The field of stimulant addiction treatment is not as wide as that of treatment for other types of addiction.
It is important to note first of all that there is no form of medication currently available that has proved efficient in stimulant addiction treatment. Thus, in the drug treatment centers all over the country, the entire process of stimulant addiction treatment, from detox right throught to sober living, is completed without the use of any type of physical medication.
There are, however, a number of drugs that, it is hoped, will be able to be used in such treatment in the not so distant future. These drugs include Baclofen and Modafinil. As the development of these drugs is still in the trial stages, it may be a while before they are released onto the market and become available for use.
Scientist and researchers are also carrying out intensive studies in the field of vaccination as part of stimulant addiction treatments. It is hoped that the drug vaccines, once they are finally ready, will be able to reduce the cravings as well as the effects that result from the addiction to and consumption of stimulants. Should such drugs be made available, they will make the entire process of rehabilitation and treatment for stimulant addiction much more bearable and a lot more efficient than is currently the case.
At present, stimulant addiction treatment basically involves psychotherapy. In the psychotherapy sessions that the addicts attend, attempts are made to try and make the addicts ‘un-learn’ their addiction. The sessions target a reversal of the entire addiction. One of the psychotherapy treatments that has over the years proven to be effective for the treatment of stimulant addiction is cognitive behavioral therapy, commonly abbreviated as CBT.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a problem-based and solution-focused kind of treatment. It is especially suited for those addicts who are in crisis. In cognitive behavioral therapy, the therapists and the addicts combine forces and work as a team to fight the addiction.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the theory that many people’s feelings are controlled by what they think, which is in turn controlled by what they see or hear. What a person thinks and how he or she views a given circumstance or situation is what will ultimately determine the manner in which the person responds, according to the theory on which cognitive behavioral therapy is based.
The long term objective of this treatment, therefore, is to achieve positive change in the addicts’ perspectives of life in general and drug use in particular, in the belief that by doing so, the addicts will eventually be able to stop using the drugs and successfully resist any subsequent cravings to do so. The entire cognitive behavioral therapy treatment can be subdivided into a series of three essential steps.
These steps are education, skill building and problem solving. The first step, which is education, is where the addicts are taught about the adverse effects of addiction and shown the need for and benefits of living a drug free life. Next comes skill building. This is where the addicts are helped to develop all of the skills that they will need in order to successfully break their addiction.
