Drug and Alcohol Treatment

To determine severity of a condition, and apply specific drug and alcohol treatment, practitioners refer to the Addiction Severity Index. The index functions to assess problems in six different areas: medical, alcohol ad other drug use, employment/support, family/social, legal, and psychiatric.

Addiction versus dependency

In the earlier editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders used by the American Psychiatric Association, addiction is described as "a state wherein physical dependency on a substance is present, resulting to withdrawal symptoms when absent." In the more recent editions however, there is a move towards using a diagnostic tool that classifies addictions as dependencies.
The American Society of Addiction Medicine prescribes treatment for chemically-dependent people based on their patient placement criteria, and clinical assessments of six areas that include: withdrawal potential, biomedical conditions/complications, acceptance/resistance of treatment, emotional and behavioral conditions/complications, relapse potential, and recommend treatment in a recovery environment at a drug and alcohol treatment center.

Methods for treatment and care

While dependency or addiction is associated with what seems to be uncontrollable urges, and could arguably be influenced by genetic predispositions, treatments are conducted by using a wide variety of allied medical professionals that include addiction specialists, psychiatrists, trained nurses, counselors, and social workers. For acute withdrawal, treatment normally includes detoxification, and may include the administration of anxiolytics or medication to reduce symptoms felt with withdrawal.

Therapists classify patients for drug and alcohol treatment as either motivated or not, with regards to their attitude towards changing, with treatments normally involving ways of avoiding the stimulus, as well as therapeutic mediations aimed at helping a client learn alternative ways of gaining the same satisfaction they get from the stimulus. Over the years, personal interviews have also been used in order to discover what factors affect a person to accept addictive and unhealthy sources of relief or pleasure.

Pacific Hills

As a drug and alcohol treatment center, Pacific Hills offers residential in-patient, relapse prevention, transitional care, day treatment, out-patient, and after-care programs to address the needs of every client. Pacific Hills also believes that a strong spiritual foundation is necessary for effective recovery. As such, clients are provided means that encourage them to establish or rekindle their relationship with God.
The center uses a Christian 12-Step Program that follows the tradition used by Alcoholics Anonymous, integrated with foundational truths from the Christian perspective, specifically relating to the experiences of the client.
Apart from that, at a drug and alcohol treatment center clients are also provided with gender-specific programs that focus on each gender's experiences, including perspectives on health and relationships that allow staff members to address issues unique for each and give appropriate treatment. The gender-specific programs include defined sets of activities that address both the root causes and symptoms of addictions, as well as ways wherein clients are taught how to live their lives without depending on drugs and alcohol.