Which Addictions are the Hardest to Treat?
Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to conclusively state which addictions are the hardest to treat because all individuals are different, all addictions are at different levels of severity, and all programs treat the issue a little differently. However, there are many ways to consider the subject.
Which Addictions are the Hardest to Break?
Drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine create addiction syndromes that are incredibly difficult for a person to break. These drugs are illegal, dangerous, fast acting, and intense in their effects. However, nicotine and alcohol are considered some of the hardest addictions to break as well, as relapse rates are very high for these substances even though they are legal. In addition, someone who has smoked for years will often find it harder to stop doing that than to work through a painkiller addiction. Therefore, the answer is relative.
Treating Difficult Addiction Syndromes
Stimulant addiction syndromes are some of the hardest to treat due to there being no medication currently available to assist with recovery.
As stated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction can be treated, but it is never simple. “Most patients need long-term or repeated care to stop using completely and recover their lives.” It is difficult to treat almost any type of substance abuse disorder, and a person’s individual experiences, needs, and severity of condition will all affect their care and how it is administered. However, the addiction syndromes associated with some substances can be difficult in particular to treat.
Methamphetamine creates one of the hardest addiction syndromes to treat, partially because the drug causes intense, long-term effects, both physical and psychological, that can linger long after the person has stopped abusing the drug. In addition, there is no medication currently available to treat this disorder. For these same reasons, cocaine, amphetamine, and any other type of stimulant addiction is very hard to treat.
Heroin addiction is also extremely difficult to treat because relapse occurs very often. Those who abuse benzodiazepines and other CNS depressants may be in danger often, especially during the first few weeks, because the withdrawal syndrome can be deadly, which makes treating the syndrome all the more arduous. Alcohol can cause deadly withdrawal symptoms as well, making it difficult for healthcare workers to anticipate what the individual will need.
However, none of this is any indication of how complicated and difficult treating one individual may be regardless of their drug of choice.
Is Addiction Treatment a One-Size-Fits-All Approach?: Benefits of an Individualized Treatment Plan
No matter what form of treatment you choose, it’s important to attend for the entire duration of the program.
Personal Patient Needs Affect Treatment
How long a person has been abusing a certain drug as well as the doses they were taking and the severity of their addiction will certainly affect the ease with which medical professionals can treat them. In addition, a person’s needs, mental and physical state, gender, age, culture, ethnicity can all affect this as well because they all must be taken into account when a person is in rehab for addiction. The particular drug usually doesn’t indicate the amount of difficulty doctors and nurses will have caring for the person but rather the entire person and their situation as a whole, something that is assessed as soon as treatment begins.
If you would like to learn more about addiction treatment or find a rehab program near you, call 888-647-0051 (Who Answers?) today.
