Drug and alcohol rehab centers began to exist more than 75 years ago, with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) pioneering the way. Alcoholics Anonymous began in the 1930’s to help people who were battling alcohol addiction. The AA program is based on the premise that an individual suffering from alcoholism has a disease that he must learn to cope with for the rest of his life. The AA program and the NA program (Narcotics Anonymous) were designed to provide the addict with the necessary tools to manage his addiction from day to day, through counseling programs and peer support.

Over the years, Alcoholics Anonymous and similar programs have been able to provide the social and emotional support systems needed to help many people recover but they have not been able to provide the tools necessary to address the physical, psychological, or neurological reason or reasons why an individual is abusing drugs or alcohol. Without these tools, many people have been unable to break free from their addiction and achieve full recoveries.

Advancing medical sciences and state of the art technology now allow neuroscientists the opportunity to look at these physical, psychological, and neurological causes in individuals addicted to drugs and alcohol. New drug and alcohol rehab centers utilizing these resources are able to look at the brain and its systems and functions. They are able to test chemical imbalances and study the physical or emotional traumas that may be controlling the addictive behavior. They use modern technology and an integrative approach to diagnose the root cause of an individual’s drug or alcohol abuse.

A brain scan is one of the first steps in the treatment process provided by drug and alcohol centers using neuroscience technology. Physicians specializing in neurosciences use brainwave mapping to track abnormalities in specific areas of the brain. They use neuro and biofeedback to monitor neurological and physiological reactions during treatment such as volatility, trauma, anxiety, and depression which may be related to the drug abuse or alcoholism. They use SPECT scanning to help diagnose the impact of the addiction on the brain and the presence of any atypical aggressive behaviors. The physicians are also able to study chemical imbalances present in the individual including serotonin and dopamine levels.

Serotonin and dopamine are both neurotransmitters in the brain that relay information from one part of the brain to another. Neuroscientists believe that serotonin affects many psychological as well as other systems in the body. They believe it plays a role in mood, appetite, sleep, memory, sexual desire, and other behaviors. Dopamine affects the brain’s pleasure centers thus playing a major role in addiction. It affects pain and pleasure, movement, and emotional response.

Understanding serotonin and dopamine activity helps the physician understand behaviors that may be contributing to the drug or alcohol abuse. This is important for both doctor and patient to understand in order to create an effective recovery plan unique to that patient.

Advancing medical science and changes in technology are allowing drug and alcohol rehab centers to provide full service treatment programs to address not only the emotional and social recovery needs but also the physical, psychological, and neurological recovery needs of individuals suffering from drug and alcohol abuse. In these centers, full recoveries are possible, making addiction part of an individual’s past, with a new future ahead.