Addictions are one of the most widespread psychological disorders in any Western society today, and they have the particularity of rapidly deteriorating the quality of people.
Although there are differences between them in terms of the level of immediate danger, in general in all cases there is a tendency to experience a very significant physical wear and tear that shortens the years of life, and an impoverishment of all areas of life (social relations, ability to find work, etc.).

That is why it is very important to tackle this type of problem as soon as possible and to turn to accredited and experienced health professionals to intervene in this type of disorder. But… what exactly does the treatment of addictions consist of? We will see below.

How does the addictive disorder develop?

Addictions are much more than the tendency to perform the same kind of actions over and over again to satisfy an impulse that is becoming increasingly uncontrollable. It is a phenomenon that affects both the individual’s behaviour and the context in which he lives and that even generates changes in the functioning and structure of his brain .

On the one hand, repeatedly consuming the need that generates addiction leads the brain to reorganize itself internally to make this goal the priority objective for the person, so that all other aspects of life become secondary.

This is not a free decision or a moral positioning: it is about nerve cells being activated in the same way through the brain’s reward system, which “learns” to interpret the source of addiction as that which is capable of generating a moment of satisfaction and a really significant reward.

With time, this need needs to be consummated more frequently and with greater urgency , and also requires much more involvement in this type of behavior to obtain the same sensation of passing satisfaction, compared to previous stages of the addictive process. This is so because the brain gets used to this flood of chemical elements that take control of its functioning every time this impulse is satisfied, and this is the reason why, for example, the same ration of drug that months ago gave pleasure, after some time generates frustration for being insufficient.

In addition, as the person becomes more addicted, their lifestyle and social context changes to accommodate the fact that virtually their only concern is meeting the addictive need. Thus, family relationships tend to deteriorate, as do lifelong friendships, and the people with whom the person spends his or her free time are usually also involved in the sale or consumption of drugs, gambling, or whatever the driving force behind the disorder.

Therefore, the treatment of addictions must adapt to this triple reality: addiction is maintained and reproduced because the brain has modified its functioning to prioritize a single goal, the social and daily context exposes it more to addiction, and the person’s habits make him/her get used to organizing his/her day-to-day life so that it is easy to relapse again and again.

The treatment of addictions: what is it like?

As we have seen, an addiction is a complex phenomenon that involves several levels of intervention: the biological, the behavioural and the contextual. Therefore, the treatment of addictions consists of going through a process of recovery of control over one’s life that takes into account these elements, not leaving any of them unattended.

Next we will see which are the main phases through which the treatment of addictions passes. All of them are designed to lead the patient to a life in which the dependence on what has generated the addiction is reduced so much that it stops conditioning the person’s day-to-day life, although in each stage different procedures and sub-targets are proposed, as we will see.

1. Detoxification phase

In the detoxification phase, the person is helped to spend several days away from the influence of the addiction and to manage as best as possible the discomfort generated by abstinence during those first hours .

The aim is to let the body eliminate the accumulation of potential addictive substances, and to prevent the symptoms of the need to consume from significantly harming the patient (for example, problems of insomnia or strong anxiety). To this end, it is very important that doctors and other experienced health professionals intervene and supervise in order to act at this critical moment in which acute discomfort manifests itself.

Once the “monkey” has passed, the next phase of addiction treatment appears.

2. Uninhabitation phase

In the uninhabited phase, physical and psychological health professionals help the patient take his first steps as a person who must move away from addiction. Although the acute discomfort of the first phase is gone, the need to return to what the addiction is based on is still present, and that is why here it is necessary to help “train” the person to manage his or her emotions, to recognize the thoughts and behaviours that increase the risk of relapse , and to generate healthy habits that will move him or her away from the influence of this form of dependence.

In this way, psychologists and doctors work together so that the patient organizes his life in a way that gradually gives him more independence and control over what happens to him, while the need to relapse is no longer the only priority.

3. Reintegration or rehabilitation phase

In this phase, the biopsychological aspect of addiction is no longer as problematic as in the detoxification stage, although it is still present.

The aim here is to allow the patient to recreate life habits linked to a context and which are not supported by any of the elements that facilitate relapse, as well as to provide him/her with situations in which he/she can become involved again in exciting activities and projects and with the ability to offer medium and long-term incentives, and from which he/she can restructure his/her life away from drugs, gambling or any other source of addiction.

Here we also work to get the person used to being exposed to social contexts far from the potentially addictive stimuli, above all taking into account that those who have developed one type of addiction have a much higher risk of developing another. For this reason, participation in social groups of people who reject the use of drugs and the like is encouraged, as well as a return to family life or to friends who can help prevent relapse.

Are you looking for professional help in treating addiction?

If you live in the metropolitan area of Barcelona and are looking for help to overcome an addiction, we invite you to contact our professionals at CITA Clinics .

This entity, which has a presence in Barcelona and Dosrius (Mataró), specializes specifically in the treatment of addictions whether they are based on substance consumption or are related to addictive behaviors (such as gambling addiction).

In addition, we have an internment centre surrounded by nature and full of different medical and therapeutic services , monitoring and advice, as well as leisure spaces to keep away from relapses: gardens, reading room and library, equine-assisted psychotherapy area, physiotherapy area, swimming pool, gym, physiotherapy room, etc.

If you are interested in knowing more about CITA Clinics to count on our team of experts in the treatment of addictions, contact us through this link.

Bibliographic references:

  • Kalivas, P.W., Volkow, N.D. (2005). The neural basis of addiction: a pathology of motivation and choice. The American Journal of Psychiatry. 162(8): pp. 1403 – 1413.
  • Kauer, J.A.; R.C. Malenka (2007). Synaptic plasticity and addiction. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 8(11): pp. 844 – 58.
  • Volkow, N.D.; Fowler J.S.; Wang, G.J.; Swanson J.M.; Telang, F. (2007). Dopamine in drug abuse and addiction: results of imaging studies and treatment implications. Arch. Neurology. 64(11): pp. 1575-1579.