Addiction is a growing menace in society today, with over twenty million Americans having at least one addiction.
Understanding addiction helps individuals understand themselves better, and make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing. Alcohol being one of the most abused substances worldwide, has seen over 300million have the disorder that affects their general health and wellbeing.
Substance abuse disorders have led to the risk of mental disorders, with most of them being viewed as chronic conditions. This has developed into complex chronic conditions which prompt the adoption of modern solutions and realistic therapies. Severe addiction impacts psychological, social, and physical dimensions, and may cause mental impairment, especially in teenagers.
The use of multimodal therapies in addiction aims in analyzing mind functions and optimizing the disorders in the brain for the individuals to function better. This has made addiction treatments inclusive and reliable, with various techniques being employed. Various studies showing the benefits of these methods in addiction treatments have made these therapies safe to use.
Multimodal treatments for addiction aim in providing a long-term and sustainable effect in individuals dealing with addiction. These treatments understand the role of personality in shaping daily human interactions such as feelings, thoughts, and senses.
Multimodal treatments vary depending on individuals and factors that might be affecting them. For instance, individuals dealing with mental disorders tend to respond to treatments differently. The varied approach of the addiction dynamic requires a multifaceted approach thus the need for multimodal treatments.
What it entails
Multimodal treatments ensure that the treatment methods are targeted and designed with various treatments designed to stop the addiction. The main goal of multimodal treatments is to help; an individual can manage their cravings thus having a normal life. With treatments are done directly or indirectly submitted towards the patient.
The multimodal approach combines a variety of techniques, therapies, and interventions, to come up with the best possible method of treatment. Therefore, each individual has a different multimodal approach that will help them in their treatment journey.
An individual’s needs and personality help determine the right treatment method. Before the start of the multimodal treatment, the therapist will interview the client to determine the right course of action based on their previous experiences.
The patient can also be given a questionnaire that makes them input some pertinent factors about their experiences. These questionnaires highlight questions such as birth information, marital status, contact details, and health history. Childhood experiences will also be asked as these have a direct influence on addictive patterns.
The therapist will also focus on their relationships with their immediate family and parents. The individual will be able to give reasons for how they handled the situation and how they dealt with it prior. The use of these methods will be sure to give the individual an opportunity to open up and discuss the reasons they sought therapy and seek to advance to the next level.
Types of multimodal treatments for addiction
This treatment comprises multiple modes of treatment and therapies designed to evaluate all aspects of the human condition:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
This treatment comprises of understanding the addictive behaviors that make one’s life complicated. This therapy understands behavior personality and is divulging towards the primary focus which is to make the individual have a wholesome life. However, this approach works differently with various personality types.
For instance, individuals struggling with anxiety tend to have the likelihood of relapsing after being given this treatment. By examining the human condition, this treatment seeks to evaluate an individual’s approach towards treatment response.
- Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the process of stimulating sections of the nervous system with very thin, sterile needles — the thickness of a hair — inserted at pressure points. These needles are inserted into different specific locations to clear a blockage, improve blood flow, and promote overall body balance.
- Ablative techniques
Ablative techniques are taught to a variety of psychiatric disorders that influence the probability of addiction. For instance, it helps the therapist understand some important factors in the patient’s life such as mood disorders, or feelings of anxiety.
- Electrical nerve stimulation
The use of electrical pulses that send signals through the brain to stimulate the brain cells in a specific area aims to reduce addiction. This ensures that the damages caused by the addictive substances can be repaired with the brain back to functioning at its full capacity.
- Physical and restorative therapy
The types of multimodal treatments clients take depend on their medical history and psychological circumstances. Understanding this therapy aims in reversing the mind and body connections that might have become eroded due to the addictive practices that an individual has.
Advantages of multimodal treatment for addiction
Multimodal treatments ensure that the therapist can determine the right course of treatment as the therapist can understand the various social connections that the patient has with people surrounding their lives.
Patients who choose this mode of treatment are not exclusively restricted to these methods. The treatment plan can be changed up at any given time based on the results received during the treatment.
Addiction treatments often use more than one treatment approach as most of the patient’s challenges arise with the interaction of more than two aspects. Therefore, a multipurpose approach is best in identifying the right course of action.
This treatment answers all aspects of the human condition and provides drug-free treatment options that are free of medication side effects. Addiction is a long-term and complicated brain disorder, according to studies, and even for those who have successfully quit, there is always the potential of relapsing through resuming alcohol, intake. This treatment focuses on finding the source of the problem and narrowing it on that dimension, to prevent relapse.
Multimodal treatments for addiction are however not recommended for patients with mental or psychological disorders. Their lack of stability and composure makes it unsafe for them to engage in these treatments due to their mental stimulation which might deem hazardous if prior issues are not addressed first. Therefore, more rigorous methods can be employed for them instead.
