What Are Drug Rehab Programs

Drug rehab refers to all kinds of medical and psychotherapeutic treatments for psychoactive substance dependency. The primary intent of rehabilitation is to ensure that patients cease substance abuse in order to avoid legal, psychological, social, financial, and physical consequences of extreme abuse. There are a broad range of substances that people abuse including prescriptive drugs, alcohol, and street drugs (heroin, cocaine, amphetamines).

Addressing Psychological Dependency by Drug Rehab Programs

Many drug rehabilitation programs have to deal fundamentally with the challenges of psychological dependence. Generally, patients are taught new methods of relating with other people and the environment in order to ensure they thrive in drug free surroundings. They are encouraged to cut ties with friends who still abuse drugs, drug sellers, and any activities that may diminish their resolve to ditch drug abuse. In Twelve-step Programs, for example, addicts are encouraged to shun both drugs and habits that relate to addictions. Most programs also emphasize that permanent recovery is a process without culmination; hence, encouraging addicts to try harder to give up addiction even when there are false starts. However, programs that rehabilitate addicts from legal drugs usually emphasize complete abstention instead of moderation.

Types of Drug Rehab Programs

There a variety of drug rehabilitation programs, from residential treatment, outpatient, extended care centers, local support groups, sober houses, mental health, addiction counseling to orthomolecular medicine. Some programs are even gender or age specific. Effective treatment programs will also focus on a variety of needs of the addict instead of focusing on addiction alone.

Generally, drug rehab programs will run from detoxification, medication (if applicable), behavioral therapy and relapse prevention. The programs will usually focus on the mental health and medical needs of the addict and follow-up every treatment with support systems, such as family-based or community-based support. In all the rehab programs, patients are motivated and supported to ensure that they persist to recovery.

Addiction to some prescription drugs can be treated by administration of other drugs. For instance, buprenorphine and methadone are effective in treating addiction to prescription opiates. Conversely, addiction to prescription stimulants and benzodiazepines is effectively treated through behavioral therapies.

Behavioral Therapy Drug Rehab

There are different types of behavioral approaches. Cognitive behavioral treatment helps the addicts to identify, keep off and cope with all kinds of situations that expose them to relapse. Motivational interviewing is fashioned to motivate patients to enter treatment, change behavior and adhere to therapeutic approaches. Motivational incentives are used to reinforce the addict's commitment to abstinence from substances of abuse while multi-dimensional family therapy focuses on improvement of family functioning as the basis of recovery.

In behavioral therapy, emphasis is placed on problem solving techniques. The addicts are empowered to recognize their problem and work with therapists to overcome their problems. Behavioral therapists analyze the addict's behavior before developing workable models for dealing with the addict, family and community to overcome the addiction.

Cognitive Therapy and Addiction Recovery

Central to cognitive therapy of drug abuse is the belief that addicts have certain feelings, fears and beliefs that make them more vulnerable to drugs. Some addicts think of themselves as undesirable failures and losers in society who need to "cool down" their minds and depressive states by taking drugs. Drugs, therefore, have anticipated benefits to most abusers. From the outset, drug users believe they can handle their situation and even after deciding to avoid drugs, they still harbor the view that they can control progression into worse addiction. With the development of a package of permissive beliefs the individual will perpetually seek drugs and ingest them ceaselessly.

Cognitive therapists endeavor to uncover the addict's beliefs, analyze them critically and demonstrate their uselessness to the patient. The therapist discusses a great deal with the addict, giving homework assignments to aid in solidifying the gains of the therapy. By changing the addicts' system of beliefs, strengthening the ability to face relapse provoking circumstances, and the power to make correct decisions, the therapist helps the addict to recover.

Inevitability of Counseling in Drug Rehab Programs

Counseling is critical in identification of problems and behaviors that trigger and promote addiction. Counselors talk directly to addicts, helping them to return to healthy behaviors and resist temptations to relapse. Rehabilitation counseling can be daily or weekly, crisis or drop-in, initiated by friends or family. Counseling is invaluable in breaking down denial (patient or unwillingness of the patient to accept, take action or improve on the addiction problem). Usually, it is the counselors who link addicts to the best drug rehab centers.