My Prospective Meth Addiction Treatment Center Says It Has No Cure for Meth Addiction; Is This True?
The first step in seeking out meth addiction treatment is doing some research about treatment in general and about specific treatment programs. If not, you can develop some unrealistic expectations. Preoccupation with a cure for meth addiction as a prerequisite of getting treatment sets you up to fail because no treatment center will be able to offer you that. So, when a meth addiction treatment facility tells you that they cannot provide a cure for meth addiction, you need to believe them. But, you also need to discover what they do provide.
Don’t Be Disappointed
Yes, it is natural to want a cure. Today’s culture of quick medical fixes leaves all of us desiring an easy way to fix what ails us. But, that isn’t possible with a chronic disease, which addiction is. This means that is it long term and cannot be eliminated with medication. Other chronic diseases include hypertension, diabetes, and Crohn’s disease. None of these have a cure, but all can be successfully treated.
Concentrate on What Treatment Can Offer You
Most meth addiction rehabs work with support groups, behavioral therapy, and education. These components help you to manage the symptoms of your disease and reclaim control of your life. In fact, the National Institute on Drug Abuse states the goals of treatment are both to assist you in ceasing your meth use and to return you to productive functioning in your family, community, and workplace.
Is Treatment Effective?
A lot of research has been done that follows people in rehab over long periods of time and most of these people:
- Stop taking drugs
- Reduce their criminal activity
- Recover their psychological functioning
- Recover their occupational functioning
- Recover their social functioning
Are You Using the Absence of a Cure for Meth Addiction as an Excuse to Avoid Meth Addiction Treatment?
Some people say they can’t go to meth addiction treatment because they can’t miss work. Other people refuse to go because they can’t leave their pets uncared for. Still others argue there isn’t a point since there is no cure for meth addiction. Certainly, there isn’t a cure, but that doesn’t discount the value of meth addiction treatment. If that is your argument, you are purposely creating an obstacle to delay entry into treatment. It’s time to remove that barrier.
No, There Isn’t a Cure for Meth Addiction
Do you know why? Because there isn’t a cure for any addiction. Sure, you might think of things like methadone and Antabuse as medications that fix the problem, but that isn’t the case. These are simply components of a larger treatment program.
As the National Institute on Drug Abuse states addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. Chronic diseases, by their very nature, are long term disorders that cannot be cured with medication.
But, the Lack of Cure Isn’t a Reason to Refuse Treatment
For a little perspective, think of other chronic diseases like Crohn’s disease and asthma. If you were dealing with the chronic diarrhea and abdominal pain associated with Crohn’s disease, would you refuse to get treatment because it couldn’t be cured? Would you let your asthma attacks worsen while you rejected an inhaler?
Treatment Is Worth It
Although meth addiction treatment does not make your addiction disappear, it allows you to manage the symptoms and regain control of your life. You learn to identify the behaviors and attitudes that contribute to your meth use and you modify them. You also gain strategies for coping with triggers and cravings. In time, you return to a life very similar to the one you led before meth addiction.
Will Meth Addiction Treatment Ever Provide a Cure for Meth Addiction?
Although there is no current cure for meth addiction, many people still hold onto hope that one will be developed. However, there is little indication that this will happen or that it is even a possibility. The nature of addiction as a disease precludes curing it. However, treatment remains an effective management tool and establishes the foundation for a strong recovery.
Chronic Disease Cannot Be Cured
As a chronic disease, addiction is a long-term issue, as well as one that cannot be inoculated against or cured with medication. Think of other chronic disease, like asthma, diabetes, hypertension, Crohn’s disease, and even cancer. There are associated surgeries, medications, and behavioral changes that can all make the disease more bearable, but none of them fix the disease.
Disease Is a Relapsing Illness
A lot of people take relapse to mean that treatment has failed, but that isn’t the case. Relapse is a natural part of the recovery process. This is another reason that a cure for meth addiction isn’t likely. A cure would ideally stop relapse, but since relapse is ingrained in addiction, it can’t be removed. Meth Addiction treatment can’t do that.
According to data provided by the Journal of the American Medical Association, the rates of relapse for addiction are comparable with those associated with other chronic, relapsing diseases. Observe the following rates of relapse.
Type 1 diabetes: thirty to fifty percent
Addiction: forty to sixty percent
Hypertension: fifty to seventy percent
Asthma: fifty to seventy percent
There is no insistence that any of these diseases can be cured, although people certainly hope that they can be.
Focus on the Benefits of Treatment
If a cure is linked in your mind with ceasing your meth use, there is good news. Meth addiction treatment can give you the same results. Research consistently links completion of a treatment program with a decrease or cessation of drug use. Visit our main website to learn more about other treatments.