Treatment

Treatment in SAE is thought to be intensive and short-lived (12 to 16 weeks) so it can produce rapid changes in people's lives. The treatment can be summarized in terms of a sequential dynamic process or as a three-phase systemic program, in which all phases are interrelated:

Accept powerlessness in the face of the problem;
This is the first goal of treatment, when you achieve the client's stabilization and have completed the process of psychological and psychiatric evaluation, you will need to help him admit and accept that he is powerless in relation to substances that alter his mood and state of consciousness. In this stage we help the patient into recognizing and accepting the fact that he has lost control over his life because of his addiction to alcohol or drugs.

Recognize the need for change;
Here we help the patient to recognize that it is essential and vital to change his behavior for survival. You have to convey and make him believe that he has the ability to make these changes. Another important aspect is to help the patient realize that the structure of the treatment program, the basic routine to be carried out, is a vehicle for subsequently achieving the necessary changes. In the period of treatment they learn and train a series of skills that when put into practice allow them to maintain their recovery. Patients are also introduced into the AA and NA self-help groups as an essential tool to perform the work that their recovery requires.

Plan to act;
The third goal of treatment is to help the patient to take action, make decisions, and change the behaviors, attitudes, and defects he needs to change. It is to support the patient so that he can begin to visualize what he will need to and can redesign a life project based on a change to a more healthy and satisfactory lifestyle.

For SAE this is one of the most important steps in the recovery process. Technically, ongoing care begins after the client completes a treatment program and is ready to be reinstated into the community. The goal of continuous care is not just to avoid a relapse. The ultimate goal is to keep you involved in recovery while making the transition from treatment to real life. When facing the challenges of a sober life, the after-treatment service can help you in the following ways:

• Help make healthy choices about your lifestyle, activities, and relationships
• Strengthen the skills you have learned to cope with stress and strong emotions
• Teach you to identify your own triggers and avoid a relapse
• Teach prevention of possible harm or consequences of maladaptive behaviors
• Give you access to individuals and support groups that can assist you in the recovery process

The SAE does not believe that relapse is part of the recovery. What we believe is that relapse is the result of what has not been addressed or has been neglected by the client, which has created the obstacle to moving forward into a life of abstinence and recovery. Our Relapse Program is for individuals who have relapsed after maintaining some recovery period of their dependence. We offer a specialized process, guided by trained professionals to allow the discovery of what has contributed to the relapse. Obstacles specific to the client's recovery are identified and underlying issues that contribute to the relapse process are examined and resolved. In addition, the relapse program helps them identify relapse warning signs and learn specific skills that will help you avoid additional relapses. Prior to discharge, an individualized relapse prevention plan is designed to further strengthen the client's recovery plan. This program lasts for 8 weeks, after a stabilization period.

The treatment in SAE also includes a family program that is structured as a weekly experience, which is educational and experiential.
The family receives the same information as the patient, in addition the family member is helped in preparing to receive the patient back; to make sure that your life no longer revolves around the patient and how you can get rid of the problem, but not the person. Another goal is to help the family understand the concept of family illness and let the patient solve his problems while others begin to live their own lives. The Family Program is specific and may include all or only a few members, depending on the needs of the family.

The Family Program is also of short duration and takes place simultaneously with the treatment of the dependent. The family program includes:

• Opportunities to visit every Thursday,
• Intensive family programs on days to be determined by the team
• Phone updates for family members
• Family therapy sessions (if clinically appropriate)
• Two family conferences

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches people to recognize moods, thoughts, and situations that lead to craving (uncontrollable craving for substance use and other addictive behaviors) and distortions of reality. A therapist trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques helps the person avoid these triggers and replace negative thoughts and feelings with healthier ones. Skills learned through cognitive-behavioral therapy can last a lifetime, it is a powerful evidence-based technique, and focuses on changing patterns of destructive and unhealthy thinking and behavior.

DBT is a skills-based approach to learning effective coping strategies that can be used to address and change unhealthy behaviors. Originally developed by Marsha M. Linehan, PhD, it teaches people skills for coping with stress, regulating emotions and improving relationships with others. DBT has been shown to be effective in adults and adolescents with a range of psychiatric conditions and behavioral problems.

Emotion-Focused Therapy is a neo-humanist approach designed to help people become more aware of their emotions and to make productive use of them. Patients are helped to identify, experience, accept, explore, make sense, transform and flexibly manage their emotions. As a result, they become more competent in emotional self-regulation, in accessing information about themselves and their world contained in their emotions, as well as a greater ability to live a fuller and healthier life.

