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Types of drug rehab treatment available:
Selecting a drug rehab for yourself or someone you care about may
be one of the most important decisions you will make in your
lifetime. Most of us don't know what to look for in a quality
program. Not all drug rehab centers are the same - they differ
greatly in program options, staff qualifications, credentials, cost,
and effectiveness. Here is some information to take into account
when choosing a program.
Today there are several types of treatment available. The first
and oldest is Spiritual. This type of treatment is based on the 12
steps of Alcoholics Anonymous started by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob
back in 1935. The entire program is based on the book "Alcoholics
Anonymous" which lays out a program which if followed correctly is
supposed to lead one to a spiritual experience through a process of
working 12 steps. The first 3 steps are all about finding God or a
higher power. Steps 4 -11 are "Cleaning House" steps, that include
making amends for past transgressions, daily personal inventory,
prayer and meditation. The 12th step "Having had a spiritual
experience we carried this message to other alcoholics" is simply
working with others to stay clean yourself, thus the saying "Trust
God, Clean House and Work with others"
This program can actually be traced back to Bill Wilson's war
buddy "Ebby" who got clean by joining the Oxford Group (a Christian
group that practiced 6 steps). He shared his success with Bill
Wilson who then started working with Dr Bob. Unfortunately "Ebby"
did not stay clean and therefore is not mentioned much in AA. Later
Narcotics Anonymous was formed then Cocaine Anonymous and today
there is a support group for every compulsive behavior known to man
such as gambling,overeating and yes even sex !
While it is true that millions of people worldwide have used this
program to stay clean and sober, it has it's drawbacks.
First of all, most 12-step treatment centers do not actually have
their clients work all the steps. In fact most "treatment" programs
simply dry out their clients for 30-90 days and simply introduce
them to AA, NA or CA. At best they might have a counselor help their
client get through the first 3 steps, which lends to another AA
saying "The AA shuffle" which is 1, 2, 3, slip 1, 2, 3, slip. A play
on words pointing out that most clients relapse before ever working
the 4th step.
It is well known by professionals in the field of recovery that
for this type of treatment to work the client must attend meetings
for the rest of their life often daily sometimes twice a day in
early recovery (first 18 months). They must work all 12 steps
(usually with a sponsor),and then go on to help other new people by
guiding them through the steps.
According to AA's world service website 95% of every person
coming in to the program has at least one relapse in the first year,
hence another saying "Relapse is part of recovery". The number one
reason for relapse is "I stopped going to meetings " or "I did
everything I was supposed to but just could not bear the "cravings".
The truth is one has to rely on prayer to alleviate the cravings for
drugs and alcohol. These cravings can continue months or years after
one stops using .
The second type is educational. It is, first and foremost, an
educational experience leading to better choices in the future and a
more positive lifestyle. It is a program that develops social skills
and eases social anxieties. It is a program that moves participants
from fear and anxiety to self-confidence and positive motivation. In
short, it is a life changing experience. It is effective because it
teaches common sense solutions, it builds on the hard work of
maturing and changing negative habits into positive action, and it
makes clear how to accept deferred gratification through
stick-to-itiveness, and carefully constructed goal oriented plans.
Although these principles are time tested, they require work and the
willingness to change. This model of treatment does not believe that
addiction is a disease but instead a learned behavior that can be
corrected.
This type of treatment has been proven to be much more effective
long term than it's predecessor but still has it's drawbacks as it
does not address the physical and mental cravings for drugs and
alcohol.
So what is the answer ?
Science has caught up with the problem of addiction . The
'Biophysical" program or "Science" based program has been proven to
be the most effective treatment treatment today because it handles
the 3 major aspects of addiction .
- A complete Detox that removes drug residues from the body
eliminating forever the cravings. (no need to rely on prayer or
education)
- Like the " Educational " program the client receives the
missing life skills needed to live without drugs and alcohol
.Underlying issues are addressed , Discovered , Confronted and
Discarded. Again social skills are addressed and the individual
is given back control of their lives. One learns common sense
solutions for dealing with a sometimes hostile environment
trying to push the latest "wonder drug" .
- Relapse prevention training.
One of the biggest mistakes often made by people in recovery is
to go to treatment for 30, 60 or even 90 days only to graduate and
return to their old friends old job and old environment.
Hence another saying "If you hang out in the barber shop long
enough ,you will probably get your haircut". The individual has to
learn how to spot negative influences in their life to get rid of
them. They also have to spot the positive influences so that they
can pick new friends and join new groups that embrace their new
pro-survival activities. It is naive to believe that one will never
face temptation again, therefore the solution is to drill how to
handle these situations so that when they do arise, one acts without
having to "think about it".
A complete handling to addiction such as this can not be done in
28 days. In fact the 28 day program has nothing to do with how long
it takes to recover. This program was invented to accommodate the
insurance plan that will only pay for 28 days of "inpatient
treatment".
Another sad fact in America today is that only people with money
or good insurance can get the best treatment available. To this
date, the only programs that receive County or State funding are the
12-step based programs (AA ,NA and CA are all free and anyone can
attend if they admit they have a problem).
The good news is that some smart finance companies seeing the
need, now offer "Health Cards" for people who either can not afford
treatment or do not have good insurance. This is allowing more
people to seek better treatment options.
See more information on drug rehab program costs.
For more information call 1-800-893-7060
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