Alcohol Rehab and Drug Rehab
Drug and alcohol abuse can be successfully treated in drug rehab. Rehab has saved millions of lives. Drug rehab has been around for well over sixty years. There are many different types of rehab, all of which have the same goal of helping the alcoholic or drug addict learn how to live without using drugs or alcohol. Most drug rehab programs today include a medical, psychological as well as the 12-step component. Drug rehab always starts with detox, if necessary. Until the alcohol or chemical is removed from the person’s body, rehab cannot begin. Once medically detoxed and stabilized, the drug rehab process includes education about addiction or alcoholism. Some drug rehab programs incorporate cognitive, behavioral modalities. Group therapy is generally a part of all rehab programs. The 12-step model was started by Alcoholics Anonymous and its co-founders, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith. Most drug rehab programs support and encourage the 12-steps, as the most proven and effective means of long term, successful recovery. One of the reasons the 12-step model is so effective is the vast infrastructure of free meetings which are currently in place throughout the United States. Recently, alternative rehabs programs have emerged which are not based on the 12-steps.
Rehab, short for rehabilitation, is the therapeutic and educational process which begins recovery from alcohol or substance abuse. Rehab is also referred to as treatment. Drug or alcohol rehab covers a wide range of options and variables. Generally speaking, rehab starts with detox. Detox is the physical process of removing the alcohol or drug from the body. Detox is critical for several reasons. First, having the drugs or alcohol in the body often causes a craving for more of it. This cycle of using and withdrawing is why people can’t just quit on there own. Detox for alcohol and many drugs must be done under medical supervision to insure this process is completed safely and painlessly. Also, while a person is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they are not ready to participate in drug rehab.
Rehab, being primarily educational, is like school. Rehab teaches a person about the problem and what needs to be done to stop using drugs or alcohol. Inpatient, detox rehab is the initial, full time component. Inpatient rehab is where the person checks in and resides at a facility, on a full time basis. Partial, known as PHP, is half days are spent at a facility. Outpatient rehab is done on a part time basis, for a few hours several times a week, usually for several months. A complete assessment and evaluation, done by a professional, will usually determine the right level of rehab to begin. 28 days of residential rehab is usually enough time to learn the necessary principles of recovery. Rehab removes a person away from their old habits and environment, which allows then to break the cycle of using alcohol or drugs. If someone has been through rehab before, more than 30 days should be considered.
