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What Are the Biggest Changes in Drug Rehab Centers in OH Over the Past 20 Years?

It seems like America has been fighting battles against drug and alcohol addiction for centuries. Prior to the turn of the last century, there was a war on drugs with heroin and cocaine serving as the primary drugs of choice. Believe it or not, the nation is still fighting an epidemic of heroin abuse. Throw in prescription painkillers and the deadly fentanyl, and it becomes clear we have taken one step forward and two steps back.

The truth is the streets are filled with prescription drugs, illicit opioids and a variety of designers drugs that go by names like crank, meth, the purple drunk and ecstasy. If nothing else, this growing list of narcotics is keeping the addiction treatment community on its collective toes. As fast as they can figure out how to treat one drug addiction, another one comes bouncing along.

The good news is a whole lot of addiction treatment professionals really care. Over the years, they have shown the ability to adapt and innovate new and better ways to help addiction sufferers. At this point, let’s take a look at how the addiction treatment community has changed since the turn of the century.

What Are the Biggest Changes in Drug Rehab Centers in OH Over the Past 20 Years?

Prior to the turn of the century, the addiction treatment community was thought of as a necessity to fight off the evils of addiction. Up until that point in time, much of the addiction treatment community’s efforts were focused on treating addictions to substances like alcohol, cocaine and crack cocaine and heroin. For the most part, what are now considered traditional treatment methods seemed to be all that was needed to address the issues of the day.

It’s only with the rapid increase in drug abuse over the last 20 years that the addiction treatment community has been charged with fighting a very new fight. Let’s talk specifically about changes drug rehabs in Ohio have made in the last 20 years.

The Implementation of Evidence Based Therapies

By evidence based therapies, we are talking about options like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. While psychologist have been employing these treatment options for several decades now, these same options have only gained traction within the addiction treatment community over the last 15 years or so.

To qualify as an evidenced based therapy, it must meet several criteria, including:

  • The research must have provided consistent results over many iterations
  • The research results must be publicly published with an applicable authority
  • The research must be done without bias
  • The results must be able to be duplicated in a number of different environments

By implementing the aforementioned evidenced based therapies as treatment alternatives, it has given therapist tools to help clients understand how their thoughts and feelings create the need to self-medicate. By recognizing this process, clients can learn to convert negative thoughts and feelings into positive ones, which should diminish the exercise of harmful behavior.

The Implementation of Dual Diagnosis Therapy

Over the last 20 years, there has been increasing evidence that many clients with addictions also sufferer from a mental or psychological condition. The existence of both conditions at the same time is referred to as coexisting conditions. Dual diagnosis therapy has become a crucial part of addiction treatment because of the need to treat both conditions simultaneously. Failure to do this sets the client up for relapses because an untreated intermingled condition is going to ultimately interfere with the treatment process as a whole.

Increased Use of Holistic Treatment Options

In recent years, therapists have made a concerted effort to find innovative programs to help clients deal with the stress that often leads to addiction. The premise behind holistic treatment is the client is more than the sum of their addiction. There are other aspects of their lives that also warrant consideration in order to heal the whole person. Some of the most prominent and innovative holistic treatment options include holistic detox, acupuncture therapy, art and music therapy, recreational therapy, equine therapy, and massage therapy.

As an addiction treatment organization, we are proud of the way we have been able to adapt our addiction treatment programs to meet changing needs. If you would like more information about our treatment options and approach to treatment, you can contact us at (440) 253-9915. We would greatly appreciate the opportunity to help you find the road to a lasting recovery.