What Kinds of Doctors Help With Alcohol and Drug Dependency

Drug and alcohol recovery is a complex issue, and healing requires a range of medical treatments for success. In fact, the most successful inpatient drug and alcohol rehab programs tend to offer a holistic approach to recovery from chemical dependency. Whether you are seeking a referral to effective inpatient rehab or beginning aftercare during your transition from rehab, you can benefit from a holistic, integrated health care team.

What Kinds of Doctors Help With Alcohol and Drug Dependency?

Alcohol and drug addictions have both physical and psychological components that can affect many aspects of health. In order to repair the damage that drug or alcohol addiction has caused, assembling your personal medical team is essential in successful alcohol or drug treatment, and can be useful afterwards, as well. Here are several different types of doctors that you may want to recruit as you find freedom from drug and alcohol addiction, in order to ensure full and lasting health.

• Internal Medicine
  Your internist—often your general practitioner—will often be your coordinating doctor. Doctors who specialize in internal medicine can evaluate your overall health and search for any underlying physiological issues that contributed to your drug or alcohol dependency. Additionally, internists seek out previously overlooked medical problems that may be causing painful or noteworthy symptoms.
• Chemical Dependency Specialist
  For those who have suffered from drug or alcohol addiction, it’s important to work with a doctor who is well-versed in chemical dependency. A chemical dependency specialist will work with you in mental health issues associated with drug and alcohol addiction. Not only do they know specifically what to look for and ask, but they can provide addiction advice and context for your journey to sobriety.
• Psychiatrist or Therapist
  A trained psychiatrist or psychologist can diagnose and treat underlying mental health issues or disorders, as well as help you unearth the psychological root causes of your chemical dependency.
• Nutritionist
  Drug and alcohol dependency can create long-term nutritional deficiencies and alter your body’s metabolism. Many chemically dependent individuals spent years without a balanced diet and adequate nutrients. Nutritionists can help you plan your meals to ensure a healthy and full recovery. Additionally, a nutritionist can recommend vitamins, supplements, and minerals that will bolster your health and wellness.
• Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner
  A Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner can help you restore the balance of energy within the body to help you achieve “chi” (“qi”) or homeostasis. Using herbal preparations, acupuncture, acupressure, and other time-honored practices, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners can help diagnose physical root causes for addiction that may exist within your body.