Addiction is a family illness and as such it is important that other family members receive treatment so that they can learn to deal with specific issues related to family member substance abuse, mental illness or other problems. At SAE, we found that about 90 percent of family members want to be involved in treating their loved one, and we realize that the greater the involvement of the family, the greater the success of recovery. Family therapy is a type of psychotherapy that is designed to help family members improve communication, resolve their conflicts, increase awareness and understanding of the problem so that they can learn how best to support their addict and live their own lives.

Logotherapy was created by Viktor Frankl, who believed that people are motivated by the desire to find meaning for the experiences that make up their lives. Frankl was a psychiatrist and neurologist who used his personal experiences in the Nazi concentration camps to develop a new type of therapy. Logotherapy is based on the belief that each individual has a healthy nucleus and that psychological distress results from the lack of meaning in an individual's life. Many studies describe dependents as people who have always felt a great existential void, and hence logotherapy is very useful in treating substance abuse. Having a purpose, a meaning for life not only helps people overcome psychological suffering but can strengthen resilience in the face of adversity.

Meditation can help improve mental focus and clarity, reduce anxiety and depression, and promote a deep sense of inner peace. Through meditation, those who seek to recover can connect with their spirituality and rediscover new passions. Meditation also offers a healthy way to relieve the anger and stress so often experienced in the first few months of abstinence. Clients struggling with states of emotional distress may find that meditation relaxes the body and clears the mind of anxious thoughts and worries.

Change does not happen from one moment to the other, it takes time and energy. Much of the initial process of change occurs internally as the person ponders whether change is worth the time and effort required. The process of change begins with a person who is not aware of any need for change until the problem can not be ignored, plans of change are made so that, when achieved, they lead the person to work towards maintaining the new position. Therapies based on the transient model show how people make successful changes and make the process easier throughout the course of the five phases of change: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.

Glasser's Reality Therapy is a very useful technique for people who reject the reality in which they live in. Therapeutic success is related to the fact that the client stops rejecting reality, looks at it as it really is and understands that satisfaction can only be achieved by working with oneself. William Glasser's Reality Therapy aims at achieving concrete goals through problem-solving and sound decision-making. It is about helping clients achieve their personal goals by analyzing their current behaviors and modifying those that interfere with their goals; and collaborate with the client so that they can meet five basic needs: love and belonging, power, survival, freedom and fun.

Rational Emotional Behavioral Therapy, founded by Albert Ellis in 1955, was a precursor in highlighting the influence of cognitive processes on feelings and behaviors. The fundamental principle is based on the assumption that what happens does not disturb people, but people are disturbed by their view of what happens. It assumes that thought, feeling and behavior are interrelated in a systemic relation and must be worked together, through the ABCDE System, where: A (trigger event), B (irrational beliefs), C (emotional and behavioral consequences), D (debate), E (new belief). The goal is to change a low tolerance to frustration and promote profound emotional and behavioral changes.

Relapse is a reality among those who try to overcome addiction problems. It is always triggered by exposure to risk situations such as negative emotional states, desires and temptations, interpersonal conflicts, exposure to people, places, or events associated with substance abuse. During relapse prevention therapies, clients learn to identify situations of risk and the proper skills to deal with them; how to increase self-confidence, eliminate myths about the effects of alcohol and drugs, and restructure their perceptions about relapse as a process. Other goals of relapse prevention therapy is to adopt a balanced lifestyle, positive behaviors, stimulus control techniques, and develop a plan for what to do in emergency situations to avoid relapse.

Video therapy is a playful therapeutic activity characterized by the display of selected videos (films, short films, documentaries, lectures among others) with the aim of mobilizing clients around issues relevant to treatment. Video therapy opens space for the addict to reflect on various issues related to recovery as well as aspects of his life. It is still a work tool that informs, entertains, seduces, awakens / restlesses, cherishes / comforts, awakens attitudes and expectations; according to what is intended at a particular moment or context of treatment.

Individuals with any chronic illness such as addiction or other mental disorders should receive accurate information about their diagnosis, treatment and prognosis and how they can help themselves to recover. This is widely called psychoeducation. In psychoeducational groups or lectures, clients learn about various aspects related to the nature of addiction and recovery in a non-threatening way. Psychoeducation is applied to increase awareness about the problem and to reduce relapse rates.