5 Stages of Change During Treatment For Addiction

What are the 5 Stages of Change During the Treatment For Addiction?

Addiction is an issue that affects millions of people each year. It can be difficult to recover from addiction on your own, which is why professional treatment for addiction is so important.

There are 5 stages of change during professional treatment for addiction: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. We will go over what these stages mean below!

Who Does Addiction Affect?

Addiction can affect anyone: the unborn, young children, adolescents, parents, friends, spouses, and partners of addicts as well as society at large. Addiction can be to substances such as alcohol or drugs (e.g., heroin) but it also includes behavioral addictions such as gambling or sex addiction.

Addiction is a dangerous situation that needs professional treatment. Addiction is a progressive disorder, meaning it becomes worse over time if left untreated.

Is Addiction Treatment Important?

Alcohol and drug treatment is very important for anyone who is suffering from addiction. Without treatment, the effects of addiction can be detrimental to an individual’s physical and emotional health and could even be potentially fatal. Some people may not understand why treatment is so important in their lives until it is too late, but treatment does help many individuals recover from addictions to drugs or alcohol.

Intake

When an individual enters treatment because he/she needs treatment or because someone else has helped them go into treatment, then it is called “intake” which means that the person will be evaluated before he/she receives treatment at a treatment center.

Intake may involve a lot of different things including a mental health assessment, medical assessment, and a substance abuse assessment. If the treatment center is licensed and has medical staff members on-site they will administer those assessments and treatment will begin as soon as possible depending on what kinds of treatment you need.

Treatment

Inpatient treatment means that you will have to check into treatment for a certain amount of time. Treatment may be from 30 days to 90 days or longer, but it depends on your treatment program. In some cases, an individual might just need outpatient treatment sessions. Some individuals may go to one session during the day around their work schedule or school schedule. Once treatment is done they can return home and continue going about their regular daily routine instead of being required to stay in treatment all of the time.

The Benefits of Addiction Treatment

The benefit of addiction treatment is that you get to be in a safe environment where everyone understands what you are going through and can share their stories with others who know exactly how they feel. Having this kind of environment will make an individual more likely to open up about what they are feeling or experiencing, thus creating more effective treatment goals.

Enlightened Solutions in New Jersey offers treatment for addiction in a group setting, among other programs. This could be beneficial to some who are shy or may not want treatment alone. The main benefit of addiction treatment is the fact that treatment works and our facility is always available.

Here are the 5 stages of change during addiction treatment:

The Precontemplation Stage of Change

This stage of change is when the addict does not believe that they have a problem with addiction. They might feel like their problems are caused by outside factors and will remain in this stage until those factors go away. During professional addiction treatment, counselors can help addicts understand how much their actions affect others as well as themselves.

The Contemplation Stage of Change

In the second stage of change, addicts begin to feel ambivalent about their drug or alcohol problems during professional addiction treatment. They have a desire to change but at this point, they may not be ready because it means giving up things that are important in their lives – such as friends and family members they spend time with.

The Preparation Stage of Change

In the third stage of change, addicts begin to feel a little more committed towards professional treatment for addiction and they are ready to make some changes in order to get better from their addictions.

The Action Stage of Change

In the fourth stage of change during professional addiction treatment, clients gain full commitment toward professional treatment for addiction and recognize that professional treatment for addiction is necessary to change their lives and get better from their addictions.

The Maintenance Stage of Change

In the final stage of professional addiction treatment, addicts feel confident that professional treatment for addiction has enabled them to gain control over their lives and they will be able to maintain an alcohol-free or drug-free lifestyle upon leaving professional addiction treatment.

The Dangers of Addiction

There are countless dangers associated with drug addiction. Some examples include kidney damage, loss of motor coordination, difficulty breathing, and memory impairment.

Those who become addicted to drugs or alcohol can also face legal issues involving theft or unlawful behavior in order to continue their drug addiction. Additionally, when individuals attempt to stop using the drug after becoming addicted, they may experience intense withdrawal symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, fever, goosebumps, and intense cravings for the substance.

Addiction Impact on Society

Drug addiction also has an impact on society as a whole with increased crime rates being linked to those who have been arrested for buying illegal substances. In 2004 alone there were 3 million arrests for drug-related offenses. If you have been arrested for a drug-related offense the charges may affect your social status, employment prospects, and the custody of any children.

Addiction Effect of the Economy

Drug addiction is a complex issue that affects the life of the individual as well as those around them. Additionally, drug addiction has been shown to have an impact on the economy as the demand for health services as well as law enforcement resources increases through the increased prevalence of drug abuse.

In 2004 there were three million arrests for drug-related crimes in the United States alone. This shows how prevalent drugs are in society today. It costs billions of dollars every year to try and fight these drugs and their abusers but this doesn’t seem to be doing much good. The cost will continue to increase if we don’t find ways of solving the problem.

The goal of addiction treatment is to create a new, sober lifestyle. The treatment method that works best for one individual may not work for another. At Enlightened Solutions, we believe that professional addiction treatment is the way to go.

We offer a wide range of services for each individual client which helps them find their path towards sobriety. We provide them with all the tools they need to continue it after they leave our care. Contact us today if you or a loved one is suffering from addiction.