Evidence-Based Treatment
Evidence-based treatments are treatments that have been utilized in previous settings and have proven to help treat symptoms related to a specific condition. When it comes to substance use disorders, a treatment is considered evidence-based if it has produced beneficial results in individuals and has helped them achieve the goal of remaining sober and in recovery.
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According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), addiction is defined as follows:
“Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of the brain reward, motivation, memory, and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social, and spiritual manifestations.”
Despite public stigma surrounding addiction, this condition is, in fact, a disease. As a result, it is treated with a number of different approaches that have been tested and proven to be effective. These types of approaches are known as evidence-based treatments.
Today, countless evidence-based treatments are offered in treatment programs throughout the country.
Types of Evidence-Based Addiction Treatment
As previously mentioned, addiction is a very complex disease. While there is a basic framework for addiction treatment (detox – therapy – aftercare), the application of evidence-based treatments can help break down one’s addiction in a manner that allows them to address each and every portion of it in a meaningful way.
Our evidence-based addiction treatment in Knoxville, TN includes both pharmacological and behavioral approaches that are effective in treating substance use disorders. Some of the most commonly utilized evidence-based treatments are discussed below.
Medications
Many people struggling with a substance use disorder are specifically addicted to opioids and/or alcohol. Alcohol is the most widely abused addictive substance in the country, and opioid abuse has become so common that the United State is currently experiencing an opioid overdose epidemic. Those who are receiving treatment for an addiction to opioids and/or alcohol can utilize medications that help them stop using and begin healing.
For those recovering from abusing opioids like heroin, fentanyl, morphine, and OxyContin, medications such as methadone and buprenorphine can help. Methadone, which has been utilized in addiction treatment centers for decades, is a medication capable of helping diminish the intensity of withdrawal symptoms (including vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and other flu-like symptoms) as well as help control cravings for continued use.
Similar to methadone is another medication known as buprenorphine (generic for Suboxone). Buprenorphine is frequently utilized in our evidence-based addiction treatment in Knoxville, Tennessee, as it also helps decrease the presence of upsetting withdrawal symptoms and help prevent cravings from becoming overbearing. Each one of these medications is evidence-based in being able to provide these benefits to those recovering from opioid addiction.
There are approved medications that are also evidence-based in being able to help treat alcohol use disorder. For example, naltrexone is a highly utilized medication that blocks the receptors in the brain that produce rewarding effects associated with drinking. Naltrexone can be provided in pill form or through once-monthly injections. Evidence has shown that naltrexone should be utilized for at least one year in order to benefit from its full effects.
Outside of naltrexone, disulfiram (which is known as Antabuse) is an extremely common medication used in treating symptoms of alcoholism. When someone is consuming Antabuse, he or she will experience highly unpleasant symptoms if he or she drinks. Evidence has proven that those who take it as a part of their treatment plan abstain from drinking in an effort to avoid the upsetting symptoms that develop in response to use.
Therapies
Medications, even if they are evidence-based, will not effectively treat a substance use disorder. Instead, they should be combined with different types of therapies so that individuals can benefit both physically and mentally. Today, there are dozens of evidence-based therapies available to help people recover once and for all.
One evidence-based treatment that is used for almost every single individual in recovery is cognitive behavior therapy or CBT. CBT is conducted in both individual and group settings and encourages individuals to evaluate the thoughts and behaviors that have led to the development and continuation of their addiction. With the help of a therapist, an individual can learn how to replace negative thoughts and behaviors with ones that will facilitate positivity in recovery. The effects of this particular evidence-based addiction treatment have shown to remain even after an individual leaves treatment. Additionally, this form of therapy only needs to be provided for a short period of time.
A large portion of those in recovery participates in 12-Step support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA). The 12-Steps encourage and guide participants towards accepting their powerlessness over their addiction, making amends for their wrongdoings, and participating in personal moral inventories of themselves. For some people, 12-Step programs have helped them get sober and kept them strong in their recovery. For others, 12-Step therapy is most effective when combined with additional treatments. Either way, this particular evidence-based addiction treatment in Knoxville, TN has proven to keep recovering individuals tied to their recovery progress and goals.
Additional evidence-based addiction treatment includes contingency management plans, The Matrix Model, family therapy, and community reinforcement approaches.
Get Professional Help At Our Knoxville Evidence-Based Addiction Treatment
If you have a substance use disorder, you know just how difficult, taxing, and overwhelming it can be to live with this disease. You know how it impacts your own life as well as the lives of those around you. And even if you want to stop, you might struggle taking action to do so. However, when you reach out for professional help, you can begin to stop the vicious cycle of addiction and start working towards living a happy, recovered life.
Our evidence-based addiction treatment in Knoxville, Tennessee can offer you a number of different treatment approaches that are designed to set you up for long-term success. No matter how apprehensive you might feel, asking for help as soon as possible will give you the best chance at making a full recovery.
Do not wait any longer. Do not put off asking for help for one more second. The longer that you keep using, the more danger you are in. Reach out to our evidence-based addiction treatment for help right now.
