Calm young woman recipient of evidence-based practice therapy in rehab.In most addiction treatment facilities, a practical or traditional approach to treatment is used to assist patients into a recovery state. Because of the high levels of relapse from some treatment options, the industry has begun moving towards an evidence-based practice model. This change has been offered by the increased amounts of data being made available by successful scientific studies of addiction treatment.

What is Evidence Based Practice

Evidence-based practice finds its roots in science. The approach is the same as that done with animal research for psychological experiments with recorded results. The objective is to use a variety of case studies and treatment solutions to decide which treatment solutions are most effective in treating the ailment in question.

The “experiment” requires the use of both a target group of patients and a control group. Both groups include patients with a common addiction. Members of both groups get similar treatment methods. After the prescribed time for the experiment has elapsed, the results are recorded and analyzed. Over an extended period of time, perhaps a couple years of study, the evidence-based practice study should render definitive results. The results will hopefully point towards the best treatment method.

Evidence Based Practice for Addiction

Addiction creates a unique set of circumstances for an evidence-based practice model. That’s because there’s both a physical and mental component involved with addiction. It requires clinicians to account for more variables and includes more subjects into the study.

The resulting two components of the addiction-related evidence-based therapy model from recent studies are pharmacotherapies and behavioral therapy. Pharmacotherapies require the use of prescription drugs to treat the addiction. A great example of this would the use of Methadone in the treatment of opioid addiction, including heroin. Admittedly, this type of therapy is of limited use for addiction treatment because of the limited number of available drugs.

The more viable therapy solution turns out to behavioral therapy. As the name implies, a patient’s behavior is studied as it relates to addiction. The goal of any therapist is to find the core reason for the behavior. Once found, a therapist will create treatment plans to modify that behavior. A reward system for good behavior is often a large part of the process. The thought process behind behavioral therapy is that by altering the behavior, the chances of a relapse are diminished. All of this is referred to as “cognitive behavioral therapy.”

Evidence-Based Practice at Beaches Recovery

Beaches Recovery is a reputable drug and alcohol treatment center in Jacksonville, Florida. We offer a variety of treatment options, customized for the benefit of our patients. As part of our treatment process, we provide dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders. Some aspects of this type of treatment require the use of the behavioral therapy model mentioned above. The other treatment options we provide include:

If you are dealing with both your mental health and substance abuse, you can derive some great benefits by reaching out for help for both problems at the same time. Beaches Recovery specializes is this type of treatment. By calling one of our professional counselors or clinicians at 8666050532, you will be taking the most important step in your recovery. After that, your hard work and commitment will give you the opportunity to regain the life you have been losing to addiction.