In recent years, technology has come to dominate the planet. Digital technology is now widely used. Technology may be used more frequently in the field of addiction therapy.
People now have more opportunities to acquire the assistance they need to effectively manage a drug use problem thanks to technology like apps, virtual reality, and online access. How might digital technology impact the fight against addiction?
What Modern Technologies Are Used to Treat Addiction?
Programs for addiction rehabilitation are utilizing a variety of technologies, and they are supported by research-based evidence. Here are a few examples of the technology employed in programs to treat addiction:
Apps
Numerous applications are available for numerous platforms. To assist people better manage their drug use disorder and deal with the urges and feelings connected to addiction, there are now also applications accessible.
Just a handful of the applications available today that can be useful for people with drug use disorders are listed below:
The "Big Book" of Alcoholics Anonymous
The Alcoholics Anonymous "Big Book" may prove to be a valuable resource for anyone who may be thinking about attending meetings or who is already an active member.
A meeting locator, podcasts, personal testimonies, prayers, and the whole 164-page Big Book text are all included in this manual. In order to keep track of their progress, patients can enter their sobriety date into a sobriety calculator.
Grid Sober
Based on their location, patients may use this free app to obtain the support they require 24 hours a day, even in an emergency. The software offers a simple way to keep track of and communicate progress with others.
Reset
This medical app is supported by the FDA and can be used to treat addiction. The software offers 12 weeks of training that support users while they recover from addiction. People need a prescription to use the Reset app from a doctor in order to access it.
In a research that the FDA evaluated, more than twice as many participants—nearly 400 in total—were able to refrain from taking drugs while using the app as opposed to those who did not.
Nomo
People may stay in touch with other members of their support group with our free sobriety tracking app. It enables people to keep track of their sobriety and communicate it to others, such as counselors.
Nomo is also intended to provide patients with some responsibility during their sobriety journey when cravings become too strong to handle on their own.
Telemedicine
Online talking is included on many different platforms. Many online firms allow customers to contact with a support representative via online chat. These platforms are now available to those with drug use problems.
Patients may communicate with counselors and other addiction treatment experts more easily thanks to telemedicine in the field of addiction rehabilitation. Many addiction treatment centers provide patients a more practical approach to obtain the assistance they need when traveling to a treatment facility becomes challenging in addition to providing in-person therapy.
Despite not being present in person, telemedicine communication may nevertheless put patients and counselors face to face. Interaction is still possible no matter where the patient or counselor chance to be.
Telemedicine can help patients receive the assistance they seek when they most need it by removing logistical barriers in situations where instant assistance is necessary.
It is not advisable to rely solely on telemedicine. It is intended to support conventional treatment, not replace it.
The use of neurofeedback
Some treatment facilities also use technology to support cutting-edge therapeutic approaches, such neurofeedback therapy. Using electrodes, computers, and specialist software, the participant's brain is educated to combat drug cravings throughout this sort of therapy regimen.
Doctors can decide how to reward the patient based on what they see by examining the participant's brainwaves. Images that the patient evaluates favorably are related with favorable incentives. Their brains can eventually train themselves to crave these "prizes" rather than drugs.
Studies indicate that this kind of therapy, which is still in its infancy, may help patients more successfully control their substance use disorders.
Online Reality
In the field of addiction therapy, virtual reality could have a place.
Virtual reality therapy for addiction is a topic of research. More precisely, research is being conducted at the University of Houston to determine the efficacy of virtual reality as a component of a comprehensive addiction treatment plan.
People with substance use problems are put in settings that might make them want drugs or alcohol, but in a controlled environment, similar to how gamers are immersed in virtual gaming worlds.
With the use of technology, people undergoing addiction therapy may recognize triggers in a secure setting and acquire the skills necessary to avoid them. In assisting smokers who are addicted, the researchers have had some success thus far.
Treatment for Addiction Can Help
Digital technology may have a place in treatment programs, but face-to-face therapy in a recognized treatment facility remains the gold standard for successful addiction treatment.
Technology's function in addiction rehabilitation is to give persons with drug use disorders another way to better manage their recovery from addiction.
Participating in a treatment program at a facility that employs evidence-based treatment methods is the best approach to effectively manage a drug use disorder and address the signs and symptoms of addiction.