What is Addiction Rehabilitation?
Addiction rehabilitation programs help millions overcome addictions to alcohol and drugs. Rehab can provide healing and sobriety.
Overview
It is estimated that more than twenty-one million Americans over age twelve have a substance use disorder; however, less than ten percent will ever seek or receive treatment. This means ninety percent of people who could benefit from help at a rehab detox center continue to use rather than seek treatment at an addiction rehab center.1
What is Addiction Rehabilitation?
Drug rehabilitation or treatment at an addictions rehab involves working closely with a drug or alcohol rehabilitation counselor to overcome addiction. Trained medical and mental health professionals at a rehab for drug and alcohol addiction will work with you to help you break free from the challenges of drug and alcohol dependency.
Rehabilitation therapy for drug addiction will teach you about the roots of addiction, and specialized drug rehabilitation methods will help you develop new, healthier coping tools to manage triggers after treatment ends.2
Do You Need Addiction Rehabilitation?
There are several situations where you may find greater success in achieving sobriety at a rehabilitation addiction center. Examples include severe addictions, lack of support structure at home, if you have a co-occurring mental or medical health condition or if you have completed rehab for drug addiction and experienced relapse.
Another reason to choose alcohol and drug rehab over getting sober “cold turkey” is the type of substance. Specific substances, including opioids and alcohol, sometimes produce dangerous withdrawal symptoms. When you stop using these drugs suddenly, it can lead to medical emergencies and frequently leads to relapse. In a chemical dependency rehab, providers skilled in detox rehabilitation can help you manage withdrawal symptoms.
Understanding the Addiction Rehab Process
Although each rehabilitation addiction center is unique, there are certain stages of rehab that are present in all rehabilitation and recovery programs. In general, the faces of the rehabilitation process include intake, detox, rehabilitation therapy for drug addiction, and comprehensive aftercare planning.3
Intake: Creating a Customized Care Plan
Typically, the first stage in any drug rehabilitation program is intake. Intake is a crucial step as it involves a series of assessments and interviews with members of your treatment team to help them learn more about your unique treatment needs. Additionally, understanding your current and past relationships with drugs or alcohol can assist your providers in developing an appropriate drug treatment process to help you achieve lasting sobriety.
Detox: Safely Removing Addictive Substances from Your Body
Depending on the nature and severity of your addiction, the next step in addiction rehab treatment is typically detoxification or detox. Detox involves allowing your body to cleanse itself from any remaining substances. Detox is crucial to the alcoholism rehabilitation process and rehab from specific drugs due to the potentially dangerous nature of withdrawal symptoms.
Rehab: Building the Foundation of Long-Term Treatment Efforts
After completing detox, the next stage of substance abuse treatment is the rehabilitation phase or comprehensive therapy. Rehabilitation therapy focuses on teaching you more about the roots of addiction, how to overcome addiction, and developing coping strategies you can use to manage triggers after treatment ends.
Recovery and Aftercare: Continuing Healing for Long-Term Recovery
As your primary treatment program at a rehab for substance abuse ends, you will continue working closely with your treatment team to develop an aftercare program that ensures you have access to ongoing care. Depending on the aftercare program, this may include vocational rehabilitation services, continuing alcohol and drug rehab therapy, and assistance obtaining prescriptions for rehabilitation drugs as part of a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program.
Types of Addiction Rehab
If you have considered drug rehabilitation in the past, you likely understand that there are different types of alcohol and drug rehab programs. The two most common are inpatient and outpatient centers for rehabilitation and recovery.
Inpatient
In an inpatient rehabilitation program, you will live at the treatment center throughout your rehab addiction treatment program. At an inpatient addiction rehab center, providers are available around the clock to provide care and support when needed. Generally, inpatient rehabs for drug addiction offer programs that last between 30 and 90 days. The intensity and duration of your program will depend on various factors specific to your treatment needs.
Outpatient
Outpatient rehab for drug and alcohol addiction allows you to engage in treatment during the day but live at home throughout treatment. Outpatient programs use drug rehabilitation methods, including group therapy, individual therapy, and peer support groups.
