When you’re addicted to drugs nothing else matters except finding the next fix, the next high or the next pill. When you realize that you are addicted and you want to get well, chances are you are so unfamiliar with the steps of drug recovery that the entire process may be overwhelming and you may even choose not to try because you just don’t even know where to start. The steps to recovering from drug addiction begin with small day by day baby steps that work their way up to attaining goals meeting and exceeding expectations and ultimately finding the path to long term and lasting sobriety.
Drug recovery steps are different for each individual, each addiction and each recovery program but in general the steps to recovering from addiction begin with detox and end with long term follow up care. What happens in between can include counseling, therapy, inpatient or outpatient treatment or both, and many other actions. Below is a look at the typical breakdown of drug recovery steps for the recovering addict.
The First Step to Drug Recovery is Detox
The first step of any effective drug recovery process is drug detox. Drug detox is the process of helping an addict through the withdrawal phase that comes as a result of the abrupt quitting of the use of drugs. Drug detox can often be dangerous, uncomfortable and even deadly but drug detox centers and treatment centers are able to provide patients with the support, medical monitoring and supervision that is necessary to assure a safe and effective drug detoxification process from start to finish.
Most importantly, do not think that once you have completed drug detox you have thus completed drug recovery. Drug recovery has many steps and drug detox is just the very beginning. Once you have completed drug detox you can begin long term treatment in an inpatient drug rehab center.
Inpatient and Outpatient Drug Treatment
Various types of treatment are offered but the most common types of drug treatment to follow detox include inpatient treatment and outpatient treatment. Inpatient drug treatment is provided to addicts in a residential facility where they will live and work for the duration of the treatment program. Outpatient drug treatment provides many of the same services as an inpatient program but they do not provide housing during the treatment process. Depending on the level of addiction you suffer from, your drug recovery may step from drug detox to inpatient treatment and then to outpatient treatment or you may pass inpatient treatment altogether and move on to outpatient treatment immediately after drug detox.
Follow Up Care
Once you have completed an inpatient or outpatient rehab program and have made progress towards your recovery from addiction you will likely continue to require long term follow up care. Most rehab centers and drug treatment centers provide aftercare or follow up care and there are also many other aftercare programs and support methods to help you maintain lasting sobriety. Some of the most common support groups that many individuals choose to use for long term care include Alcoholic’s Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). Additional aftercare programs may be provided at the outpatient treatment center or through various community offerings.
Veterans form Vietnam, Desert Storm, Operation Freedom or one of the many other wars or fights that have recently been initiated from our country are finding themselves back at home and unable to cope with the trauma that was felt over seas. As a result, many veterans are turning to prescription medications as a way….
Cocaine rehab centers are a great resource for those who are struggling with cocaine addiction. Cravings can be very severe for someone who is addicted to cocaine; he or she will likely need help and will not be able to fight the addiction entirely alone. The treatments that are offered at a cocaine rehab center….
Anyone living with social anxiety well knows the distress and frustration that comes at the thought of meeting new people or having to perform in front of a group of people. While most people may experience some degree of anxiety when faced new social settings, someone living with social anxiety will go to great lengths….
Addiction affects different people in different ways, though certain signs of addiction should not be taken lightly. Long-time addicts well know how hard it can be to manage or control drug-using behaviors, with many opting to just give in to addiction’s hold. Likewise, people who’ve gone in and out of drug treatment on multiple occasions….
There are times when a person who is suffering from a drug addiction wants to get treatment, but unfortunately they cannot afford it. In most cases they give up the idea of treatment and may continue to use drugs. Others may try quitting on their own but fail. This may be due to the painful….
According to Harvard Medical School, body dysmorphic disorder “is no small problem.” It is is a debilitating mental disorder that causes both men and women equally to become preoccupied with “defects” they feel they see in their bodies, faces, and muscular structures, often to the point of causing delusions. While it is “difficult to treat,”….
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Individuals progress through drug addiction treatment at various rates, so there is no predetermined length of treatment. However, research has shown unequivocally that good outcomes are contingent on adequate treatment length.” It is not recommended that any individual leave their rehab program early unless the decision is….
Suicide exists as one of those topics that continue to fly under the radar in spite of its occurrence in increasing numbers every year. Suicide affects people of all ages, genders and socioeconomic groups and oftentimes happens in the lives of those you’d least suspect. With modern-day society’s fast-paced lifestyles and ever-increasing pressures, what may….
As one of the most commonly experienced mental health problems, depression can affect people of all ages and backgrounds diminishing one’s quality of life in distinctive ways. Depression can vary in severity and duration with some conditions taking so severe a toll on a person’s well-being as to bring on full-blown disability. Signs of depression….
The biggest thing that Seasons Recovery Center stresses to its patients is that reaching rock bottom is not necessary in order for an individual to seek help for their addiction. Alcohol addiction, even in the early stages, can be treated and it should be treated prior to more serious problems and potential consequences developing. Outpatient….
Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Calls to any general helpline will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed, each of which is a paid advertiser that includes Right Path Rehab.
By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.
