Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

What to Expect in Treatment Centers

In 2009, as many as 23.5 million Americans needed treatment for alcohol and drug addictions, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Of that number, only 11.2 percent or 2.6 million people actually sought out treatment. When considering the wide range of treatment centers available for both alcohol and drug addictions, anyone suffering from a substance abuse addiction can easily find the type of treatment they need.

Choosing to get treatment for an addiction can be a difficult decision to make. In addition to making the decision to live without drugs or alcohol, a person enters into a completely new environment. Knowing what to expect in treatment centers can help relieve some of the stress and confusion involved with the decision to get well and remain drug-free.

Initial Stages

Education and counseling are both big parts of addiction treatment programs.

The initial stages of recovery involve detoxification treatment followed by intensive inpatient care. While some treatment centers offer detoxification or detox treatment, many do require a person to have already completed detox at a facility that specializes in treating and managing withdrawal effects. On average, the detox process runs from five to seven days. Once completed, inpatient treatment can begin.

Inpatient treatment centers help recovering addicts adjust to life without drugs. This entails learning about the effects of alcohol and drugs on the brain and body and understanding how addiction has affected a person’s life. Depending on the type of addiction, some people may also require medication therapy to help ease ongoing withdrawal effects.

Even though people enter treatment centers on a voluntary basis, many may not be entirely convinced that drugs or alcohol has become a problem in their lives. This is part of the reason why inpatient treatment centers focus so heavily on educating participants about addiction’s effects. Once a person realizes the impact substance abuse has had on his or her life, the desire to get well becomes even stronger.

Treatment Duration

Ultimately, the severity of person’s addiction will determine whether further treatment is needed after completing an inpatient program. Factors affecting the amount of treatment needed include the type of drug used, the length of use and the overall health of the individual. Inpatient treatment takes place in a residential facility where participants live for the length of the program.

While inpatient treatment center programs typically run for a minimum of 28 days, outpatient care can run considerably longer depending on the person. Outpatient treatment centers offer a less restrictive environment where participants receive psychotherapy and/or medication treatment on a pre-scheduled basis. These programs can run anywhere from three months to several years

Aftercare Treatment

Upon completion of a treatment center program, a person must re-enter the real-world where temptations to use abound. For this reason, most drug rehab programs provide aftercare treatment services for those who need additional supports during this transition phase. Aftercare supports may include:

Ongoing psychotherapy
Ongoing medication therapy
Referrals to community-based 12-step programs
Job placement assistance
Educational assistance
Housing assistance

Regardless of the type of addiction or a person’s individual treatment needs, treatment centers refer all recovering addicts to a 12-step program as a long-term treatment support.

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Young binge drinkers are following example set by parents, says expert

Binge drinking is more likely to be caused by parental example than allowing a teenager a glass of wine with a meal, according to the head of York’s youth offending team. The comments of Simon Page come after the Government’s chief medical advisor, Sir Liam Donaldson, said under 15s should drink no alcohol whatsoever and….

Easier transplant rules for alcoholics

Alcoholics who do not show they can stay sober outside hospital are expected to be offered liver transplants for the first time next month. A group of experts in liver disease will propose the change despite a shortage of organs. Under current guidelines, candidates for new livers have to show they can abstain from drink,….

Canadians spend millions drinking just to sleep

Canadians are spending hundreds of millions of dollars every year self-medicating their insomnia with alcohol, a new study suggests. “We were very surprised to see that so many people use alcohol as a way to promote sleep, particularly because it has more detrimental than beneficial effects on sleep,” says Charles Morin, a professor of psychology….

Alcohol Taxes Have Clear Effect On Drinking

With many local and national governments currently debating proposals to raise alcohol taxes, a timely new study published online today in the February edition of Addiction journal finds that the more alcoholic beverages cost, the less likely people are to drink. And when they do drink, they drink less. After analyzing 112 studies spanning nearly….

Sober statistics bear out the fact that our attitude to alcohol is deeply unhealthy

OPINION: ‘MILAN HAS banned the consumption and sale of alcohol to young teenagers in an effort to curb binge drinking,” said yesterday morning’s news as I staggered downstairs to make a cup of tea. “Parents of children under the age of 16 caught drinking wine or spirits will be liable to heavy fines of up….