Types of Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centers
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volunteer addiction professionals have held a wide variety of positions
in the drug treatment and prevention field, including running drug and
alcohol rehab centers, working with government officials on drug policy,
working with statewide drug treatment provider groups, drug education in
the workplace and for kids, and even inspecting over 150 individual rehab
programs. We are licensed and/or certified counselors as well.
When choosing a drug or alcohol rehab center for youself or a loved one, there can be several important factors to consider. Residential treatment (inpatient) or outpatient? Short term or longer term? 12-step or non-traditional? Are replacement drugs used or is it a drug-free rehab program? Close to home or out of state? Private pay or payment assistance? Religious-based or secular? If the addict has already tried one approach unsuccessfully, do you try it again or something new? Sometimes these factors are already dictated due to specific situations, and other times there are options.
Once you are faced with
different options for drug rehab programs, there are other questions
that are important to ask the rehab center. These could include: What is
your recovery rate? Do you base your success on just a reduction in drug use or
the percentage of those who are now drug-free? What kind of follow-up and
aftercare is provided?
The Biophysical Program
A biophysical drug rehab
program recognizes the fact that drug addiction usually has two main
components. There is the physical dependency and cravings for the drugs as well
as the mental/emotional need for them. This type of drug rehab center is
typically the most successful, given that it is a longer-term program (more
than 30 days), uses a drug-free approach, and incorporates a unique and
effective detoxification method that goes beyond mere withdrawal and actually
eliminates the drug residues that have stored in the body. The result is the
addict no longer feels the physical effects of the drugs and he now has a sound
body and clear head to address the mental/emotional side through a social
education method. The recovery rate for a
biophysical drug
rehab program is very often three times higher than most other drug
addiction treatments.
The 12-Step Program
The 12-step program was orginally founded in the 1930's by two alcoholics. While this has been considered the standard in the drug treatment field for many years, the results are largely based on an individual's faith and willpower. This is the basis for groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, and thousands of group meetings are held each day both in and out of drug rehab centers. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with the fundamentals of this program and many people have become sober through it, the addict must overcome large obstacles by placing his fate in the hands of a Higher Power without doing anything to tackle the physical side of the addiction. The result is that the long-term success rate for most addicts is marginal, and many addicts find themselves continually re-working the steps to address "slips" (using once or twice) and relapses.
The Dual-Diagnosis Program
Dual-diagnosis programs (also known as co-occurring disorders) are based on the theory that an individual is afflicted with a substance abuse disorder and one or more additional mental disorders. This approach relies heavily on medications as part of treatment and feels these disorders are incurable brain diseases, so they treat what they feel is a chemical problem with more chemicals. The main problem with this is that the drugs that are given to the addicts are severe mind-altering substances that have a long list of side effects that can and often do create many more problems down the road. Most of the drugs on the list have strict "Black Box" warning labels from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and can be extremely hazardous. It should also be noted here that there has yet to be one study produced to show that drug addiction (or any other mental disorder) is in fact a brain disease, but the theories are pushed heavily by the pharmaceutical industry.
Drug Replacement Therapy
This type of treatment is generally limited to opiates such as heroin, and prescription narcotic painkillers like hydrocodone, morphine and oxycodone. The theory is that if you give an addict a drug to replace the one he is on, then his behavior will change and his symptoms will diminish. The drug most often given is methadone, but methadone is actually much harder to withdraw from than heroin. There are newer drugs on the market today that doctors can use in a medical detox setting to gradually reduce the dosage until the addict is no longer taking anything. A medical detox should not be mistaken as a form of rehab though, as withdrawal is only the first phase and a referral to the next level of care is warranted. Overall, the most obvious flaw with drug replacement therapy, is that the addict is still not free from his addiction because he is still on drugs.
Residential vs. Outpatient
Unfortunately there aren't nearly enough residential beds available in the United States for those who need an effective drug rehab program. Up to 90 percent of addicts who receive some type of treatment each year attend outpatient counseling or meetings. In most cases, a longer-term residential (more than just 30 days) rehab program is going to produce better results. There are some scenarios where outpatient treatment is successful, given the type of program and the circumstances of the individual, but whenever possible a longer-term drug-free program is a better choice, especially if it addresses the biophysical aspects.
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