At Cirque Lodge, we believe that all three concepts are relevant to alcohol and drug addiction treatment.
Research has shown that the most effective treatment programs are adapted to suit the needs of each individual. Different people have different experiences of addiction and respond better to different models. Some concepts will be more useful to them than others.
If you are struggling with heroin addiction, you may feel you have no control over your substance use. It may not be helpful for someone to tell you that you can choose to stop using it. In this case, the disease concept of addiction may be more suitable.
On the other hand, if you are a recovering alcoholic who one day decided to stop drinking and maintained sobriety for years afterward, the choice model of addiction may make more sense to you.
At Cirque Lodge, we treat you as an individual. Our treatment program begins with an in-depth assessment by medical professionals to identify your individual needs. This includes a psychological, neuropsychological, and physical assessment.
Our rehabilitation program offers various approaches, including behavioral therapies, experiential therapy, support groups, dual diagnosis, and family therapy. Surrounded by mountains, our treatment facilities support a range of enriching practical activities so you can learn and reinforce skills in a unique way.
We design your program according to your needs to provide you with the most effective treatment.
The disease model describes addiction as a set of chemical changes that happen in your brain. While still a debated concept, it is the one that is most used in treatment approaches.
Repeated drug use causes changes in the brain. When you take a drug, you experience a range of positive feelings such as euphoria and relaxation. Your brain connects this experience with the drug, producing an urge to take the substance again. With repeated drug use, these urges can be very intense and hard to resist.
The disease model emphasizes that brain changes are physical. If you scan the brain of someone with a substance use disorder, you find that certain areas look different from a healthy brain.
Understanding how addiction affects the brain helps us explain why recovery from addiction is a long process. These brain changes may last for years or even be permanent. Even after long periods of sobriety, your brain may still produce intense urges to take a substance in response to certain triggers. This is why addiction is a chronic disease.
Many of those who see addiction as a disease believe that effective addiction treatment programs should involve medication and behavioral therapy. Medication can interfere with signals from the brain to help reduce urges and cravings. Behavioral therapy helps you develop skills to avoid and cope with triggers.
Some psychologists believe we may find a cure for addiction that involves healing the affected areas of the brain, removing the urge to use a substance.