We’ve all heard horror stories about active addiction and its consequences but this article is about hope. The truth is that no matter how far the disease of addiction has progressed there is still hope.
Drug addiction rehab facilities can effectively treat patients and turn the tide on the illness and entire families’ lives. This is not to say that it is easy or simple to overcome addiction but rather that through expert professional help a person can beat this illness.
Yup, you caught me, I called addiction an illness. Current medical science understands addiction to be a disease rather than a “moral failing” or weakness of character. You are not responsible for having the disease any more than a cancer patient can be blamed for having cancer. However it is your responsibility to do something about the illness – to seek help in a suitable drug addiction rehab centre.
If people don’t choose to be an addict, then why do they develop this disease? Medical science has no definitive answer to this question but has identified several contributing factors. These include – genetic links, peer pressure, the effect of the drug, the environment the person lives in and their ability to cope with stress.
Arguably the best way to predict who is going to become an addict is to say that people who abuse drugs are more at risk than people who abstain. This is similar to the way that lung cancer is linked to smoking. Drug addiction rehab facilities will help the patient to understand the various factors that lead to addictive behaviour and show ways to counteract them.
Drug addiction rehab facilities should have medical staff that are capable of dealing with the various complications that might arise during detox and treatment. Perhaps the time when patients are most vulnerable to medical risk is during the initial phase of treatment – the drug detoxification. During this time the addict may display physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms range from being uncomfortable to outright dangerous.
Having a doctor supervise the detoxification will reduce medical risk and make the process more comfortable.
When the patient is detoxified their mind and body will be ready for the drug addiction rehab facilities and treatment program. The program is usually very busy and filled with a range of activities each of which focuses on a different aspect of addiction. By using a comprehensive approach to addiction the various facets of this complex illness are exposed and treated.
This is augmented by employing a team of addiction treatment consultants that comprises members from various professions. Doctors and psychologists (for example) will combine their respective professional training to develop a deeper understanding of the issues at play.
In addition to the program in drug addiction rehab facilities patients will often be introduced to 12 step fellowship groups. These groups offer free support meetings to addicts. Continued attendance at these meetings has been linked to longer periods of abstinence. Because the 12 step program encourages actively working a program their members also find true recovery. Recovery in this context implies being restored to health in a number of areas of life – physical, mental, social, vocational and spiritual.
Following discharge from drug addiction rehab facilities patients may elect to enter a step down rehab or “secondary care” as it is known in South Africa. These rehabs specialise in providing patients with a little more freedom (and hence responsibility) which allows them to start reintegrating to their community of origin while still having the safety of the rehab to return to. This has been shown to improve treatment outcomes.
Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Don’t delay in stopping the cycle – call our intake coordinators today. They will help you find the addiction treatment clinic that will best suit your needs.