How Is the Matrix Model Used to Treat Cocaine Abuse?
According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), The Matrix Model is a behavioral therapy developed during the 1980s for the treatment of stimulant addicts. Many rehab facilities across the country use this option to help cocaine addicts get back on their feet, see their drug abuse in a new light, and avoid the dangers of relapse. If you are looking for treatment for cocaine abuse, call Cocaine.org at 800-934-3781(Who Answers?) now to find rehab centers near you.
What is the Matrix Model?
The Matrix Model therapeutic treatment, as stated by the NIDA, “provides a framework for engaging stimulant… abusers in treatment and helping them achieve abstinence.” The program usually lasts 16 weeks, and while it is beneficial as its own therapeutic structure, it is strongest when the individual receives it as part of well-rounded treatment program—including medication to treat their withdrawal symptoms and other helpful options, such as group therapy. It is most often used in an outpatient setting as an intensive care treatment.
Patients work with their therapists to create a stronger, more stable recovery while being monitored for any drug use with frequent urine testing. The counselor has a strong role in the treatment program itself while the patient must also become involved in order for the Matrix Model to work. It has been found to be particularly successful for the treatment of stimulant addicts, causing “statistically significant reductions in drug and alcohol use, improvements in psychological indicators, and reduced risky sexual behaviors associated with HIV transmission.”
How Does the Matrix Model Work?
Establishing a positive patient-counselor relationship is a primary goal within the Matrix Model.
The Matrix Model utilizes several components, the most important of which is the strong, positive relationship between the patient and their counselor. This helps keep patients in therapy and is created by authentic, direct, and non-confrontational interactions between the counselor and patient. The counselor is not meant to be parental toward the patient in any way but must help to bolster the individual’s self-worth and self-esteem in order to create beneficial results.
The program itself also borrows from many other treatment options and utilizes elements of:
- Combined sessions
- 12-step groups
- Relapse analysis
- Social support groups
- Family education
- Worksheets
- Drug education
- Relapse prevention groups
Each of these methodologies focuses on another aspect of the individual’s addiction so that the counselor can help them work through all the issues associated with it, leaving no stone unturned. It is a short treatment program but thorough and effective for those who have been heavy abusers of stimulant drugs.
The Matrix Model in Cocaine Addiction Treatment
Cocaine causes many problematic side effects when abused, and the Matrix Model attends to these issues while often unearthing others the patient did not know about and treating them. The program itself is especially helpful for those who abuse cocaine because their self-image is tarnished during cocaine withdrawal as a result of depression and lethargy. This program helps to encourage patients while assisting them in making a change.
If you would like to learn more about the Matrix Model or find a treatment program in your area that uses this technique, call 800-934-3781(Who Answers?) now. We can help you put an end to your cocaine abuse and a start to living in recovery.
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