What is Addiction?
Addiction is a physical disorder that occurs in the brain. It causes you to keep using a substance despite negative consequences. The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines addiction as involving “functional changes to brain circuits involved in reward, stress and self-control.” Even when the drug is removed from your system, you may still feel intense cravings for the destructive substance.
That’s why drug addiction therapy must play a role in addiction treatment, long-term abstinence and recovery. A professional addictionologist who understands the power of compulsion and obsession in your damaged brain guides you with both medication management and psychotherapy for addiction. In Manhattan, find the best drug addiction counseling near me at Dr. Ditzell Psychiatry, where experienced opioid addiction doctors provide effective psychotherapy techniques.
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What’s the Focus of Drug Addiction Therapy in Downtown Manhattan?
Drug addictions, also referred to as substance abuse disorders, are treatable. Addicts respond to a wide range of therapies to treat the disease, as each treatment depends on underlying issues that led to the addiction. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a common alternative that delves into your pre-existing emotional or mental issues that preceded the addiction and aims to redirect your thinking to change your behaviors.
Twelve-step support groups such as Narcotics Anonymous focus primarily on stopping drug use and finding a spiritual solution, which works well in tandem with the techniques provided by your addiction psychiatrist. When your substance abuse psychiatrist gets to know you better, the therapist is better able to rely on the most appropriate techniques for you, such as:
- Individual therapy
- Family therapy
- Treatment for depression
- Complementary therapy for conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Group therapy
Addiction specialist Dr. Ditzell.
How Does Counseling for Addicts Work?
Everyone responds differently to counseling for addicts. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all technique. In fact, before embarking on a line of treatment for you, your New York City addictionologist first spends time getting to know you, your goals and your history with your chosen drug. Initial consultations include an interview about issues that include:
- What type of environment you grew up in, including how your parents treated you, how many siblings you had and if other members of your family have addictive disorders
- Whether you’ve survived major traumas that could have led to post-traumatic stress disorder or substance abuse
- If you’ve been self-medicating with substances when you actually suffer from emotional or mental disorders, such as severe anxiety or bipolar disease
- How else you’ve tried to stop using drugs and why you think they didn’t work
Usually, counseling for addicts begins with a period of physical detoxing, which may need to be done on an inpatient basis. Your Manhattan opioid addiction doctors guide you to the facility that meets your needs. You may have to remain in a rehab facility for a period of time to receive the services of your substance abuse psychiatrist, including:
- Psychotherapy for addiction
- Medically assisted treatment (MAT)
- A plan to move into intensive outpatient treatment
- An introduction to a sober living environment
- Ongoing drug addiction counseling near me
Dr. Ditzel’s addiction counseling is personalized and comprehensive. It starts with assessment and tailored treatments, followed by counseling, detox, and ongoing support. Call us to learn more.
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What’s the Best Addiction Treatment?
The best addiction treatment for you is the kind that results in long-lasting abstinence and personal development. You gain self-understanding by tackling the underlying issues that led to substance abuse. Since there’s no cure for substance abuse disorder, the best addiction treatment teaches you how to manage your disease day by day.
Understanding your physical challenges is part of a successful drug addiction therapy program, particularly if you have a family history of addiction and a genetic disposition to the disease. When seeking the help of an addiction psychiatrist, consider your needs, your past experiences with drug addiction therapy and what may be your best solutions. Consider, for example:
- Reviews and testimony from friends and family about a specific substance abuse psychiatrist
- The location of the therapist’s office because if you find drug addiction counseling near me, you’re less likely to skip sessions
- The availability of the doctor and his ability to respond to emergencies, if necessary
- Your level of trust with your doctor
Dr. Ditzel’s addiction treatment is personalized, focuses on long-term management, and is based on trust.
Does Psychotherapy for Addiction Really Work?
Like treatment for any chronic illness, you’re more likely to recover fully and achieve long-term abstinence if you follow the plan designed by your addictionologist. You play a major role in the success of your psychotherapy for addiction by:
- Keeping appointments
- Taking medication as prescribed
- Being honest with your doctor
- Following behavior modification suggestions
- Attending 12-step meetings if so instructed
- Involving your family in your therapeutic journey
Psychotherapy for addiction works if you work it. If you relapse while you’re undergoing drug addiction therapy, that doesn’t mean that the treatment isn’t working. For many addicts, relapses are a part of the process. Tell your addiction psychiatrist if you relapse, so he can take steps to improve your therapeutic treatment through avenues that may include:
- Admitting you back to inpatient treatment
- Changing your medication
- Modifying your current path of talk therapy
- Identifying triggers that you continually face
The success of psychotherapy for addiction depends on your commitment. While relapses are a possibility, they don’t mean failure. By working with your Manhattan-based addiction specialist, Dr. Ditzel, you can recover and have an addiction-free life.
What is an Addiction Psychiatrist?
An addiction psychiatrist is a medical doctor who treats people with chemical dependencies and other addictive conditions. Addiction to drugs and alcohol are the primary conditions a substance abuse psychiatrist treats, but also serves people with addictions to other things that have negative consequences, such as:
- Gambling addiction
- Internet and social media addiction
- Compulsive overeating
- Shopping addiction
- Video game addiction
- Pornography addiction
- Addiction to risky behaviors (reckless actions, uncontrolled spending, etc.)
An addiction psychiatrist relies on psychotherapy for addiction, as well as on medication to relieve you from your continued harm to yourself, your family, your friends and society at large. When you’re ready to face the possibility of being free from the personal prison called addiction, contact the best addiction psychiatrist at Dr. Ditzell Psychiatry today for the same-day initial consultation. Take the first step to health and wellness.
If you think you have a reason to see an addiction psychiatrist in New York City, give us a call to set up a consultation at (646) 751-7908.
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Located in the heart of Downtown Manhattan, on Broadway, we are experts in providing addiction and substance abuse treatments in New York City.