Faq's

Drug rehab refers to a program that includes assessment, detox, counseling, and aftercare preparation to help people get off, and stay off, drugs and alcohol.

Assessment: This stage’s goal is to tailor a treatment plan for the individual patient based on type, length, and severity of his or her addiction and any unique challenges that they face (such as co-occurring mental disorders or domestic abuse).

Detoxification: It is the process of “allowing the body to rid itself of a drug while managing the symptoms of withdrawal.” There are two basic approaches to detox: Medications can be prescribed that can gradually wean the body of the substance, or the natural approach can be used (quitting “cold-turkey”). 

Therapy: This aspect of treatment can take many forms, but the purpose is to identify and treat the underlying physiological or behavioral issues that cause the person to use drugs – one-on-one therapy, group counseling, and mental health treatment are all examples.

Aftercare: To avoid relapse, successful substance abuse treatment must include a plan to help the individual maintain sobriety after they leave the treatment center. Examples of aftercare include 12-step programs, sober living homes, and ongoing counseling.

Substance abuse and addiction have high costs, often adversely affecting work performance, personal relationships, and your physical health. If substance abuse or addiction is negatively impacting your life or relationships, then yes, rehab can help.

Rehabs accept all drug and substance addictions. Rehab treatment often employs similar therapies when treating different drug addictions because the path to recovering from any drug requires training the brain to respond differently to triggers and drug cravings.

Rehab programs provide a process for recovering from drug addiction while detox is one step in that process when the body rids itself of the drug. Detox is the process of “allowing the body to rid itself of a drug while managing the symptoms of withdrawal.” There are two basic approaches to detox: Medications can be prescribed that can gradually wean the body of the substance, or the natural approach can be used (quitting “cold-turkey”).

Detox can be completed on its own in a stand-alone facility or as part of the rehabilitation process at a rehab center. The rehabilitation process is made up of assessment, detox, therapy, and aftercare.

Rehab helps people stop using drugs and get over addiction; recovery is the lifelong process of abstaining from drugs – it includes rehab and continues after it.

Rehab is the initial part of recovery and has four stages, including assessment, detox, counseling, and aftercare. Recovery is the entire experience of getting off a drug and staying sober, encompassing the ongoing struggle to maintain abstinence and not relapse. Recovery includes the following steps, which start with the rehab process:

Acknowledgement: Recovery begins when you realize that you have a problem and decide to get help.

Assessment: Rehab starts with the screening process to determine the extent of the addiction.

Detoxification: The second step in rehab allows the body to cleanse itself from any drugs’ lingering toxins.

Therapy: The bulk of rehab is spent learning how to cope with underlying psychological issues and behavioral responses to drugs.

Aftercare: The final step of rehab facilitates a plan to stay involved in various accountability programs or counseling to build on the progress made in therapy and to maintain sobriety.

Abstinence: Recovery includes a lifelong commitment to be completely clean from drug usage through continued effort and by overcoming challenges that lead back into the addiction cycle.

Drug addiction is treated with behavioral therapy and, sometimes, medication during a four-step process. Addiction treatment can be broken into four stages:

Assessment: This stage’s goal is to tailor a treatment plan for the individual patient based on type, length, and severity of his or her addiction, and any unique challenges that they face (such as co-occurring mental disorders or domestic abuse).

Detoxification: According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, detox is the process of “allowing the body to rid itself of a drug while managing the symptoms of withdrawal.” There are two basic approaches to detox: Medications can be prescribed that can gradually wean the body of the substance, or the “natural” approach can be used (quitting “cold-turkey”).

Therapy: This aspect of treatment can take many forms, but the idea here is to identify and treat the underlying physiological or behavioral issues that cause the person to use drugs – one-on-one therapy, group counseling, and mental health treatment are all examples.

Aftercare: To avoid relapse, successful substance abuse treatment must include a plan to help the individual maintain sobriety after they leave the treatment center. Examples of aftercare include joining 12-step programs, AA alternatives, sober living homes, and ongoing counseling.

Therapists guide individual therapy, giving patients more time to speak compared to group therapy where everyone shares and learns from each other.

Individual therapy and group therapy both use similar therapy techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, but how they implement the goals of those therapies are different. In individual therapy, the strategies employed and the conversation itself is more one-sided, with the therapist guiding the conversation or the patient talking, whereas, in group therapy, everyone in the group is contributing and learning from each other, albeit in a facilitator-guided atmosphere.

Individual therapy may be best for people struggling with a specific trauma that they wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with other individuals. Group therapy, on the other hand, is good for those who want to practice strategies with others, which is more similar to the real world and everyday life.

For the most part, rehab programs use a mixture of both individual and group therapy, but most free 12-step programs or alternatives solely use group therapy.

Group therapy provides a safe space to share frustrations, achievements, and learn more about your addiction by talking with others. 

Group therapy for substance abuse usually happens in rehab programs and 12-step programs like AA or NA. Sessions consist of one or more therapists or facilitators and a group of 3-12 people, sometimes more for 12-step programs. Group therapy can focus on different skills, but typically it encourages those in the group to see that they are not alone, it gives them hope, it teaches them coping skills, and it provides an accepting and open atmosphere.

Group therapy also allows everyone to participate and talk in more engaging ways than the one-sided conversations typical of individual therapy. It also is usually more affordable and builds skills necessary for life after rehab such as talking with others, working through issues in group settings, or practicing coping strategies in real time.

Medication is available to help detox from certain drugs and to aid in treatment of drugs like heroin or alcohol. Medication is used during the detox phase of rehab for many drugs, and in the therapy phase for certain drugs such as alcohol and heroin. Medication used in cases of opioid addiction is called Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT).

Common medications include:

Buprenorphine

Naltrexone

Additionally, there are drugs used to help with the side effects of withdrawal such as depression and anxiety.

Inpatient means the patient stays in a facility overnight, while outpatient means they attend therapy for part of the day but return home at night.

Inpatient treatment requires patients to live in the facility (usually full-time), while outpatient centers are typically more flexible and do not include overnight services. Each treatment option offers a different approach and has a different ability to meet addicts’ needs.

One variance is with partial hospitalization. Unlike full hospitalization, partial hospitalization services are not overnight.

Inpatient treatment provides all services, housing, and meals in one place.

Inpatient treatment includes room and board, meaning they provide each of your meals as well as a room that you either have to yourself or share with others depending on the luxuriousness of the facility and program. Inpatient facilities also have in-house therapists, counselors, and other personnel to administer medications and monitor those living in the facility.

Outpatient treatment provides therapy and (sometimes) medical services, but patients go home after treatment. Outpatient care occurs in many different settings because it includes all rehab programs that do not provide overnight care. Outpatient programs include:

Intensive Day Treatment: Patients receive the extensive services of an inpatient program but return home after. After completion, patients often transition to less intensive counseling. Medical treatment is also available to those who qualify.

Counseling: Both individual counseling and group counseling focus on short-term behavioral goals to develop coping strategies. However, medical treatment and medications are not available.

Support Groups: Support groups include 12 step programs like AA. They are typically used to start or maintain abstinence. They usually meet one day a week for 1-2 hours.

Treatment centers are facilities with planned activities and services each day. Meals are provided, and the days are structured with group therapy, activities, watching informational videos, and individual counseling.

Holistic rehab programs operate under the assumption that a person’s entire self must heal to stop substance abuse permanently. To help individuals heal, many holistic programs will include various complementary treatments like acupuncture, massage therapy, reiki, and neurofeedback among others.