Disorders that co-occur will each have their own unique symptoms that need to be addressed. Each will complicate the ability to function in its own unique way. When the two problems interact and go untreated, the problem with substance abuse tends to worsen. As abuse with alcohol or drugs worsen, the mental health problems continue to increase as well. As you can see, it is a vicious cycle to be in.

Successful recovery can only happen if both the addiction and the mental health problem is treated together in one program. It doesn’t matter which problem happened first, and one should not be given priority over the other. Fortunately, the majority of people who suffer from a dual diagnosis are able to recover and lead normal lives with the right treatment and ongoing support. It will take time so don’t get discouraged and give up if things don’t start to improve right away. Your courage and commitment will play a huge role in the long term success of the treatment.

Relapse may happen – and for those with a dual diagnosis – it is often a normal part of the recovery process. Try not to get too down on yourself. Pick yourself back up and get back to work on your recovery. Use your resources and peer support. Leaning on others who know what you are going through can be very helpful.

Dual diagnosis is not an uncommon problem and you are not alone. It just takes getting through the first step of entering recovery to put your life on a positive path – the path to recovery and regaining a sense of normalcy. It may be difficult, but it will be worth it in the end to fight for yourself.

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Different philosophies are used to design the programs for different patients’ demands.  The approaches in drug rehab could be based on gender, sex and age. The period, intensity and cost are determined by the diagnosis done on the patient.

Some of the basic programs in alcohol treatment are: rapid detox, alcoholism, social drinking, heroin addiction, cocaine addiction, dual diagnosis, teen drug addiction, drunk driving, prescription drugs hallucinogens, club drugs, drugs and denial ecstasy rehab.

Rapid detox is done in the hospital with the administration of anesthesia.  Addiction to these substances is treated:  codeine, dilaudid, morphine, Percocet, percodan, lortab, oxycontin.  The medications administered under anesthesia in the drug rehab process, accelerate the physical reactions to the rapid withdrawal process and can last from four to six hours.

Alcoholism is a disease that comes from the acute dependence on alcohol. While the people who drink do not understand why the rest of us complain, the symptoms of this disease include craving, loss of control, physical dependence and greater tolerance for alcohol. Though there are claims that alcoholism is genetically inherited, the disease is curable.  In this program, it is necessary that a complete withdrawal from alcohol is done.  A mere cut down of consumption does not help much. There are exciting new directions in alcoholism management programs which include genetics – finding the chromosomes that will reduce the consumption rate, medication development, combined medications/behavioral therapies.

Social drinking alcohol treatment programs tend to deal with the issues of progressive drinking from events. It is closely associated with alcoholism in that social drinking mostly graduates into full blown alcoholism. It is also curable and requires a lot of self discipline from the addict or patient.

Alcohol treatment and heroin drug rehab program are another one designed to curtail the excesses from the use of this drug. Heroine is the processed form of morphine, got from the extract of seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. This program has the extended issue of the management of the addicts for HIV/AIDS as addicts mostly use shared needles. Injection is the most common form of the use of this drug.

Cocaine addiction program is also another basic program.  Crack as it is called on the street, presents itself as a fine, white, crystalline powder often diluted by street dealer with cornstarch, talcum powder or sugar. It is at time mixed with procaine or other stimulants such as amphetamines.

The problem associated with cocaine use is that the level of decay of the patient/addict increases with increased usage level.

Teen alcohol treatment program is another basic program that is common. This is because a greater number of our teens have tried marijuana at a tender age and this has to be dealt with in programs that address their needs.

Finally, dual diagnosis alcohol treatment programs deal with the treatment of drug addiction with other associated medical illnesses.

If you or someone you know needs help finding alcohol treatment, please call our toll free confidential helpline at (888) 842-3167 today

How Common Is the Dual Diagnosis?

Dual diagnosis is common than you may imagine. According to report published by Journal of American Medical Association*:  37 % of the alcohol abusers & 53 % percent of the drug abusers have one severe mental illness. Of all the people been diagnosed as mentally ill, around 29 % abuse alcohol or drugs.

Term dual diagnosis is used interchangeably with terms co-occurring illnesses, co-morbidity, co morbid disorders, concurrent disorders, dual disorder, co-occurring disorder, and double trouble. The professional literature has been used in confusing range of terms & acronyms to explain co-occurring disorders or dual diagnosis.

Individuals who knowledge dual diagnosis face a wide variety of psychosocial issues & might experience numerous interacting illnesses.

If you would like free assistance with finding a dual diagnosis treatment facility, please call (888) 842-3167