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

Who Answers?

3 Most Common Questions about Drug Treatment Centers

When you or a loved one needs drug treatment tons of questions go through your head. What will the drug treatment be like? Will it work for me or my loved one? How long with drug treatment take? Are drug treatment centers safe? The list of questions you likely have can go on and on but some of the most common questions about drug treatment centers surround the safety of drug treatment centers, the length of time that drug treatment will take and the services offered at drug treatment centers.

How Long Does Drug Treatment Take?

Depending on your addiction, the type of drug treatment you seek and a number of other variables, drug treatment may take a few months or could last up to a year or more. In most cases, drug treatment is said to be most effective if the program is at least 90 days or more. When you enter a drug treatment center, you will undergo an intake process in which your counselor and the treatment center staff members will make a preliminary determination as to how long your drug treatment will take. The initial figures for the length of time that treatment will take can change depending on a number of factors such as how well you do during detox and the first weeks of treatment, how well you respond to treatment and how focused you are on maintaining sobriety.

Are Drug Treatment Centers Safe?

Another common question relates to the actual safety of drug treatment centers. In order to assure your safety or the safety of your loved on during drug treatment it’s important to seek a drug treatment center that has credentials and is licensed to provide drug treatment in your state. Ask questions of the director to determine the level of education and training that all staff members have. In most cases, drug treatment centers are much safer than any other type of treatment such as trying to overcome addiction at home or under minimal care of a doctor.

What Services are Offered at Drug Treatment Centers?

The services that are provided at drug treatment centers will range from detoxification to counseling, family therapy and aftercare. Medical intervention and medication administration is provided to assure that you are safe and medical in cared for during your stay at a drug treatment center. Although not all drug treatment centers provide detox, it’s important that you find a center that will offer a safe medical detox for you to assure that you are safe from start to finish. Also, make sure that the treatment center you choose offers aftercare and helps you to plan your route for future care even after you complete inpatient drug treatment.

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Finding Help at Dual Diagnosis Treatment Programs

Dual diagnosis treatment programs help individuals who have a substance abuse problem as well as a mental illness A high percentage of people who abuse drugs or alcohol have been linked to having at least one mental disorder Almost thirty percent of people who suffer from a mental disorder begin to use drugs or alcohol….

The new smoking ban battleground: detox clinics

Derek Laughlin, a 40-year-old former crack addict from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, found the cravings unbearable. Hours into treatment last year at a Surrey, B.C., short-term detox centre, on a staff-supervised walk around the block, he fell behind the group to search the pavement for discarded cigarette butts. Overcoming his crack habit was tough, but simultaneously….

Virtual world therapeautic for addicts: UH study shows

Patients in therapy to overcome addictions have a new arena to test their coping skills—the virtual world. A new study by University of Houston Associate Professor Patrick Bordnick found that a virtual reality (VR) environment can provide the climate necessary to spark an alcohol craving so that patients can practice how to say “no” in….

Proposition 5: Policy limits drug abuse

By JIM EGAR In early 2000, I watched as a 45-year-old African-American defendant was led out of court in handcuffs after having been sentenced to prison for possessing a tenth of a gram of cocaine. His wife, mother, employer and attorney asked the judge to send him for mandatory residential drug treatment with drug tests,….

Alcoholics affect everyone but help is available

Ann’s husband is an alcoholic. Spouses of alcoholics have two options — they can leave the alcoholic or they can seek help and understanding in order to live with the person they love. Ann chose the second option. For several years Ann has been attending Al-Anon. Ann is not her real name and her identity….