A comprehensive treatment program for addictions to psychoactive substances

Addiction

 * Psychological dependence: rewarding effect (reward centers in your brain), physically located in the nucleus accumbens
 * Physical dependence: the somatic distress associated with suddenly stopping to take a drug leading to withdrawal symptoms
 * Background: 1 in 4 adults with a mental illness also hass a substance abuse disorder

Components of a treatment program for addiction

 * Examples of psychoactive substances
 * Nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, opioids, Benzos, amphetamines, hallucinogens...
 * their withdrawal symptoms look different depending on the substance taken
 * Psychotherapy
 * Motivational interviewing
 * Cognitive behavioral therapy
 * Family therapy
 * Group therapy: alcoholics anonymous (www.aa.org)
 * Pharmacotherapy
 * Fighting withdrawal symptoms
 * Alcohol: Naltrexone (first line), disulfiram (negative conditioning due to disulfiram reaction), acamprosate (blocks glutamate receptors and reduces alcohol cravings)
 * Alcohol-acute withdrawal symptoms: Benzos, antipsychotics
 * Opioids: Buprenorphine/naloxone; methadone (substitution therapy)
 * Cocaine: supportive, psychotherapy, group programs
 * Disulfiram, acamprosate: Alcohol- for acute cravings
 * Smoking: Varenicline, buproprion, nicotine patches/gums

Links
www.aa.org