Finding the best addiction treatment program for yourself or a loved one can be a confusing process for many. With so many treatment options available, it is difficult for some to find the best drug rehabilitation program that will suit their individual needs. Finding the best drug rehabilitation for your addiction can be one of the most important health care decisions you make in your entire life. Addiction to drugs or alcohol can quickly become a deadly disease. You have a lot of options available to help you, but we want you to make an informed decision on which program will offer the best care for yourself or a loved one.
For most people, a full medical detox will be the first step of their alcohol or drug rehabilitation program. Before your treatment begins, you want to make sure your body and mind are prepared for the often intense withdrawal symptoms you may experience when you first stop using drugs or alcohol. This is why rehab programs will require you to complete a full detox before you begin your stay at a residential drug rehab facility.
Going through a full detox will rid your body of harmful toxins that were built up from past drug and alcohol abuse. The detox will help you get beyond the physical challenges of addiction, such as acute withdrawal symptoms, before you begin to address the mental and behavioral components of your addiction.
Physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms happen for most people when they first stop using drugs or alcohol. Many of these withdrawal symptoms can be eased with the help of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), beginning in the detox phase. These medications are designed to immediately make you feel more comfortable, while reducing your cravings for alcohol and drugs. MATs are considered to be science-driven, evidence based treatments, as they can also help prevent a relapse later on in your recovery from addiction.
Ongoing treatment is essential beyond an initial detox when a lifetime of sobriety is your ultimate goal. Entering an inpatient drug rehab facility will help you work through the psychological and emotional problems that contributed to your substance use disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), individual and group counseling, 12 step programs, physical activities, family counseling and a variety of other techniques are employed to varying degrees in nearly every inpatient addiction treatment program. Some inpatient drug rehab programs last an average of 30 days, while others go up to 90 days or more, depending on the severity of the addiction. Some research has shown that the longer a person stays in a treatment program, the more positive the results will be:
"However, research has shown unequivocally that good outcomes are contingent on adequate treatment length. Generally, for residential or outpatient treatment, participation for less than 90 days is of limited effectiveness, and treatment lasting significantly longer is recommended for maintaining positive outcomes.” –NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Inpatient drug rehab programs offer a comfortable group housing arrangement for others who are in similar stages of recovery. These settings are a good start for many people who just recently quit using drugs or alcohol. Inpatient rehab offers the patient a chance to get out of their daily routine, and really focus on the most important thing for their personal health: learning how to stay sober.
Inpatient rehab is absolutely essential when someone has an addiction to multiple substances or an underlying mental health issue that may have contributed to their substance use disorder. When someone has past trauma, it is likely this had heavily contributed to the reasons the addiction developed in the first place. Many have suffered from an undiagnosed mental illness that caused them to self-medicate in an attempt to feel “normal”. This is referred to as a dual diagnosis, and will require more intricate treatment techniques.
Outpatient rehab offers most of the same forms of treatment as an inpatient facility does, but it allows the flexibility for someone to get treatment for their addiction, while continuing to live at home, go to work or attend school while in rehab. This being the case, it is important to find an outpatient clinic near you.
Most outpatient clinics offer daily individual, group and family therapy sessions, coupled with various other forms of treatment. In many ways, outpatient care is no different from inpatient treatment, you just don’t live at the rehab facility. Typically, most would recommend an outpatient treatment facility to someone who has already completed 30 to 90 days of inpatient rehab.
Outpatient facilities offer patients the opportunity to extend the length of their treatment, while providing a continued foundation for their success in sobriety. Outpatient rehabilitation is also a great way to learn techniques to reduce cravings and prevent a relapse while having the chance to test them out in real world situations. Remember that sticking with a long-term strategy while in recovery is the key to achieving positive outcomes in your addiction treatment.
While the differences between inpatient and outpatient treatment are fairly straightforward, the differences in results will be determined by the individual needs of the patient. The goal of all of these programs is ultimately to help you build a new lifestyle that doesn’t include the use of alcohol or drugs.
A long term substance abuse problem can have devastating consequences not only for yourself, but for your friends and family members as well. It is never too late to start an addiction recovery program but the sooner you act, the easier it will be. When an addiction goes untreated, the addict is prone to worsening health conditions and at a great risk for an accidental overdose death.
Every 11 minutes, someone dies from an opioid overdose in the United States. As the opioid epidemic rages on, the lives of many Americans are at stake. If you’re reading this, odds are this epidemic has hit close to home for you as well. Know that immediate help is available. At More Than Rehab, we are available to help you 24/7. All you have to do is pick up the phone and make that first call:
