Apart from preventing addiction to drugs, the aim of treatment is returning individuals to a productive life in the workplace, family as well as in the local within the community. Based on research that follows those who are in treatment for long time periods, the majority of people who enter and stay in treatment quit taking drugs, lessen their criminal activities and enhance their work and social functioning. For instance, the treatment of methadone has been proven to boost the participation in behavioral therapy, and to reduce the use of drugs and criminal activity. However, the specific outcomes of each treatment depend on the degree and the type of issues facing the patient as well as the suitability of the treatment and the related services utilized to treat those issues and the quality of interactions with the client and the treatment providers.
Similar to other chronic diseases addiction is a disease that can be controlled effectively. Treatment can help people counteract addiction’s devastatingly disruptive affects on the brain and behavior , and to gain control over their lives. The long-term nature of the illness means that relapse to addiction is not just possible, but also probable, with rates of recurrence similar to those of other chronic medical conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, and asthma (see image, “Comparison of Relapse Rates between Drug Dependence and Other Chronic Conditions” “)–that also include both behavioral and physiological components.
However, when relapses do occur, many consider treatment to be as a failure. But this isn’t the case. Successful treatment for addiction usually requires ongoing assessment and adjustments as necessary as is the case with treatment that is used to treat other chronic diseases. For instance, when the patient is receiving treatment for hypertension, and the symptoms decline, treatment is considered effective, even though the symptoms could recur if treatment is stopped. In the case of addicts Relapses to addiction are not a sign of failure, rather they are a sign that treatment must be reintroduced or modified or that a different treatment is required (see illustration “Why does Addiction Treatment Evaluation Be Determined differently? “).
