Drug Rehabilitation Network Drug Rehabilitation Network

At luxury residential drug treatment centers in Malibu, CA, there are different types of drug treatment depending upon the severity and nature of the individual’s drug addiction treatment needs. In all cases though, an intervention, followed by drug detox is only the initial step towards recovery, and by itself does little to change long-term drug use. Detoxification safely manages the acute physical symptoms of withdrawal associated with stopping drug use. While detoxification alone is rarely sufficient to help addicts achieve long-term abstinence, for some individuals it is a strongly indicated precursor to effective drug addiction treatment.

The appropriate duration for an individual in drug abuse treatment depends on his or her problems and needs. Research indicates that for most patients, the threshold of significant improvement is reached at about 3 months in a drug treatment center. After this threshold is reached, additional drug addiction treatment can produce further progress toward recovery. There are no quick fixes for drug addiction and alcoholism. Recovery is an ongoing process. The skills one learns during intensive drug addiction treatment must be integrated into everyday life and this takes time. Though there are a variety of different types of treatment available, all must include strategies for keeping the person in treatment, skills to help the individual handle everyday situations that may cause trouble once they have completed the program, and guidance and counseling towards understanding the individuals initial reasons for drug addiction.

While many people still try and define addicts as different then alcoholics, the fact of the matter is that the definition of addiction or alcoholism is almost identical and both require an intervention, and a stay in a alcohol and drug addiction treatment program. The main difference is that one is liquid in nature, while the other can take on a variety of forms. The overall effects of addiction or alcoholism are exactly the same. If a drug addict is unwilling to get into a drug and alcohol abuse treatment program, what can you do about it?

This can be a challenge. An addict can’t be forced to get into a drug treatment program except under certain circumstances, such as a violent incident that results in a court-ordered drug treatment program or medical emergency. But you don’t have to wait for someone to “hit rock bottom” to act. Many drug treatment specialists suggest the following steps to help an alcoholic get treatment:

Stop all “cover ups.” Family members often make excuses to others or try to protect the addict from the results of his or her drug abuse. It is important to stop covering for the addict so that he or she experiences the full consequences of drug use.

Detox is essential to the addiction treatment process. Anyone who tells you otherwise simply doesn’t get it. Drug addiction is at root a physiological disease, one which subjects addicts to acute metabolic dependencies. In plain English, addicts need drugs to function normally. When they don’t get them, bad things happen. Successful detox manages and mitigates those bad things, ensuring that the early stages of drug withdrawal aren’t any more trying than they have to be. In the fight against addiction, anything less than that sort of support simply isn’t good enough.

Remember, every journey begins with a first step. Detox sets the stage for the rest of the rehabilitation process, by preparing addicts to approach and engage with their drug treatment programs. Your detox experience, in other words, will be instrumental in determining the outcome of everything that follows it. With so much to lose, and so much more to win, you need the best help you can get.

Drug and alcohol rehab can’t help you if you won’t help yourself. Too many patients check into drug and alcohol rehabs expecting to get carried across the finish line. That’s not the way addiction recovery works. No one can do the heavy lifting for you in a substance abuse treatment center. The truth, whether or not anyone wants to hear it, is that addiction is a personal disease, and an addiction treatment program has to be driven by a personal effort. Think of it like this: If you want drug and alcohol rehab to work for you, you’re going to have to work for drug and alcohol rehab. There’s just no other way for healing to happen.

Of course, none of that means you can get better outside of a drug and alcohol treatment center. On the contrary, addiction is a disease, not a choice, and like all diseases it can only be eradicated with medical help. But that help will only be as worthwhile as you make it. In the end, you hold your future in your own hands here. How you mold is up to you.

When I came to a Malibu drug treatment center I was in the darkest period of my life. I was deeply addicted to heroin, crack cocaine and meth. I was committing terrible and heartless crimes. In one year’s time I went from owning my own home and doing well in life to being addicted to drugs and convicted of five felonies. I lost my home and found myself facing two to three years prison time. After being bailed out of jail by my father, I promised I would get myself into a drug addiction treatment program. I looked at a few drug treatment centers in my area, but was told there was a three to six month waiting list for admission. I lost hope and was soon using drugs and committing crimes again to support my habit. Shortly after, I was arrested again and was convinced that I would spend the next years of my life in prison. Thankfully, unbeknownst to me, my mother had been researching drug rehabs in Los Angeles. She said she had found the perfect place and asked if I would go. I said yes, although I did not think that drug rehab would do anything to lessen my legal problems, but at least I would be clean and sober and free from the terrible suffering that is being a drug addict. That was all I went into rehab expecting, but what I actually gained was so much more.

I am living proof that drug treatment centers actually work. My drug addiction could have KO’d me a long time ago, but my time in drug treatment made that impossible. I was really bad off and I felt like I was really going to die from what was ailing me. I was addicted to crack and getting off of that stuff by yourself is virtually impossible. Trust me I tried. The harsh reality, however, was that there are some things that people can’t do all by themselves. That’s especially true when it comes to kicking a humongous crack addiction. That’s why drug treatment centers are so awesome. When I finally made it to drug rehab I was relieved that I was still alive and that I wasn’t going to lose my life to crack after all. The help that drug treatment centers give to people like me who suffer from drug addiction is phenomenally important. There are multitudes of folks who are in recovery that owe everything to drug treatment centers. If it weren’t for the help of drug treatment centers there is no telling where any of us would be. Some of us would be dead or we would be the walking dead. Either way, life would be different without the help given to us by drug treatment centers.

Addiction recovery is a multi-level, lifelong process. But to best understand addiction recovery, first understand what addiction is. Addiction is when a substance is used repeatedly and compulsively regardless of negative consequences of that use. Those negative consequences can be social, psychological and/or physical. There are many substances that can be abused today, some are legal and some are illegal. Addiction can be physical. When this happens, there are withdrawal symptoms when the substance is not used often enough or in high enough doses. Withdrawal and dependency are sure signs of a drug addiction.

When these signs occur, it is in the best interests of the addicted person to start the initial phase of addiction recovery which is called detox. Detox or detoxification is the removal of the substance (or substances) from the person’s body. It is best done under the care of a medical practitioner specializing in drug treatment.

The next step in addiction recovery is primary treatment. Primary treatment happens either during or after detox and its goal is to get to the root of the addiction problem. Primary treatment can come in many forms from short multi-day inpatient stays to outpatient visits.

Next is the extended care chapter in addiction recovery. Extended care also comes in many forms from addiction counseling to medication to joining a support a group. The main goal of extended care is helping the addicted person realign their vision of themselves and begin the process of transitioning back into their life. Extended care is similar to the next step, transitional living.

Transitional living is a step in addiction recovery utilized by some recovering addicts. Transitional living is the actual process of transitioning from inpatient care back to a normal, everyday life. Transitional living usually involves staying in a sober living home or another similar housing situation. This type of transitional home offers structure, support and a solid base for learning to live in the everyday world again. Many of these homes offer a variety of counseling, 12 step support groups and even employment assistance.

Outpatient treatment is the final step in addiction recovery. It includes many options such as counseling, behavioral management (such as coping with emotional issues that may have been hidden by the drug abuse), medications and support groups to assist in everyday living stresses.

Though there is no cure for drug addiction, there is help. For anyone seeking to overcome a drug addiction, there are countless options available. There is a different drug treatment center for each person and each addiction but there are treatments for everyone. Following these steps and seeking assistance with a drug problem is the first step to addiction recovery.