What is Addiction?

First and foremost, addiction is a disease, not a moral failing.  A great deal of stigma is associated with addiction. This creates the need for treatment providers to educate society about the disease of addiction, including but not limited to: mainstream healthcare professionals, policy makers, community members and family members of those who suffer from addiction.

Addiction is a chronic brain disease affecting three primary regions of the brain, basal ganglia, the extended amygdala and the prefrontal cortex.  Addiction along with diabetes, COPD and hypertension are all lifelong diseases that need lifelong medical and behavioral management in order to maintain a productive and healthy life.  There are times when an individual is noncompliant with their treatment plan and their disease is exacerbated, requiring hospitalization.  For the diseases of diabetes, COPD and hypertension, admission to a hospital for treatment and stabilization would not be questioned if the patient’s life was in danger. The same cannot be said about the disease of addiction.  It is time that we “must approach with the same skill and compassion with which we approach heart disease, diabetes, and cancer”.¹

Addiction is a progressive disease. If an individual does not receive treatment the disease will worsen, potentially leading to disability or death.

Addiction is a treatable disease.  It can be treated with interventions often involving the combination of medications and behavioral treatment.  There is no standard path to recovery, each individual’s path to recovery should meet their own specific needs.

Addiction is a relapsing disease.  “Like with other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of remission and recovery.”² Relapse is part of recovery and should not be a reason to give up hope and quit trying.

BreakThru Process

• All patients are voluntary admissions, screened for medical necessity criteria and reimbursement benefits by BreakThru staff prior to admission.
• The patient is admitted to a medical/surgical floor bed by appointment through BreakThru staff.
• BreakThru best practices and treatment protocols are implemented and managed by hospital attending physicians (Hospitalists, Internal Medicine, or Family Practice; not Psychiatrists) and nurses.
• BreakThru staff conducts patient screening, coordination of admissions, reimbursement/billing assistance and discharge planning, daily rounds (related to discharge), and are also available as a resource for nurses and physicians.
• Post stabilization, BreakThru staff provide patients with a discharge plan to be referred to their next phase of treatment such as rehabilitation and counseling. BreakThru staff follow-up with patients to ensure discharge plan compliance and support.
• Clinical Delivery:  achieve quality and outcomes metrics while initiating the continuum of care for ongoing recovery.

BreakThru Path to Recovery

• Safe, comfortable, private and confidential hospital stay on a medical/surgical unit, just like any other patient recovering from surgery or other medical conditions.
• Provide the safest environment for withdrawal from alcohol and/or drugs.
• Medications administered based on each individual’s substance of choice and medical history to promote comfort, prevent complications and alleviate pain using evidence-based treatment.
• Exceptional 24-hour care administered by highly skilled doctors and nurses with a lower nurse-to-patient ratio than other treatment facilities.
• An immediate aftercare discharge plan for each patient is established in the continuum of care for successful remission or recovery.
• BreakThru staff will follow up with all patients at one, three, six and twelve month intervals to support and assist with the level of remission, sobriety and engagement in treatment to measure patient outcomes.