The Role of Addiction Specialists in Recovery
Are all of the drug treatment programs you're considering supervised by addiction specialists? Dr. Sullivan Bryant of Axcel Treatment and Recovery Clinic in Greenville, Denison, Dallas, and San Antonio, TX, explains why the presence of a specialist is so important.
Addiction specialists are doctors who've obtained additional training and education in diagnosing and treating addictions, supervising recovery, and assisting family members in coping with a spouse, child, or parent's addiction. Although some addiction specialists are psychiatrists, many are doctors who already practice family medicine or another specialty.
Seeing an Addiction Specialist During Withdrawal and Recovery
Because addiction specialists are medical doctors, they're uniquely qualified to manage the physical and mental health issues that can occur concurrently when you're addicted to illicit or prescription drugs. They understand how drugs affect the mind and the body and can provide treatments and suggest strategies that will improve your health. For example, if you inject drugs, you may be more likely to develop hepatitis. Your addiction specialist will create a treatment plan that not only helps you safely stop using drugs but also addresses your health issues.
Avoiding drugs sounds like a simple solution to your addiction, but going cold turkey can cause unpleasant symptoms and may increase your risk of a relapse. When you abruptly stop taking drugs, you may experience chills, sweating, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, muscle aches, tremors, and nausea. In severe cases, suicidal thoughts and hallucinations may also occur. If you're successful in withdrawing but later begin using again, you may underestimate your tolerance level. If you take the same amount of the drug that you once used without any problem, you may overdose.
Your addiction specialist will carefully monitor your progress to ensure that you don't experience unpleasant symptoms that may cause you to relapse. If you're addicted to opioids, you may benefit from opioid replacement therapy. When you visit our Dallas, Greenville, Denison, or San Antonio clinics, you'll receive either methadone or suboxone. Both medications trick the brain into thinking you're still taking opioids but don't cause a high or impair your cognitive skills. After your symptoms stabilize, you'll be weaned off the opioid replacement, allowing you to enjoy life drug-free.