Healthcare Technology News

February 27, 2019

The Role of Technology in Addiction Recovery




The past decade has witnessed the advancement in technology to make lives easier in every way. New applications, innovative gadgets or electronic devices are emerging every day to addresses different human needs. However, technology has had both negative and positive externalities. Physicians and researchers have joined the revolution and are now using technology to prevent or treat health conditions. Some tools commonly used for communication, playing games and enhancing IQ are now helping in addiction recovery. In this piece, we will discuss the role of technology in addiction recovery in depth.

Increasing Accessibility to Treatment Services

Most heavy drug users sink deeper into drug addiction or relapse due to the stigma associated with rehab. Most of the patients trying to recover from addiction are tech-savvy. The use of computers, mobile gadgets, and other devices are helping to entice the younger generation to undertake the recovery program. Some of the rehabs are making use of smartphone-based programs to help patients stick to the journey to addiction recovery. Whether it’s simply making it easier to get information about Santa Barbara sober living or communicating with a therapist during an especially rough patch, these accessible options help bridge the gap between patients and the professionals who can help them.

For instance, they are using innovative apps that help patients to follow their treatment schedules to prevent relapse. Also, these apps may come with platforms that have online support groups that combine members with similar addiction problems. The anonymity that comes with internet use allows patients to open up to each other even without physical contact. They can use technology to discuss their issues without being traced back. This has become a key element in helping patients from relapse. The stigma associated with being a rehab patient can be dealt with using this technology.

Use of Virtual Reality Sets to Detect Addiction

Most patients won’t admit that they are struggling with addiction problems, which has become a significant problem in the United States. A virtual reality computer program helps capture patients' reaction using VR headsets. The physicians ask the patients to put on the VR headset and set them in an environment with heavy drug use. The patient's’ response to visual stimuli will tell a lot about the stage of drug dependency he or she is in. With further advancement in technology, we expect to see better and innovative ways of detecting and screening addictions and determining the severity of the condition.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Treatment

Artificial intelligence is taking a wave in every aspect of human life. The healthcare industry and drug rehabs are not left out. AI has managed to deal with human error margins and carry out activities that give human beings space to deal with other important responsibilities. In drug recovery, AI helps to tailor treatment programs to the patient’s needs. For instance, chatbots respond to patients’ needs and assess their responses to gauge the recovery progress. They have become a more reliable and accessible alternative to human therapists. This has solved the problem of the therapist to patients’ ratio. Moreover, AI has been used to develop patients’ medication reminders, online guidance and to keep patients on track through their smartphones.

With these new technologies, therapists are now creating sober living facility upgrades. Drug addiction recovery seems to be an issue that will not bug us for long. We now have better chances of beating drug addiction than we have had in the past. The industry seems to be enjoying a lot of refinement, progress, growth, and improvements due to the use of advanced technology.



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