Technology will prove to be an immense boon for patients who fear to enroll in a rehabilitation center and choose to not get treated.Technology is being used today in every facet of life and as it continues to get smarter by the day, health educators and health-promotion scientists are harnessing it to provide recovery and preventive solutions for drug addictions. The reason why technology can prove to be effective in controlling drug addictions is that teenagers and young adults in their 20’s make up the highest percentage of drug abusers. Technology owing to its inherent appeal becomes the smartest method to reach the media-savvy generation of today.
Rise in the Number of Drug Abusers
In 2015, opioid overdoses caused the deaths of 33,000 people in the United States. 2015 saw the highest numbers of deaths caused due to such overdose and was more than double the numbers as compared to 2005 according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. According to a study, more than half a million hospitalizations occur due to opioid dependence every year in which approximately $15 billion gets spent. According to the reports by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2013, 23 million American citizens had a substance use disorder involving illicit alcohol or drugs. Yet, less than 20% of such citizens who needed treatment against such drug overdose will receive the treatment. Given these statistics, it wasn’t long before health-promotion scientists had to think of innovative ways to control the increasing numbers falling prey to drug addictions.
Technology Being the Cure
According to Lisa A. Marsch, PhD, Director of the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health at the Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center, “These technology-based interventions can be used either as an adjunct to traditional treatment, or in some cases as a stand-alone therapy. There are many psychosocial behaviors that are effective in treating substance use disorders, but there are challenges to finding the resources to deliver them, because of many reasons including staff training and turnover, and time constraints,” she says. “Using technology can improve substance abuse prevention and treatment in a way that is cost-effective and increases reach to new target audiences, including the many people with substance use disorders who are not in treatment. We are not trying to replace highly trained clinicians, but they are not always available.”
Smartphone Apps to the Rescue
The use of technology-assisted care to combat the dangers of drug addictions is growing. There are more than 1,65,000 smartphone apps for health care and mental care that include addiction-related options and offer hypnosis guides, online support groups, and directions to AA meetings.
Some of the apps that are designed to assist the recovery process are:
- Sober Grid: This app helps the patients in finding immediate support based on their current location. Patients can receive safe rides to recovery meetings in their area. The app also has a sobriety calculator that keeps a track of the number of days the patient has been sober.
- Squirrel Recovery: This app was developed at the Ohio State University and it provides a platform to the former addicts to create their own support groups in the digital world with an aim to get people out of their addiction by sharing their own experiences. Members can check on each other and know if someone is low then immediate assistance can be provided.
There are many other apps that help in tracking alcohol consumption or provide inspirational messages to the patients, some even use podcasts and videos as part of rehabilitation programs.
Online Education and Online Treatment
Some people may argue that the internet glamorizes the use of drugs and alcohol and it is here that young adults or teenagers find themselves tempted to try drugs. But while this may be subjective, the same Internet is also being used today to enhance drug abuse awareness and provide various treatment and helpline numbers. Online treatment centers are growing today as many abusers feel embarrassed to go out in the open and confront their issues. They also fear they might not remain anonymous and get exposed, and so online treatment centers have managed to provide the necessary support to such patients in the comforts of their home. Of course, such patients may be needed to get properly treated in a healthcare facility, but starting an online treatment is a great step in acknowledging the fact that you need help and are willing to get out of this vicious circle of drug abuse.
Conclusion
Needless to say, technology will prove to be an immense boon for patients who fear to enroll in a rehabilitation center and choose to not get treated. However, it does not mean that technology is set to replace the clinicians, just that it will prove to be a stepping stone in the right direction. And in remote locations where there are not many rehabilitation centers nearby, smartphone apps and online treatment centers would benefit many.
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