Rehabilitation Program

Rehabilitation Program To help Tony overcome his drug and alcohol abuse problem, the techniques as well as methods to be made use of should not only be effective but also situation-sensitive. The therapeutic process to be adopted in this case should in my view begin with detoxification. Treatment and the prevention of a relapse should follow detoxification in that order. The other critical elements of the said therapeutic process are behavioral therapy and medication.

While medications could in this case come in handy in the suppression of withdrawal symptoms, behavioral therapy will enable Tony to modify his behaviors and attitudes in relation to drug abuse. Behavioral approaches could in this case include but they are not limited to cognitive behavioral therapy. Given the special aspects of Tony's situation, the relevance of a customized treatment regimen cannot be overstated. The said treatment regimen should in my view address all the aspects of Tony's life, including but not limited to his age and family situation.

In my opinion, Tony's family should be part of the treatment. It is instructive to note that in Tony's view, smoking of marijuana and alcohol abuse is not a serious issue as his parents are regular users of both marijuana and alcohol. For this reason, Tony's parents could be regarded key influences of his drug abuse pattern. Further, it is this same family Tony will return to after his treatment.

In that regard, there exists a need to rope in his family in the treatment program in an attempt to find a lasting solution to the problem. Once the treatment program commences and during the evaluation process, Tony should be sent to some kind of a halfway house. This move is akin to institution-based programs which according to Kaminer and Winters (2010) "provide physically secure (locked) confinement for the short-term…or long-term…" (p.433).

Given the situation back home (as explained above), it would not be advisable to allow Tony to continue living in his home environment. In the final analysis, any move -- i.e. forcing Tony to live away from home or permitting him to live at home - would have its own repercussions. Should Tony be allowed to live at home, interventions instituted to treat his drug addiction problem may not be effective.

Although he could benefit from organized support groups at the community level, the fact that his parents are abusers of drugs could get in the way of his recovery. On the other hand, an institution-based program that would entail forcing Tony to live away from home could end up being very effective. This is more so the case given that in a controlled environment, Tony's perceptions can be shaped more effectively and his progress better monitored.

It is however important to note that as Kaminer and Winters (2010) observe, institution-based treatment options involve minimal parental involvement. This approach will have the effect of keeping Tony away from influences that may have triggered his drug abuse habit. Before ending this discussion, it would also be prudent to discuss the relationship that exists between various behavioral theories and the program techniques used by Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Rational Recovery. Both Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous are driven or run by recovering addicts.

In that regard, the program techniques these two treatment programs make use of could easily be related to social learning by Bandura in.