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DRUG ADDICTION IS A DISEASE

Substance abuse is a disease and at BrightView treatment centers we treat it like one.

It isn’t about a lack of willpower. Addiction is a chronic, progressive, and potentially fatal disease, but there are effective substance abuse treatment programs. At BrightView treatment facilities, our outpatient program uses medication-assisted drug addiction treatment counseling and therapy, social support, group therapy, and case management to help you overcome it and achieve long-term sobriety.

Recognizing that you may have a drug abuse problem isn’t easy, but admitting there’s a problem is the first step to recovery.

Answering “yes” to any of the following could indicate a substance use disorder and that you should consult a healthcare provider for further evaluation and guidance on effective treatment options:

DO YOU HAVE AN ADDICTION?

Do you use the substance/engage in the behavior more often than you used to?
Do you have withdrawal symptoms when you don’t use it/engage in it?
Have you ever lied to a loved one, employer, or family member about your drug use or the extent of your behavior?

REWARD AND TOLERANCE

Illicit drugs and addictive behaviors create a shortcut in your brain’s reward system by flooding it with large amounts of dopamine. Over time your brain changes to receive less pleasure from those same addictive drugs or behaviors. As dopamine affects you less and less, it takes even more to achieve the same “high,” which is called tolerance. This is true for all types of addiction including alcohol addiction, opioid addiction, and prescription drug abuse.

COMPULSION

At this point, compulsion takes over. Even if you can’t get the same pleasure from the addictive drugs or behaviors, you still remember when you did. And those memories help create a conditioned response—an intense craving—whenever you encounter something that reminds you of that pleasure. Not only can cravings contribute to addiction, but they can cause relapse even after achieving sobriety. This is why choosing an effective drug treatment program with ongoing follow-ups and support is so important.

RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE WITH AN ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTER

In most cases, an outpatient treatment plan that includes a combination of individual therapy, social support groups, and ongoing care with evidence-based medication assisted treatment provides the best results. Understanding and managing this chronic disease is an important part of relapse prevention. This approach to addiction treatment saves lives. At BrightView, we offer the following:

Meth Addiction Treatment Programs

Heroin Addiction Treatment Programs

Opioid Addiction Treatment Programs

Treatment Programs Using Suboxone

Vivitrol Treatment Program

RESOURCES

Glossary of Addiction Terms

OUTPATIENT AND INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT PROGRAMS

Our Outpatient and Intensive Outpatient Addiction Treatment Programs help patients manage their symptoms, understand their addiction, and begin the road to recovery.

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