The idea behind herbal treatment for drug addiction is that, "if you take the herb, you get well." Or at least it's about medicating yourself with the herb to be rid of the effects of addiction. Many treatment centres use herbal treatment as a remedy for addiction. At Solace Sabah, we realise that certain herbs have remedial effects. For instance, Milk Thistle is capable of healing liver tissues. Whereas, we know that taking Chamomile will help you relax. As for relying on herbal treatment for drug addiction, we do not believe it can treat this illness.
Why Residential Treatment is a Better Option Than Herbal Treatment For Drug Addiction
Below are some reasons why residential treatment is better:
1) Addiction is a holistic illness
As a disease, addiction affects every aspect of the self. Herbal remedies may be useful when treating withdrawal symptoms such as fatty liver. As mentioned before, drug addiction destroyed liver tissue. Hence, taking Milk Thistle can be helpful in remedying that. But, what about the social issues such as isolation? Or the spiritual issues such as an inability to admit one's wrongness like dishonesty? Or belief systems that keep the addict entrapped such as "not being good enough"? You need therapies to address these symptoms. Unless these get addressed, you can have smooth recovery from withdrawals. But, not from addiction.
2) Herbal Treatment may contain addictive qualities.
Like their synthetic counterpart, herbs, too may be addictive. For example, marijuana is a herb. Some herbal remedies such as "Ibogaine" are questionable. Are they addictive? If so, then, promoting that herb is no different than replacing one addiction for another. Not knowing the addictive properties of herbs may damage recovery. As a treatment centre, our main aim is to promote recovery rather than inhibit it.
3) Herbal treatment is still chemical dependency.
Recovery is about having a life free from addiction. It's not about becoming dependent on any substance, be it drugs or otherwise. Herbs are still substances. What is the difference if one substance gets replaced by another. You're still depending on externals to get well. The answer lies within. The reason for being clean should be internal. We've written an article on how inner resolve creates recovery. Click here to read our article on "Personality Psychology”.
4) Residential treatment teaches you tools for living life free from any substance.
In treatment, you will learn how to have social connections and talk about feelings. You will also learn how to get in touch with yourself. From this, you will find inner healing. Herbal remedies may treat the illness, but it can't teach you to live life on life's terms. We teach our clients how live in acceptance. We also teach them how to grow out of the pain that caused the addiction in the first place. If anything, that's the best healing remedy available for anyone.
5) Some herbal remedies may be harmful for one's health.
The NHS (National Health Services) in the U.K. has noted that some herbal remedies may be unsafe for your health. It's irresponsible for any treatment centre to use medicines that are not recognised. National medical bodies such as U.K.'s NHS ensure the safety of medicines. If we rely on personal opinion for herbal remedies, we are being unprofessional. Professionalism is something we prize at Solace Sabah.
Relief from addiction: Treatment at Solace Sabah
Residential treatment includes round the clock care. There's also daily therapies, as well as recovery programs. At Solace Sabah, we know that this is the only way to treat drug addiction. It's because addiction encompasses every aspect of life. To treat addiction, in-house care treats the life rather than the symptoms of the addict. We know that recovery will then replace addiction with love for life.
At Solace Sabah, we treat addiction as a holistic illness. We target all aspects of the addict. This is why we adopt a "Biopsychosocialspiritual" model of treatment. Biologically, we address the body and health concerns. Psychologically, we treat the thinking processes that have come to create the addiction. We call this the addictive personality. Read up on what that is by clicking here. Socially, we have a community of recovering addicts to support the healing process. Spiritually, addicts will come to terms with their addiction by working on recovery. We have found that this model has helped our patients at an immense level. It's because addiction affects all areas of life.
Our program includes various therapies. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT addresses problem thinking and core beliefs. DBT or Dialectical Behavioural Therapy helps addicts to accept themselves. Whereas, Interpersonal Group Therapy or IPGT integrates the addict into the recovering community.
Besides therapies, we provide activities. These activities show our addicts that there is life beyond addiction. We will take you on outings to beautiful and exciting places. You'll also take part in sports, fitness, creative arts therapies, alternative therapies, and massages. All these activities will help in the healing process from addiction.
After your initial treatment, you are most welcomed to join the transitions at Solace. This is a program designed to help our clients to make the necessary leap from treatment to real life. We will support you till you are able to support yourself in the new life that you've built with us.
