Psychosocial supports in disorders of substance use and addictive behaviours
Gowing, 2014Queensland Health, 2018
Psychosocial support addresses the complex needs of people with substance use and addictive behaviours; it includes:
- practical assistance with housing, financial difficulties, legal and employment issues, social difficulties
- psychological interventions
- peer support.
It is important to address a person’s immediate needs before considering structured behavioural interventions. Offer support regardless of whether a person adopts other therapies such as drug treatments. A flexible approach is needed to work with a patient to regularly review achievable goals. Printable patient information on how to access a range of supports is available in Patient resources and support organisations for substance use and addictive behaviour.
Psychological interventions have a major role in the treatment of substance use and addictive behaviours. They can assist in reducing or stopping use of substances and addictive behaviours, and increase retention in treatmentFaculty of Addiction Psychiatry, 2017Queensland Health, 2018Ribeiro, 2021. Psychological interventions may include:
- cognitive behavioural therapy—this explores negative thoughts, provides training in social skills and managing cravings, sometimes by graded exposure to situational cuesSoyka, 2017
- acceptance and commitment therapy—this focuses on accepting and managing distressing emotions and thoughts
- contingency management—this is a behavioural therapy that rewards individuals for positive behavioural changePetry, 2011
- family interventions and family therapy
- motivational enhancement therapy—this uses motivational interviewing with structured feedback, planning and building motivation to changeGuydish, 2010.
While most support is provided on an outpatient basis, for some patients, residential rehabilitation may be beneficial; see Long-term care in disorders of substance use and addictive behaviours.