Medical and psychiatric care is a vital component in Alternatives in Treatment’s program for mental and physical well-being. The medical half of the equation allows the use of medications for detoxification and as part of a comprehensive therapy plan. The psychiatric part of the equation addresses underlying mental health issues that may have contributed to drug and alcohol abuse in the first place.

Drug and alcohol addiction can be just one disorder that shows up in tandem with other mental health issues for many in recovery. An effective recovery plan screens for and treats co-occurring disorders at the same time.

How It Helps Clients

Comfort and stability are a must during addiction treatment, and our medical and psychiatric care helps to ensure the highest possible levels of comfort and peace of mind. This first comes into play during detox and later during the therapeutic portion of addiction treatment.

Why It Works

Abruptly quitting a substance is not always the safest route to take. Medications can help wean you off a substance by serving as a less harmful substitute while alcohol or drugs are purged from your system.

While detox is the first step in an effective program, simply removing the substance from your system does not instantly lead to recovery. The substance may be gone, but the same behavioral patterns and issues that drove you into addiction may still exist. Psychiatric care thus can be extremely helpful to get to the root of the underlying issues and change the harmful patterns.

Because certain mental health issues can be helped with the use of medications, Alternatives in Treatment allows those medications to be available to treat issues that may otherwise continue to surface. Psychiatric care does not always include the use of medications, but having them as an option can greatly help treatment when necessary.

Even when necessary, medication is not the end-all of a treatment program. It is instead one component in an overall therapy plan aimed at changing detrimental patterns and correcting biological imbalances so you may best embrace a new life in recovery.

Where It Occurs

Medical and psychiatric care is available where you need it most: on location at Alternatives in Treatment. Our facility’s medical director is a board certified psychiatrist who can prescribe the necessary medication for primary residential and partial hospitalization (PHP) clients.

Clients at those levels receive a psychiatric evaluation and remain under his care for medication management through the course of their treatment. Residential and PHP clients additionally receive a nursing assessment, health history and physical exam with an on-site internist or physician’s assistant to review any physical health issues that may stand in the way of recovery or overall optimum health.