Is Addiction a Disease?

Woman in need of help wondering is addiction a disease

Nobody wakes up one morning and plans to develop a chemical dependency. Similarly, you didn’t start abusing a substance with the understanding that it would turn into an addiction. Now, you can’t stop using. Now you need to know, “Is addiction a disease that responds well to treatment?”

Is Addiction a Disease?

Clinicians agree that substance abuse can lead to addiction. Furthermore, they understand that dependency meets the standards of a disease. You don’t plan to have it happen to you. Besides that, you can’t stop it from progressing.

Addiction therapy in Philadelphia focuses on lifelong recovery. Because addiction’s a chronic disease, it doesn’t have a cure. This means that flare-ups, or relapses, may occur. Being aware of what they look like is an integral aspect of care.

How Care Approaches Work

Therapists begin the recovery process with a thorough evaluation. It’s essential to understand what your care needs are. Besides that, psychological testing helps with pinpointing the best treatment approaches for you. At the same time, clinicians determine how to assist your family with their healing needs.

Is addiction a disease that always requires residential treatment? Some care facilities say yes. However, that’s not technically true. Substance abuse is different for each person.

Therefore, one size doesn’t fit all when seeking treatment. Whereas one person needs the supervision of a residential program, another can do well in an outpatient setting. One of the best options is the combination of sober living with outpatient care. You practice what you learn during therapy while in a supervised home setting.

If there are problems with implementing the skills you’re exploring, this is an excellent way of finding out quickly. You can then hone your coping, social, or life skills more in therapy. Common modalities include:

  • Medication-assisted treatment that normalizes brain chemistry, minimizes cravings, and assists with post-acute withdrawal symptoms
  • Intensive family therapy that mobilizes loved ones to become members of your support network
  • Mindfulness training that focuses on stress reduction and grounding yourself in the present
  • Trauma therapy as a tool for processing situations that currently create triggers for substance abuse
  • Psychotherapy, which allows you to dig deep and find roots for addiction that you can then overcome

Protecting Your Career

Professionals with licenses worry about entering rehab. You’re afraid that someone might find out. Besides that, you can’t afford to lose the license you worked so hard to get. Rehab protects your professional career.

Specialized programs work with regulatory agencies and help you meet the requirements to remain in compliance. By enrolling in a specialty program, you work with experts who assist you with undergoing required classes. The agency practices complete confidentiality. Nobody needs to know about your treatment.

If you do nothing, the disease continues to progress. When governing bodies find out, they might elect to suspend your license. Doing so can have severe ramifications for your career. It also can result in problems with your health, relationships, and public trust.

However, this doesn’t have to describe your life and professional trajectory. When you connect with Providence Treatment, there’s help and hope. So, is addiction a disease that you can treat? Yes, it is; call [Direct] today to find out what this might look like for you.

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