Some Frequently Asked Questions About Planning a Rehab Treatment for Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is a serious issue in most parts of the US; however, there are several treatment options for those who wish to find a solution to their problem. Families are intervening admirably to get addicted persons into suitable treatment modes, out of which the rehab treatment is the most popular mode. Rehab is short for rehabilitation, which is almost a surefire method of treatment for drug addiction. However, people have several questions about deciding on a rehab treatment option. Here we look into those questions and see some answers for them.

Q1. What does the rehab treatment program actually try to do?

In some parts of the world, rehab treatment is intended to bring people from a higher state of addiction to a lower state of addiction that does not pose as many risks to them. But, in the US, rehab treatment implies a complete abstinence from the substance. The aim of the rehab treatment program in any place within the US is to cure the person completely from the addiction.

Q2. What are the main parts of the rehab treatment program?

There are four main parts to any rehab program. The first part is an analysis of the patient’s condition. This is done through physical tests on the patient as well as interviewing them. These tests indicate how well-suited the patient is to go through the treatment and if other methods of treatment need to be employed. The second stage is the intervention. Here, the patient is convinced to get into treatment. This is usually already done before the patient gets into the rehab center, but there are cases in which people will relapse into denial when they are actually into the rehab center. Hence, the convincing and the motivating become important. This can be done by employing the help of the family of the patient who can be trained on conducting the intervention program in the right manner.

The third part of the program is the detox. The detox is needed in almost all cases that enter for rehab treatment. The main aspect here is to purge the person’s body from the toxins that might have accumulated in it due to the use of the addictive substance. This can be a very long process. Its length will mainly depend on what kind of substance the person is addicted to and the physical and mental situation of the patient.

After the detox, the patient is led through the aftercare program. This is an elaborate program that includes maintenance medication, counseling and group education. There are various therapies taught to the patient which help keep them out of the dependency on the substance.

Q3. Are there any outpatient rehab programs?

The very concept of the rehab treatment program implies that it must be done on an isolated basis where the patient must be removed for a while from all familiar circumstances. Even people who are quite close to the patient are not encouraged to meet them because looking at a familiar person may trigger the temptation for the substance in them, because addiction works in a large way through association. For this reason, it is necessary that the patient lives in the rehab treatment center. That is the reason there are no outpatient rehab programs.

However, there are other kinds of treatment programs that can be provided on an outpatient basis. The outpatient treatment program and the day treatment program are examples of these. Here the patient continues living at home but has to visit the center for a few times a week (daily in the day program) and receive the treatment. If a detox is needed, it is carried out on an outpatient basis too. But, it must be remembered that such a program will work only if the person is in a mild stage of the addiction. For people severely dependent on a substance, inpatient rehab is the best treatment option.

Q4. On what factors will the length of the rehab treatment depend?

People are always quite curious about how much time they will have to spend in the rehab center. Though there is no fixed time for this, it must be said that the length of time will actually depend on how addicted the person is to the substance and the general physical and mental constitution of the patient. The withdrawal that the patient will face will depend on these things and that is what will decide the nature and the duration of the aftercare program. One more factor on which this depends is the type of the substance that the person is addicted too. Someone undergoing a rehab treatment for marijuana addiction will spend much less time at the center than someone for heroin addiction treatment.