Substance Abuse Recovery and Treatment info
About Recovery
Recovery is a process of change through which people improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential. Even people with severe and chronic substance use disorders can, with help, overcome their illness and regain health and social function. This is called remission. Being in recovery is when those positive changes and values become part of a voluntarily adopted lifestyle. While many people in recovery believe that abstinence from all substance use is a cardinal feature of a recovery lifestyle, others report that handling negative feelings without using substances and living a contributive life are more important parts of their recovery.
Types of Recovery Programs
Some types of recovery programs include:
Recovery-oriented systems of care: These programs embrace a chronic care management model for severe substance use disorders, which includes longer-term, outpatient care; recovery housing; and recovery coaching and management checkups. Recovery support services: These services refer to the collection of community services that can provide emotional and practical support for continued remission. Components include mutual aid groups (e.g., 12-step groups), recovery coaching, recovery housing, recovery management (checkups and telephone case monitoring), recovery community centers, and recovery-based education (high schools and colleges).
Social and recreational recovery infrastructures and social media: These programs make it easier for people in recovery to enjoy activities and social interaction that do not involve alcohol or drugs (e.g., recovery-specific cafes and clubhouses, sports leagues, and creative arts programs). NIDA offers two resources that can be used by counselors and others working with patients entering recovery following treatment: Drugs & the Brain Wallet Card: This tool is designed for patients leaving treatment and transitioning back to a less structured environment. To prepare these individuals to return to their home environment, counselors can customize this tool to help them identify triggers that could prompt a drug relapse. It also includes information about resources and helplines. These discreet cards can be kept in a wallet, pocket, purse, or cell phone case for easy access. The wallet cards can be ordered free of charge from the NIDA Research Dissemination Center. This information is also available in Spanish (25GB). The Science of Drug Use - Discussion Points: This resource is intended to give counselors and others who work with patients within structured or criminal justice settings language they can use to explain the risks of drug use, as well as resources that can aid in recovery. The document can be used as a guide when offering the patient the wallet card when he or she is leaving the treatment facility.
Looking for Treatment? Use the SAMHSA Treatment Locator or call 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
About Treatment
There are many options that have been successful in treating drug addiction, including behavioral counseling; medication; medical devices and applications used to treat withdrawal symptoms or deliver skills training; evaluation and treatment for co-occurring mental health issues such as depression and anxiety; and long-term follow-up to prevent relapse. A range of care with a tailored treatment program and follow-up options can be crucial to success.
Treatment should include both medical and mental health services as needed. Follow-up care may include community- or family-based recovery support systems.
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