Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs and alcohol or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior.
What people often underestimate is the complexity of drug addiction—that it is a disease that impacts the brain and because of that, stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower. Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and resume their productive lives.
As a result of scientific research, we know that addiction is a chronic disease affects both brain and behavior. Today, thanks to science, our views and our responses to drug abuse has changed dramatically. Groundbreaking discoveries about the brain have revolutionized our understanding of drug addiction, enabling us to respond effectively to the problem.
Weyland Consultation Services in the San Francisco Bay area utilizes this innovative scientific research with a discreet and person specific outpatient drug and alcohol treatment alternative for both adults and adolescents. Their cognitive behavioral approach provides a compassionate and individualized treatment approach, offering the chemically dependent person a route to recovery that is specifically tailored to their needs.
Drug addiction is defined as a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person’s self control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs.
It is because of these changes in the brain that it is so challenging for a person who is addicted to stop abusing drugs. Fortunately, there are treatments that help people to counteract addiction’s powerful disruptive effects and regain control. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medications with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are tailored to each patient’s drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug abuse.
Weyland Consultation Services specializes in designing treatment programs that address the values and beliefs of the people they serve, thereby increasing their ability to engage and participate as active collaborants in their treatment. This open-ended and person specific approach has been scientifically proven to be a strong deterrent to behavioral and chemical relapse.
Weyland Consultation Services Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is a multifaceted, comprehensive and highly individualized program designed to help individuals address chemical dependency issues while remaining in their homes.
To learn more about chemical dependence treatment for teenagers and about Weyland Detox Services located in the Northern California, San Francisco Bay Area in Oakland, Berkley, Danville, Concord and Walnut Creek areas - visit our website www.weylandservices.com/ or call (925) 945-7816 ext. 41.
