There are many addiction treatment clinics in South Africa but which are truly SA’s best drug addiction rehab centres?
Answering this question can only be done on an individual basis because it is possible that a drug addiction rehab that works wonders for one person might not be the best choice for another.
Drug addiction treatment programs vary in duration and intensity as well as having different levels of amenities and luxuries. Care must also be taken when using the word “best” so this article will also address what this means in the context of drug rehabilitation.
As a very minimum to be considered one of SA’s best drug addiction rehab centre’s a clinic must:
Be registered with the Department of Social Development. This means inter alia that they meet basic Health and Safety requirements but does not imply anything about the quality of their actual program.
Have a medical staff that is able to fully supervise the drug detoxification process. This includes having in house or consultant doctors prescribe the drug detox regime and nurses to monitor and assist where needed.
A family program to educate and guide family members around healthy boundaries and drug addiction recovery.
A well thought out relapse prevention program that teaches patients how to identify early warning signs and how to take action to avoid a relapse.
Staff who are specifically trained to diagnose mental health (“dual diagnosis”) concerns.
A multi-disciplinary team of professional addiction treatment consultants to assess and develop treatment plans through negotiation and agreement with addicted patients.
An administrative staff complement who are specially trained to deal sensitively with the issues around drug addiction treatment, such as confidentiality.
This is just a start to the factors involved in choosing SA’s best addiction rehab centres. In addition you should look to check if they offer amenities such as a swimming pool, gymnasium, gardens and other facilities that will ensure your comfort. Luxury rehab centres will sometimes look more like a spa than a hospital!
Let’s take a moment to consider the goals of a treatment program and how they are accomplished. This will give us another yardstick against which to measure up the clinics wanting to be considered among SA’s best addiction rehab centres.
One might think that the goal of a rehab is to help an addict stop using drugs. In fact this is just the start of what they hope to accomplish. The real goal of SA’s best addiction rehab centres is to provide long term contented RECOVERY.
The difference between abstinence and drug addiction recovery is huge.
Abstinence does not bring about any changes in the addicts life – they simply stop using drugs and never change their playground, playthings or playmates. It is due to this lack of external change that many people addicted to alcohol and other drugs find it so hard to remain abstinent.
Recovery is about stopping using drugs and additionally working on a program of self-growth. A successful treatment outcome is one which halts the cycle of drug abuse and also promotes healing in a variety of areas of life. SA’s best addiction rehab centres can be measured up by the length of sobriety of their graduates as well as their quality of life in recovery.
Recovery from drug addiction comes about as a result of consistently working a program of self-development. This involves inspecting potentially problematic behaviours and modifying them to be more in line with behaviours associated with a happy recovery.
This sort of treatment program can be worked within the context of a 12 step fellowship. The 12 steps promote an ongoing process of development and the fellowship holds regular support meetings for addicts. SA’s best addiction rehab centres will introduce the 12 step fellowships to their patients.
In conclusion we can see that it is not a simple matter to decide which are SA’s best addiction rehab centres. There are many factors to consider and ultimately you need to find the one which will be best for YOU – the one which will meet your needs best.
If you would like more information about finding a drug addiction treatment centre then please contact one of our intake coordinators to arrange an assessment. They will help you identify what to look for in a centre and then give you independent advice about potential options to consider.