If you have struggled with substance abuse and addiction and are ready to make a change, it’s natural to want to jump at any guaranteed solution. Unfortunately, this isn’t how addiction treatment works. There are no one-size-fits-all treatment plans that always work for everyone. Instead, we have a constellation of evidence-based interventions that trained healthcare providers can draw from to create a personalized treatment plan—one that takes into consideration your unique situation, needs, goals, motivation, and progress over time.
What’s Included In The Treatment Planning Process?
A substance abuse treatment plan is a written plan of action that starts with your goals and what you want to achieve through treatment, long-term, as well as the specific steps and interventions that will help you get there. In other words, it’s a roadmap for your entire recovery journey. These plans are highly personalized and created as a collaboration between you and a trained and experienced clinician and/or mental health professional. It should take into account your input while allowing room to change and evolve over time as you progress. The primary components of an effective treatment plan for substance use disorder (SUD) are:
A Diagnostic Outline
This portion briefly reviews your medical history, mental health, and history of substance abuse. It may also include:
- a problem statement, highlighting specific issues to be addressed
- the overarching treatment goals intended to address these problems
- the objectives of the treatment process, which should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-limited (SMART goals)
- the specific interventions (treatment services) you participate in to help you meet your objectives and work towards your long-term goals
Monitoring & Evaluation
A section for progress notes, used as your team tracks your changes and progress before reevaluating your treatment plan and making adjustments over time as needed.
Long-Term Care Planning
Substance abuse recovery is a long-term, if not a lifelong process. Treatment plans must consider long-term support, aftercare, and relapse prevention that continues long after the scope of your initial recovery treatment plan.
Treatment Program Options
Some of the most common levels of care and treatment services that may be featured in your individualized treatment plan include:
Medical Detox
Medically assisted detoxification can help you move through the process of drug or alcohol withdrawal safely, in a comfortable and controlled environment and with appropriate medical supervision and intervention as needed.
Inpatient Treatment
Inpatient or residential treatment programs are highly recommended when you struggle with severe drug or alcohol addiction, when you’ve tried to quit in the past and failed, or when you have a secondary mental illness requiring dual-diagnosis care. In an inpatient program you’ll live inside a treatment center for an extended timeframe, participating in focused and intensive treatment modalities like individual or group therapy sessions, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and others.
Outpatient Treatment
Outpatient programs can vary greatly, but they all allow participants to attend treatment sessions and then go home afterwards. This means that outpatient treatment, while usually less intensive, can fit into your regular lifestyle while also giving you the care and support you need. Many people may also attend outpatient treatment after completing an inpatient rehab program.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Mental health care can be a critical and sometimes neglected aspect of behavioral health treatment. If you struggle with some form of co-occurring mental health issue like PTSD, anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, or others, short term dual-diagnosis mental health services support your treatment progress and benefit your personal wellbeing as a whole.
Medication-Assisted Treatment
If you struggle with either an opioid or alcohol use disorder, healthcare professionals may be able to support your recovery using certain prescribed medications approved by the FDA for the treatment of these specific SUDs. These include:
- naltrexone
- buprenorphine
- methadone
- acamprosate
- disulfiram
Psychotherapy
Also known as talk therapy, psychotherapies are used extensively in both substance abuse and mental health treatment plans, and many different types have been developed. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most common and proven of these options. CBT focuses on identifying harmful patterns of thought and behavior and making intentional changes to alter these patterns and replace them with healthy coping mechanisms. Other therapy options include:
- motivational interviewing
- family therapy
- contingency management
- psychodynamic psychotherapy
- supportive psychotherapy
- rational emotive behavior therapy
Support Groups
In-person virtual support groups, including 12-step programs, are a game changer for those in recovery. These are groups of people who are going through what you are going through and have wisdom and unconditional support to share with you. Peer support groups are almost always welcoming, reliable, and discreet, and countless people have benefited from walking with them in the past.
Northeast Addictions Treatment Center
At Northeast Addictions Treatment Center, we understand that addiction is a difficult thing to face. And, getting started is often the hardest step. But the sooner you take that step, the better things will likely be for you and your loved ones. Contact us today and we can help you develop a treatment plan to address your SUD as well as other mental health problems that may be contributing to your situation. Keep Reading:
- 7 Tips For Finding An Addiction Treatment Center
- What to Expect in A Substance Treatment Plan
- How to Write A Substance Treatment Plan
- Addiction Severity Index
- 7 Substance Abuse Group Therapy Activities
Sources: Center for Substance Abuse Treatment – Substance Abuse Treatment Planning National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) – Treatment and Recovery Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – What is substance abuse treatment?