From residential drug therapy programs to outpatient drug rehab, every person has very specific needs when it comes to kicking their drug addiction and luckily there are many ways to treat addiction. Here at The Discovery House, we meet our residents where they are in their addiction, assess their needs, and provide them with a drug addiction treatment plan that will work for their specific situation.

5 Types of Effective Drug Therapy That We Use

There are five major drug treatment therapies that we utilize in our residential rehabilitation centers. Within each of these five common drug treatment therapies is great variance. Each counselor or clinician has preferred methods of utilizing these general treatments. The following are just five of the many types of drug therapy that we utilize. Let’s take a brief look at each one:

Group and Individual Counseling for Drug Treatment

Some people will respond better to individual counseling while others thrive in groups. Our addiction specialists, counselors and therapists seek to help residents to retrain behavior, change negative ways of thinking to positive ones, and learn to deal with their feelings appropriately. There is accountability in group counseling. Being accountable to another person motivates residents to keep on trying to overcome the addiction as well as it provides a solid support system in a safe environment.

Use of Medication for Addiction Treatment

Certain medications can help some people while going through drug treatment, although they must be closely monitored. The effectiveness of medication can change over time, necessitating adjustment or discontinuance. Medication treatment appears to be most effective when coupled with psychotherapy or counseling. There are medications that lessen the cravings and other withdrawal symptoms, which greatly assist in facilitating rehabilitation.

Music Therapy in Drug Addiction Treatment

When music therapy is indicated after evaluation by a music therapist, the patient will be exposed to music through listening, playing, moving to, singing, or writing music. Music provides an outlet for the appropriate expression of feelings. The right kinds of music can be soothing to a client when they are restless or experiencing withdrawal. Having a creative outlet helps to facilitate communication, especially for those who find it difficult to express themselves verbally.

Cognitive-behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Another of the drug treatment modalities often used is cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT. The goal of CBT is to transform the destructive thinking patterns and habits that have led the client down the path of addiction. The concept is that certain actions may not be controllable by rational thought, but are the result of former conditioning. That is, a certain situation or action that the client has been part of has caused fear or other negative feelings. Therefore, when that happens, the behavior becomes inappropriate, such as using drugs or alcohol to mask fear.

Psychodrama Therapy for Inpatient Drug Rehab

Psychodrama is another of the drug treatment modalities often used successfully in rehabilitating addicts. This exercise has the clients spontaneously act out real-life situations that have affected their tendency to addiction. Psychodrama is most often used in group therapy; however, it is not solely a group action. Rather, it is an individual action performed in front of a group. Acting out negative memories helps clients to realize what happened and how that leads to their addictive behavior.