January 26th, 2012
Drug Treatment – Save A Life
If someone asks if drug rehabilitation is worth the cost, they simply need to measure the health and incarceration costs of those that are not willing to seek treatment. People able to recover become contributing members of society and can live a healthy life. The steps in treatment include physical detoxification, inpatient and outpatient therapy. All of these steps are designed to remove the addiction and prevent a relapse. The freedom attained by surviving the addiction can be inspirational.
Detox
Detoxification is the first step in the process. This step often involves medical treatment for the physical addiction. When your body becomes addicted to a drug, it begins to need it. Without the drug, the body can have severe physical problems. There are different medical procedures including using other non-addictive drugs to reduce the dependency. This is a very trying time in the process and patients can often become sick, depressed, and even violent as they pass through this stage.
Therapy
In-house therapy is usually the second step. During this time, the individual is taught how to cope with stressful situations. They spend time in group therapy building the skills needed to address their own situations. The skills learned will be applied later to real world scenarios. Often, this period includes life-skill training so the person can find alternatives to drugs and alcohol.
Outpatient Therapy
The outpatient therapy is the third step. At this point, the individual has learned what is needed to seek a healthy support system in the real world. The therapists stay in frequent contact with the patient to measure their progress and offer ongoing support. This is also when the individual will find Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings to attend. This is a form of group therapy in the outpatient world that offers ongoing support found during inpatient sessions.
Time Frame
Most people will say that treatment lasts a lifetime. While this is true of recovery, the actual treatment may last only months for inpatient therapy. Once the person is back in the world, they use the coping skills and support system to continue their own treatment and build a successful life.
Relapse
There are many reasons for a relapse. Many people come from situations where drugs are prevalent in their daily lives. Going back to this situation puts an enormous amount of peer pressure on them to relapse. Those that are serious about recovery will seek new family drug counseling and build a support system that encourages their success.