When an individual has an addiction to alcohol, prescription, or illegal drugs, it’s a hard and scary time for them and their family. Those abusing drugs often lose or damage relationships with their family, friends, and even themselves. They no longer understand who they used to be, and they begin to feel lost, useless, and ashamed. When someone has gotten to this point, receiving help from a professional is their only option to regain their former self and rebuild connections. 

At the Master Center for Addiction Medicine, we have professional and highly trained addiction psychiatry specialists who can provide significant help and support to individuals affected by addiction. Whether you’re seeking help for a loved one or yourself, an addiction psychiatrist can be of great service during an addiction treatment program. We can help all of our patients beat their addictions and re-find the person they once were.

The Devastating Effects of Addiction

When someone has an addiction, a lot of strain can get put on their daily life, from work to maintaining relationships. Drugs and alcohol can cause an individual to become a different person; they may act in a way that they would never have done if it weren’t for the drugs, and this can cause an enormous amount of grief and damage. Not only can jobs and relationships get severely compromised, but the overall health and psychology of the addicted individual can also be negatively affected. 

Many different things can trigger substance use, such as depression or anxiety. If you or someone close to you is going through addiction, call today for an addiction psychiatrist in Richmond, Virginia, and get the necessary help.

What Is an Addiction Psychiatrist?

An addiction medicine psychiatrist works with those who have addictions to alcohol, drugs, and prescription medication. For this type of doctor, specific skills and training are needed to carry out the necessary treatments. Our substance abuse psychiatrists are professional, compassionate, highly educated, trained, and experienced to work with a range of people of all different ages but who all share something in common: addiction. 

Our addiction psychiatrist works one-on-one with the clients to evaluate and determine what caused their drug or alcohol problem. Our patient’s drug psychiatrist will talk to them about their history. We often begin to see some of the issues that contributed to substance use during these sessions. If our clients show signs of withdrawal symptoms during their treatment, their doctor can also provide them with prescribed medication to calm and control their needs. This job requires the drug or alcohol psychiatrist to have extreme knowledge and specialized training in psychology and physical health. This education gives the doctor the ability to deploy the best treatments unique to each patient they work with.

What Happens During Addiction Psychiatry?

During our patient’s appointments with their addiction doctor, clients will be asked a range of questions to get a deeper understanding of the person we’re working with. We ask about our client’s mood, thoughts, and life, to determine where the drug use started and escalated. We may also perform a simple examination, for example, taking the patient’s blood pressure. Our psychiatrists are there for their patients to confide in and release any pent-up emotions.

How a Drug Dependence Psychiatrist Can Help

An addiction psychiatrist is significantly beneficial to those addicted to painkillers, alcohol, heroin, or other drugs. At the Master Center, we have one of the best addiction psychiatry teams. Our doctors work closely with the clients to stop them from abusing substances. They then help them to maintain a healthier lifestyle and mindset. 

One of the main benefits of having addiction psychiatry is that it’s confidential and unbiased. Our psychiatrists don’t know anything about their patients except for what they’ve shared. Having a balanced but helpful input to all of their advice encourages the patient to release any emotions or issues that contributed to their addiction. Our clients can express anything they need to with their psychiatrist and work on overcoming negative matters so that nothing holds them back from a full recovery.

It’s also incredibly important for the family and friends of our patients to help in any way that they can. The more support and encouragement our client gets, the more likely they are to recover from their addiction and not relapse. Assuming an attitude of compassion and understanding goes a long way. During addiction treatment, they can still get triggered, and unsupportive family members can cause them to spiral. 

Positive energy is the best solution. When clients undergo substance abuse treatment, they always get treated with the utmost respect. We understand that drug addiction is difficult, and many suffering people can feel depressed and hopeless. We encourage our patients to get active, resourceful, and healthy by adopting positive habits, and we’re right by their side throughout the recovery process.