Addiction treatment’s main purpose is to help a person recover from drug and/or alcohol addiction. A person who goes in to addiction treatment may have other psychological problems that need to be addressed (Dually Diagnosed), but the primary purpose of every addiction treatment facility, unless they enter a dual diagnosis treatment center, should be the recovery from drugs and/or alcohol. Treating a co-occurring disorder will be part of treatment, but often drug treatment facilities will not be equipped to fully treat a dually diagnosed client.

Every treatment professional agrees that getting a person sober should be the first order of business because it is extremely difficult to treat a person for a co-occurring disorder when they are not sober. The ideal situation according to current research is to treat both the addiction and the co-occurring disorder concurrently. So when a person with a dual diagnosis enters treatment they should be evaluated to confirm any previous diagnoses, evaluated for medication, and immediately begin seeing a therapist to work on the co-occurring disorder.

The best treatment facilities, while being more expensive, are ones that combine drug and alcohol counseling and professional therapy. These should never be done by the same person, or rather, it is almost impossible to find a clinician who is capable of treating both at the same time, nor should they. A case manager’s responsibilities are distinct from a therapist’s responsibilities and the two do not combine very well in an addiction treatment facility. At Hawaii Island Recovery everyone has a therapist and a drug and alcohol case manager/counselor, or at least we highly suggest that they do. The therapist works with them on familial issues, co-occurring disorders, and relationship issues, whereas the drug and alcohol case manager/counselor works with the client on their recovery from drugs and alcohol.

The treatment plan for each client is developed by both the client’s therapist and case manager to ensure that both the client’s addiction and their co-occurring disorder is being treated effectively and efficiently. Over the years we have found that this is the best model for treating dually diagnosed clients.

If you are suffering from addiction please call Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-906-6911.

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