Addiction Counselling The First Step

Drug addiction is a major public health problem that impacts society on multiple levels. Directly or indirectly, every community is affected by drug abuse and addiction, as is every family. Drugs take a tremendous toll on our society at many levels. This includes health care expenditures, lost earnings and costs associated with crime and accidents.

This is an enormous burden that affects all of society � those who abuse these substances, and those who don�t. Researchers have found a connection between the abuse of tobacco, cocaine, amphetamines and steroids, and they are also the cause for development of cardiovascular disease. Alcoholism is one of the major root cause for road accidents and crashes, and most of major crimes. In order to save a person from these addictions, he should undergo proper counseling programs. Addiction counseling should offer problem solving and skills training as well as social support. Counselling should reinforce motivation to quit and decline prevention. Individual and group addiction counselling are both effective.

Counselling programs for smokers: Every person who smokes should be offered smoking cessation treatment at every office visit. Clinicians should ask about and record the tobacco-use status for every patient. Cessation treatment even as brief as three minutes a visit is effective. The more intense the treatment, the more effective it is in producing long-term abstinence from tobacco. Nicotine replacement therapy (nicotine patches or gum), social support, and skills, training are effective components of smoking cessation treatment. Health care systems should be modified to routinely identify and intervene with all tobacco users at every visit.

Addition counselling for tobacco users: In a clear, strong, and personalized manner urge every smoker to quit. Be clear. Speak strongly. Personalize your advice. Mention the impact of smoking on children or other in the household. Apart from this also advise the smoker to set a quit date, ideally within two weeks. Inform friends, family, and co-workers of plans to quit, and ask for support. Remove cigarettes from home, car and work place and avoid smoking in these places. Review previous quit attempts- What helped, what led to relapse. Anticipate challenges particularly critical first few weeks, including nicotine withdrawal. Beyond counselling if the patient prefers rigorous treatment or you think such a program is appropriate, refer him or her to an intensive smoking termination program administered by specialist. Always watch up the patient periodically.