Goals & Objectives for Drug Addiction & Recovery

According to a statement made by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in 2004, drug addiction and abuse costs the United States more than $484 billion per year, negatively impacts individual lives, families and communities, and increases the spread of infectious diseases, domestic violence, child abuse and other violent behaviors. Therefore, standard goals and objectives are made by counselors and rehabilitation centers to ensure that drug addicts have a support system to help them recover and end their drug dependencies.

Addressing Symptoms

• Addiction counselors should first address and point out the symptoms and results of the addiction with the patient. For example, point out physical features that have deteriorated in the patient since his drug addiction began. Compare an old photograph with the way the patient looks in the mirror now, and point out weight loss, dull skin tones, saggy eyes or any other physical feature you see changed.

  Also talk about how the drugs have resulted in changing the patient's life, such as losing friends, losing a job, becoming financially unstable or getting in trouble with the law. Discuss these topics with the patient until you feel like the patient realizes they are present and understands that they were a direct cause of overusing the drugs.

Admittance

• Once the patient realizes what the drugs have done to her physical body, her mentality and her life, help the patient admit that she is suffering from a disease of chemical addiction. According to the NIDA, a patient must admit that she has a disease before agreeing to a recovery plan.

  Help the addict recognize urges to use the drugs and discuss what causes these urges, such as stress, personal crises at home or low self-esteem. The counselor should acknowledge the causes of these urges, discuss how the drugs do not help solve the issue at hand and then encourage and motivate the patient to achieve abstinence and to find new ways to solve the issues at hand.

Abstinence

• As a recovery plan, the addict should be monitored for drug usage with regular urinalysis or breathalyzer tests. The addict should be rewarded and encouraged when no drugs are used, and a counselor should discuss why an addict did use drugs if drugs are found in the tests. The addict and the counselor should discuss and together find new ways for the patient to solve life's issues and to make him happy, such as meditating, exercising, writing song lyrics, volunteering or joining a support group. The end goal is to have addicts become functional, responsible, productive and contributing members of society without the use of drugs, according to StepUpRecovery.com.

Life Recovery

• For patients whose drug addictions resulted in significant damages to their personal lives, a goal is also set to recover from these damages and possibly make amends. To begin, counseling sessions should be held between the addict and her friends or family members whose relationships were damaged or altered due to the addiction. A rehabilitation program of an average of 28 days should reestablish everyday living tactics, such as fitness, healthy eating, meditation, spirituality, physical appearance and hygiene, education, job searching and sober activities. The patient should feel comfortable reentering the real world after a rehabilitation program.