You’ll find the words “evidence-based treatment” used throughout drug and alcohol treatment program websites. You’ll also hear these words used along with specific kinds of treatment, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Bayview Recovery is an addiction treatment center with experienced and caring professional staff. They provide evidence-based treatment for substance use and co-occurring disorders.

What is Evidence-based Treatment?

Years ago, treatment centers didn’t have any official way to show people that their treatments worked. They could have been providing effective treatment but there wasn’t any organized evaluation. It took time for counselors and psychologists to develop ways to evaluate which treatment helped. They also needed to figure out which treatments didn’t work.

In 2005, the American Psychological Association (APA) set official criteria for effective treatment. The APA forms workgroups and evaluates treatment based on research. Substance use treatments are just one type of treatment they evaluate.

If a treatment center, including Bayview Recovery, says it offers evidence-based treatment, its staff members are trained to use evidence-based treatment and therapy that the APA has evaluated. The therapies and treatments they use have clear research evidence. The evidence shows that these therapies have helped significant numbers of people to recover from drug and alcohol use. The studies the APA uses to evaluate treatment include:

• Reviews of controlled trials
• Observational studies with outcomes
• Single randomized controlled trials
• Single observational studies

Experts in psychology, addiction medicine, and behavioral health review the results of studies. They evaluate the safety and effectiveness of evidence-based treatments. When medication is part of treatment, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supervises tests for safety and effectiveness. Counselors receive training in evidence-based therapy and learn more as they provide it.

What Kinds of Evidence-based Treatment are Available?

Evidence-based treatments for drug and alcohol use disorders include types of therapy like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT). Motivational interviewing and motivational enhancement therapy (MET) also have strong research evidence. Motivational interviewing can be combined with CBT.

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) combines evidence-based therapy with FDA-approved medications. Drug and alcohol treatment programs have used MAT successfully for decades. Several research studies confirm that MAT can help improve opioid, alcohol, and tobacco use disorders. MAT for opioid use disorders is an evidence-based treatment Tacoma, WA residents can receive through Bayview Recovery.

Other treatments with strong evidence that can help substance use disorders include:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Contingency management
• Drug counseling: group and individual
• Motivational enhancement therapy
• Relapse prevention services
• 12-step and peer group support

How Can Evidence-based Treatment Help Recovery?

How soon you can receive treatment and how long you receive it will influence your recovery. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the sooner you are able to start treatment, the greater your chances of a long-term recovery. NIDA also recommends that your treatment should be individualized. NIDA also recommends that you and your provider should review your treatment plan often and modify it whenever needed.

Drug and alcohol use does not occur in a vacuum. Substance use affects your physical health, mental health, and family and community relationships. Your recovery will be stronger if you improve these areas along with sobriety.

There’s no “one size fits all” in substance use treatment and recovery. Evidence-based treatments have helped other people to recover in the past. With each successful recovery, treatment professionals and people in recovery learn more about what works and how to heal. It isn’t easy to take the first step to enter detox or treatment. Bayview Recovery offers evidence-based treatment Tacoma, WA residents can trust. Contact us at 855.478.3650 to learn which evidence-based treatment can help you to recover and heal.