and excuse for being addicted to something, and being addicted to drugs is one habit that brings this to light. On your own, it is excruciatingly hard to stop drug addiction, especially when the withdrawal symptoms begin to kick in. Those determined to kick the habit choose to seek professional treatment, but now we raise the question — How effective can drug addiction treatment be?
To further understand the effectiveness of drug addiction treatment, let’s first take a closer look at the goals of this kind of treatment. The primary objective is to set the lives of patients back on track, since drug addiction has serious physical, mental, and social consequences. Physical consequences can include a growing dependence on the drug, which can result to loss of appetite as well as weight loss. Mental side effects include paranoia, acute anxiety and stress. The social consequences of drug addiction include being labeled as deviant – something that can demarcate and cast out the patient from his or her social groups, which can further encourage rebellious behavior on the individual’s part.
With that objective set, the effectiveness of drug addiction is also variable, since each person has a different set of experiences. Each patient must first be put into scrutiny before determining the kind of treatment that is best suited for him. How long has he been using drugs? Does his drug addiction stem from something deeper? The outcome of each treatment depends on the background of the individual, as well as his willingness and determination to undergo the treatment each step of the way.
Generally, there are set objectives and procedures when it comes to drug addiction treatment, but its effectiveness can only be determined by the patient himself.