by Mona Gallagher

Created on: November 25, 2008

Like most everything in life, drug addiction doesn't come in one-size fits all package. It progresses through several stages before it becomes the ravaging addiction we see portrayed in film. The interesting thing is that all along the way and through each stage, people make choices to continue or they choose to stop drug use with the many treatment options for drug addiction.

Old school medicine theory says an addict has to hit bottom before treatment is sought, but alternative medicine says that's not always true with drug treatment.

In extreme situations, families intervene to have a family member committed to a detox or rehabilitation facility, but more often, the individual is responsible for seeking his own drug treatment options. There are hundreds of options available through a search on the Internet, but moving through the maze of information can be overwhelming.

Treatment options for drug addiction come from conventional and alternative medicine with detox and rehabilitation centers around the world. Many of these employ group support and NA groups as part of the treatment, but relapses and falling back into old addictive lifestyles are common and expected, yet some people manage to kick the old addictive habits and live drug free.

Why is it that some people conquer their addictions while others ride the train to the end of the line? The answer seems to be the payback. In addition to the biochemical changes that occur in the brain with drug use, drug addiction offers rewards and paybacks that the addict believes he can't obtain in other non-destructive ways.

He knows that drugs are taking his health and all the other meaningful things in his life, but in the moment he chooses drugs, he believes he is exerting power over other conditions in life that seem unbearable.

"Someone struggling with drug addiction or alcohol addiction will continue to use until he or she is convinced that they can successfully live life without the use of alcohol or drugs. This can come at any time." The Forgotten Five Steps.

Cognitive Therapy

A number of alternative medicine practitioners agree that drug addiction is a choice and not a disease, as many have been taught. When it's treated as personal choice, the reasons behind the choice become important. One theory says that we can change our choices to overcome drug addiction by relearning how to live a satisfying and successful life.

Cognitive therapy addresses our choice and the reason for the choices we make. It's another option

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