Addiction Rehab Centers

Addiction rehabilitation is a serious issue. In this page we will investigate symptoms, causes, effects, and treatment options for drug and alcohol abuse. If you or someone you know has an addiction, we urge you to seek out addiction rehab centers in your area to find a rehabilitation center near you. Clinics, programs, and treatment options are readily available in your area.

Finding the best rehab center to treat addiction to drugs or alcohol is one of the first major steps you can take towards successful recovery. The best drug rehab centers have experienced professionals on staff to provide for all of your needs medically, physically and in terms of emotional support. Considering the dynamics of addiction, rehab centers professional form treatment scopes for each patient based on:

Age
Gender
Specific drug or substance addicted to
Length of addiction and severity of the addiction
Whether the are co-occurring disorders
Underlying needs

Types of Addiction Treatment

Many different types of treatment programs exist to help those struggling with addiction. According to NIDA, addiction treatment can be classified into several subtypes based on the treatment approach that is used. The most common types of addiction treatment include:

Drug or Alcohol Detox

Medical detox is NOT rehab, but it IS a form of addiction treatment and is required in the early stages for most substance abuse problems. During detox patients are physically stabilized so that they can begin the mental portion of treatment which will later take place in a rehab center. Medications and various forms of therapy are used to help reduce symptoms of withdrawal and rid the body of harmful toxins that contribute to the addiction.

Long-term Residential Treatment

With a focus on 24-hour a day care for a period of 6 months or longer, this type of addiction treatment utilizes an entire community of residents in recovery, staff members and outside visitors to establish social patterns that are safe and in line with those already established by non-addicts. A highly structured approach is taken throughout the residential treatment process to ensure that patients have the best possible chance to gain value from the program and exit clean and sober with the coping skills required for long-term recovery success.

Short-term Residential Treatment

With a focus on provide 24-hour care for a period of approximately 4 weeks but sometimes longer based on patient needs, short-term programs are designed to treat a wide range of substance abuse and addiction problems including alcoholism, opiate addiction and addiction to various street drugs such as cocaine or methamphetamine. Most short-term inpatient programs are followed by long-term outpatient treatment and support group involvement to aid in successful recovery.

Intensive Day Treatment

Focusing on daily periods of therapy similar to inpatient addiction treatment, intensive day treatment programs generally provide 6-8 hours of treatment at least 4 days per week. Participants are encouraged to take part in AA or NA groups as well to further encourage their sobriety and healing.

Outpatient Rehab

Focused on offering a low-intensity approach to recovery, outpatient rehab is NOT for severe cases of addiction and is generally reserved for those who have already completed at least 30 days of residential rehab to stabilize and establish a foundation for recovery. Group counseling is a major component of outpatient rehab as is participation in support groups such as NA or AA.

Individual Counseling

A factor in most types of treatment, individual counseling focuses on addressing underlying factors that may contribute to substance abuse and addiction and helping the patient to understand how he or she can cope with potential triggers that otherwise have led to substance abuse. Counseling can include the development of short-term and long-term goals, learning coping strategies for abstinence, and developing a set of tools that will help the patient to achieve lasting sobriety. Both inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment programs use counseling as a basis for recovery.

Group Counseling

Almost all therapy programs use group counseling to further the treatment services that are offered to patients. CBT or contingency management principles are employed throughout the group to help patients achieve successful recovery outcomes. Although not all patients enjoy the group counseling sessions that are offered in both residential and outpatient rehab centers, researchers tend to agree that this method of therapy is highly effective and is a critical part of the recovery and healing process.

Rehabilitation

Addiction rehabilitation often times is an absolute last resort for the addicted, but can prove to be the ultimate lifesaver. An addict may have tried several times on his or her own to give up the addiction, with several relapses along the way. Many times the addict needs professional intervention when all else has failed, and those who find it may find the help they’ve been looking for. If you feel to be addicted, or know someone who is, seek out local addiction rehab centers in your area for support.

Causes of Addiction

Addictions come in all shapes and forms, with varying reasons. There are some who claim that a traumatic life experience or those suffering from the loss of a loved one have used their addiction to fill the hole left in their lives. There are those who took their partying to a level that made their friends notice the negative change. There are those who simply got in with the wrong crowd; whatever the reason, addiction can take hold of a person faster and more cunningly than they ever thought possible. One day they were living normal or next-to-normal lives, the next they are struggling in the throes of heavy addiction.

Effects of Addiction

Addiction first and foremast is damaging to the abuser’s health. The long term effects of heavy alcohol use and most drugs are health degradation. Effects of harder drugs like methamphetamine can make a person look like they’ve aged 20 years in the period they have used. Alcohol overuse can lead to a damaged liver and several other mental health related issues.

There is also collateral damage that results from addiction, affecting the abuser’s friends and family. This also comes in many different forms; even the pain of a mother reflecting upon the decisions of her troubled youth can fit into this category.

Addiction is damaging to the user and the people closest to them. If an addict cannot make the decision based on themselves, they should surely make their decision based on the people around them that are deeply affected by their poor life decisions.

The Difficult Road Ahead

When someone joins a rehabilitation program, it is a large but noble leap of faith. They have finally come to the end of themselves and are ready to take the plunge to get clean. While addiction rehabilitation is a wonderful decision for the abuser, he or she must be aware that it will be a difficult road.

Rehab, while relatively short in its duration, requires several physical and mental changes from the patient. This comes in its most obvious form: detox. Once the user’s body is starved of their addiction, the physical and mental dependencies they once had begin to diminish, but at the cost of some extreme short term suffering. This is especially true for those who were taking harder drugs like heroin. There is mental addiction of course, which can be equally difficult if not more difficult than getting over the physical stronghold of the addiction; now that the user no longer has access to their substance, they must develop now undeveloped coping methods in an extremely short amount of time. Thus comes the extreme challenge of addiction rehab centers.

Results

Graduates from addiction rehab centers usually claim that it was worth every penny, every difficult moment, and every sleepless night. They went in broken individuals, and came out individuals with new leases on life, ready to face the world.

They are ready to mend broken relationships with family and friends, but first and foremost ready to start taking care of and make a life for themselves outside of addiction. They no longer have to carry around the “addict” brand they have carried with them long as a “scarlet letter” of sorts. Those who stick it out and finish addiction rehab centers find the help they’ve been looking for; the counseling aspect assists them in finding the coping methods they’ve been looking for all along, and the physical detox makes them healthier than ever and ready to take on the world.

We urge you to search our index if you or someone you know is suffering from addiction. Please do a search to find a local rehabilitation center in your area. Don’t wait too long, the best decisions are the ones we feel in our gut, and the ones we know to be right and true. Talk to a close friend; find someone who will come with you on your first visit to the clinic. Try to find someone you can write to or even make the occasional phone call to while you attend to let them know the wonderful progress you are making.