Alcohol & Drug Addiction Treatment

I guess when you’re in the thick of alcohol drug addiction, you can’t see what everyone around you sees. This is the only way I can rationalize what happened to my best friend. She and I grew up together. Always at the top of our class with straight A’s, we went to the same college so we could be near each other. Within 2 years she was in a pretty serious relationship with a guy. I didn’t like him very much, but Amy seemed to like his charming “bad boy” demure. He was a musician—not a college student, and several years older than us.

She finished school and moved away with him to LA. I knew she was struggling with bills and finding a good job, but I didn’t know she was using drugs until I went to surprise her with a visit and found her alone, passed out in the middle of the day—charming boyfriend nowhere to be seen. She had dabbled with drugs in college, but she now was a full-blown opiate addict. She also drank like a fish.

I can’t blame the entire mess on this destructive relationship. It was my duty (as it is everyone’s duty) to be a friend, and I failed. I grew lazy and embroiled in my own life, so much so that I almost let her lose her battle against substance abuse. Her alcohol addiction was really out of control.

I urge everyone to keep their eyes open. Be aware of your loved ones and their struggles. Lend a hand before it’s too late. Drug treatment solutions exist for those battling drug addiction and alcoholism. Also if a person is an alcoholic than try to find an effective alcohol detox as well.

Why is it so hard for people to overcome oxycontin addiction and what type of drug rehab is most effective for opiate treatment?  The first thing a person needs to do to effectively rehabilitate from oxycontin is to detox.  A quality rehab should provide an oxycontin detox that will medically assist a person.  A gentle tapering process which consists of specific drugs to gradually wean the person down so that they don’t experience extreme withdrawal symptoms.

Once a person has been detoxed, having a quality drug treatment program would be next.  A drug treatment center should provide counseling, life skills, job training, health and diet, and aftercare.  The best type of counseling is one on one and something that is cognitive based.  Life skills which teach a person how to live without drugs and coping skills helps the person to adjust to his or her environment.

Once these have been addressed in rehab, setting up and aftercare or job training program is important because they must learn skills to keep productive.  Production is the basis of moral so when a person leaved rehab they must stay busy.

When searching for a drug treatment center there are several different factors to consider. In this blog I will cover the important issues that a person suffering from drug and alcohol addiction need to remember. The top three factors are addiction treatment program must have are detox, counseling, and long term care.

The first thing that a drug treatment center must offer is a medical detox. When a person is addicted to certain drugs and alcohol, coming off of them cold turkey can cause a medical disaster. The first thing that a person needs to realize is that not all drugs require a medical detox so if a treatment center is trying to sell you detox make sure that it is medically necessary. If you do need a medical detox than make sure that not only do they have a good medical staff but also provide daily intake of vitamins, minerals and various supplements to help the body to recover faster.

Once the medical treatment has taken place, the next step is the program to address the underlying issues of what caused a person to be addicted to drugs and alcohol. Drug treatment counseling should be individualized and result based. Counseling is important that its not done in a group setting. The reason for this is most people suffering from addiction don’t want to discuss their problems in a group setting.

Last but not least, it’s important that the rehab offers long-term drug treatment. Long term drug rehab facility ensures a better chance of recovery.

Matching patients with certain treatment approaches is not always as significant as some addiction counselors think. This does not mean that consideration of the unique needs of a patient of a residential drug treatment center can be ignored during treatment programming. Imagine an alcoholic who has been working as a waiter in a restraint/bar for several years. He has some basic restraint training and a high school education. This patient’s treatment plan must include some form of life skills therapy like vocational training that takes into account his education and literacy level and previous work experience. If this alcohol rehabilitation center does not, relapse is highly probable.

Economics is also a factor on finding the most effective drug rehab center for a specific patient. In many private drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers the program is individualized and also provides a more knowledgeable and skilled treatment staff. Also in most private treatment centers there is a focus on health and well being. Physical trainers, holistic doctors, organic foods, and nice weight room facilities are able components of effective private drug treatment centers.

During your stay at one of these facilities, you should receive a comprehensive assessment of patient needs and an individualized treatment plan that addresses all relevant patient issues. This would require that each residential rehab have treatment staff that is trained in addressing all addiction problems. Alcohol or drug counselors should either have a uniform certification or university degree.

Social and communication skills are vital to a patient’s recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. If a patient does not have appropriate social and communication skills, than he or she will not be able to develop a social network with a clean and sober group. Most patients who attend government funded programs don’t receiving the proper training and counseling to address this problem. Many people addicted to alcohol and drugs have not had to rely on these types of social and communication skills. Most addicts and alcoholics have used money and alcohol or other drugs to create a social network.

Patients of residential drug rehabs need training in listening skills, controlling nervousness and anxiety, making good eye contact, and then practicing these skills in real life situations. At Alcohol Drug Treatment we have found the lack of social skills more prevalent in adolescent drug rehab centers rather than adult drug rehabs. This of course does not mean that adult clients are immune to this problem, many adults feel just as awkward as some adolescents when it comes to social situations. In addition, assertiveness training and stress and anger management is always effective treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. Patients in addiction treatment facilities have used alcohol and drugs to help in situations where stress was encountered. In the absence of alcohol and drugs, these patients may demonstrate aggressive or passive responses to conflict.