If you are facing the drug addiction problem, you may probably want to seek help at a special treatment facility. Such facilities are called rehabilitation centers, or rehab centers. What are they? What kinds of programs do they offer? How do the methods used there work?
What is drug rehab?
The term denotes a therapy or a set of programs aimed at recovery from substance abuse. Be it heroin, marijuana, morphine, alcohol, ecstasy or something else, you can resort to drug rehab programs when your own efforts to avoid taking the substance you are addicted to fail.
What kinds of programs do they offer?
Depending on what treatment center you are considering, there can be different rehabilitation programs.
- Sub-acute drug detox. The kind of treatment in question is required when the patient has been abusing the drug for a long time, when it’s a particular kind of drug that should be removed from your body as soon as possible, or when the addiction intensity is high. The aim of the process is to eliminate the harmful substances circulating in the patient’s bloodstream as a result of taking drugs. It is not the kind of “detox” promoted by juice makers and those who believe in toxins accumulating in the liver: the detox used in rehab centers often implies using medications, and doctors can help you customize your nutrition to support the body in its attempts to expel these substances. Keep in mind that rapid detox, which is promoted by some companies, is an extremely dangerous method which proved to be ineffective.
- Inpatient treatment. After the sub-acute detox stage (which is needed by some but can be skipped in some cases), the patient usually proceeds to residential treatment. The main aim of this stage of treatment is to provide the patient with an environment different from the one in which they are used to taking drugs, and help them prepare for another attempt to live outside of the safety of the treatment facility. It also includes medical supervision and assessment, assistance of counselors, attending meetings, and living there for a period of 30 to 90 days, depending on the patient’s state and progress.
- Outpatient rehabilitation. The main difference between this stage and the previous one is that you can return to your home and turn over a new leaf while still being supervised and attending meetings. Sometimes outpatient treatment is the first and only stage of addiction treatment, but this approach can be used only in patients who do not have a long history of abusing drugs, the ones who are unlikely to relapse (determined by a professional, not the patient himself), and those patients who can attend therapy sessions regularly without abandoning them.
- Aftercare. This stage is of utmost importance, as it helps prevent relapse and aims to support the one who has recovered from addiction. Therapy sessions and meetings remain part of the patient’s life, but they are not daunting, as this way of long-term treatment helps resolve problems that the person may face after completing previous stages.
As seen from the stages above, drug rehabilitation programs are comprehensive sets of measures which can help you overcome your addiction and live a life free of drugs and alcohol.
The types of programs used vary from facility to facility, but they may include nutrition programs, which help boost toxin removal processes and support body systems, family programs, and a 12-step program. It is easier to go through the stages of treatment if you are supported by your friends and relatives, and that’s when family programs come into play.
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