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

Gene Mutation In Worms Key To Alcohol Tolerance

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that a genetic mutation in worms could further understanding of alcoholism in humans. The work follows a study carried out by Oregon Health and Science University, which suggested a link between a gene mutation in mice and tolerance to alcohol. Researchers at Liverpool have investigated this in….

How much alcohol is too much?

When does drinking cross the line into problem territory? Diagnostic tools abound in medical offices across the country, but realizing that you have a problem with alcohol often happens before you cross a therapist’s threshold. Years of fond memories accumulated from college keg parties, open-bar weddings, and beer pong at cookouts may disguise the fact….

Alcohol's Effects: Old vs. Young People

Study Shows Older People Less Likely to Realize How Alcohol Is Affecting Them Social drinking seems to impair older people more than their younger drinking buddies. Also, older people are less likely to realize how the alcohol is affecting them, according to a new study. The study, published in The Journal of Studies on Alcohol….

Liver disease resulting from binge drinking could become big killer

Half of Britain’s young adults first got drunk before the age of 15, according to a study which warns that liver disease could become one of the biggest killers as a result of the country’s binge drinking culture. The survey, commissioned by the London Clinic in Harley Street, shows that 48 per cent of those….

Facts about narcotics anonymous

Narcotic anonymous is a “non profit fellowship”. This organization can be said to be a society of all the men and women who are or were addicted to drugs. These people meet regularly and carry out different programs to help the addicted recover from their addiction. The only criteria for earning the membership of this….