Outpatient rehab for drug addiction does not require you to remain on-site throughout treatment; however, the therapy commitment for outpatient rehab addiction treatment may range from one to five days per week. Outpatient rehabilitation of substance abuse disorders is typically better suited for those with a mild addiction or for whom this is their first time in rehab.
What to Expect from Addiction Rehabilitation
Without care and support from a treatment program, rehabilitation of substance abuse disorders and achieving lasting sobriety can be complex. Rehabs for drug addiction offer several helpful benefits designed to help you safely and effectively overcome addiction while learning how to avoid relapse and remain sober.
What are the Benefits of a Rehabilitation Center?
As previously mentioned, there are many benefits to choosing a rehabilitation center over detoxing and quitting substances without support. These will be detailed below.
Safe Environment
Drug and alcohol detox and rehabilitation programs provide a safe and supportive environment away from potential triggers and threats to your sobriety. Medical and mental health professionals are available throughout the day, and night, to provide care and assistance when needed.
Additionally, the presence of medical professionals throughout detox ensures you can safely and effectively cleanse your system of drugs while focusing on healing your body, mind, and spirit.
Structure
It is often said that boredom is one of the key contributing factors to relapse. It can also be a contributing factor to addiction. Inpatient rehabilitation centers typically have a structured schedule. Patients will wake up and sleep at the same time each day, participate in chores or duties around the “house,” and have scheduled mental health and medical appointments throughout the day. Time is also allotted for leisure, exercise, meditation, and self-care practices.
Stress Management
Some therapy sessions at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center focus on self-care. These sessions are designed to teach you various stress management and coping tools you can use both during treatment and after faced with challenges to your mental health, physical health, or sobriety.
Exploring Triggers
Triggers are an inevitable part of your day-to-day environment after completing treatment. Triggers are those people, places, or things that remind you of drinking or using. During therapy, you will explore your triggers to understand better how they affect your mental and physical health.
Unfortunately, despite all best efforts, relapse remains widespread for many addicts in recovery. Many who completed a treatment program will experience triggers that lead to relapse. Statistics indicate this number is as high as 60%. Exploring your triggers and learning what to do if relapse occurs is vital to successful addiction treatment.4
Peer Support
Peer support groups are another vital aspect of maintaining sobriety. The peers you meet and interact with during rehab will likely be the same peers you would turn to during recovery when faced with challenging situations.
A group of like-minded peers who share the same sober mindset can be beneficial in preventing relapse by reducing boredom, isolation, and loneliness by providing an outlet for sober activities and engagement.
How Long Does It Take to Recover From Addiction in a Rehabilitation Center?
As with the detox process, the duration of treatment is different for everyone. Several contributing factors will determine the treatment interventions and how long the process will take.
It is important to note that treatment and recovery do not end when you walk out the door of a treatment facility. You will continue receiving treatment and working on your sobriety from intake day through the following weeks, months, and years.
Contributing Factors
Some factors that contribute to the length of treatment include the facility you are entering, the severity and duration of your addiction, the nature of your addiction (what you are addicted to), and several others.
The most common treatment program durations are thirty, sixty- and ninety-day. Generally, the longer and more severe the addiction, the longer the treatment process will likely be. This holds even more true when detox is necessary, as the detox process can take up to ten days.
Seeking Treatment
Seeking addiction treatment is vital to your recovery. A recent study showed that people who did not try to get help for their addiction were less likely to make it beyond the three-year mark in sobriety and were more likely to relapse. However, 60% or more of those who did seek help at an addiction rehabilitation program achieved three years or more of lasting sobriety.4
Opportunities for Wellness at Alta Centers
Taking the first steps toward overcoming addiction may seem challenging, but we are here to help. Contact a member of our admissions team today to learn more about addiction rehabilitation at Alta Centers.
Resources
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics- https://nida.nih.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-
- based-guide-third-edition/frequently-asked-questions/what-drug-addiction-treatment
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64208/
- https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/202110260320
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