Drug And Alcohol Treatment Centers
Addiction to drugs or alcohol can be painful. What at one time may have been something to ‘take the edge off’ or ‘have fun’ can turn into a dependency—or full-blown addiction—that consumes a person’s life. For many, it destroys lives, and for others, it robs them of any peace of mind or happiness they once had.
Drug and alcohol treatment centers know the truth of this plight all too well.
Finding the right alcohol and drug rehab is crucial when it comes to putting down the drug or alcohol and beginning the road to recovery armed with the best information about addiction and how to stay sober.
There are about 15,000 drug and alcohol treatment centers across the United States—and the numbers are growing. When it comes to drug and alcohol rehabilitation, there are many choices. For this reason, if you are considering going to drug and alcohol rehab for help, it’s important to know what to look for to meet your unique recovery needs.
What Is the Process of Rehabilitation?
The process of promoting recovery from addiction is known as rehabilitation, or rehab for short. Participation in an abstinence-based substance abuse recovery program, whether in a residential or outpatient environment, is common in rehab. While most rehab services provide medical support, therapy, supervision, assistance, and education, they can also be customized to meet an individual’s unique needs depending on their drug of abuse, the nature of their addiction, any signs of a co-occurring disorder, and other medical health complications.
What’s the Difference Between Inpatient and Outpatient Facility?
Inpatient recovery and outpatient rehab are the two primary forms of drug rehabilitation services. Inpatient care is more rigorous and highly structured since it allows patients to stay at the rehab facility for the duration of their treatment. Outpatient care allows patients to remain at home while undergoing treatment, and thus reducing the burden on academic performance, professional obligations, and other everyday responsibilities.
While both facilities help provide an individual with addiction recovery, inpatient facilities are an ideal choice for an individual who is diagnosed with a moderate to severe addiction, history of relapses, history of medical complications, and signs of any co-occurring disorders. An outpatient facility is best suited for an individual with a mild form of drug or alcohol dependence.
Inpatient programs provide patients with residential facilities, medical support, and around the clock to help mitigate the risk of relapse or other complications. It creates a highly structured environment void of all temptations and distractions to help patients solely focus on their recovery process.
Inpatient services provide medication-assisted treatment programs, a wide range of therapies, individual and group counseling, as well as access to support groups. While outpatient centers also provide many of these treatment options, medical detox programs are mostly found in inpatient facilities.
What Is Detox?
Detox isn’t a cure in and of itself, but it’s the first step toward recovery for people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs. Detox is the process of flushing out the abusive substance from your body, and it’s considered the most difficult period of rehabilitation. Detox helps patients overcome the physical dependence on drugs and alcohol.
When someone with an addiction ceases consumption abruptly, normally within six to 24 hours after their last use, they can experience withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the severity of your condition, patients may be advised to detox through a medication-assisted program or through outpatient rehab.
Withdrawal symptoms can vary in intensity from one individual to another, but it generally involves symptoms such as:
- Anxiety
- Delirium tremens (DTs)
- Depression
- Hallucinations
- Problems sleeping
- Shakiness, especially in your hands
- Unstable changes in blood pressure and heart rate
- Sweating
- Nausea and vomiting
Is the Inpatient Rehab Center Geared Toward any Specific Group of Individuals?
Some residential programs cater to high-level executives or the LGBT community. Patient groups of other programs can be highly diverse. If you have a specific requirement or believe that your rehabilitation would be aided by therapies tailored to a specific population, you may want to consider a residential treatment facility that caters to your demographic.
Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation: Not All Treatment Centers Are Right for You
Once you have made a decision to seek treatment for either an alcohol use disorder (AUD) or a substance use disorder (SUD), or both, it’s important to pause and look at your choices. For many, this decision to get help is the most difficult part of the recovery process. And while out of fear, you may want to rush in and go to the first alcohol and drug rehab that you find, that may not be the best approach.
Just as each person is unique and their story of addiction is unique, so too must any effective treatment program. Evidence-based treatment programs at any rehab should be customized to meet your specific needs.
For example, do you have a chronic pain condition that makes it difficult to stop using prescription painkillers? Then you’ll want a rehab center that helps you to heal physically and find other, healthier ways to address the ongoing pain.
Are you or your loved one a first responder? If so, seeking help at a drug and alcohol treatment center with not only experience in effectively treating first responders but also with programs specifically designed to meet the needs of this group is important.
At Futures Recovery Healthcare, we offer programs specifically designed to treat both first responders (Hero’s Ascent Track) and individuals living with chronic pain (Pain Track). In addition, Futures has specialized programs for those who have experienced trauma (Trauma Track) which is so common when it comes to addiction to alcohol or other substances.
While there are many excellent drug and alcohol treatment centers across the nation and world, it’s important to find the one that meets your (or your loved one’s) unique recovery needs. Take an honest look at yourself and your situation. Do you have more than one addiction? Do you have a chronic health problem? Are you in a high-profile occupation and need more confidentiality than others? Do you have any co-occurring mental health disorders like depression or anxiety?
Once you have honestly answered these questions search for drug and alcohol treatment centers offering evidence-based programs that include any of these other needs. Futures is here to help you or your loved one begin the journey of recovery from addiction to alcohol or drugs. Contact us confidentially online or call 866-804-2098.
