Step-by-Step Drug Rehabilitation

There's a lot of publicity about drug rehabilitation and rehab centers because of high-profile celebrities and their problems, but real-life drug rehab is hard, harrowing work for all those involved. There are several types of rehab and many factors to consider before choosing the right facility and the most effective treatment.

Preparation

• The first part of drug rehab starts in the mind of the addict. No well-meaning doctor or friend can help an alcoholic or other addict unless they want to help themselves. Am I an Addict?, a brochure put out by Narcotics Anonymous, offers a dozen questions to help assess the severity of an addiction. Ideally, an addict will contact a rehab center themselves after admitting they have a problem and not wait until family and friends conduct an intervention. Family members who need to arrange an intervention for an unwilling addict should secure transportation to bring the person to the treatment center and watch them until they are safely inside the center. Before admittance, settle medical insurance issues and pack clothes, toiletries and other everyday items you'll need. Make sure that a friend or family member will take in your mail, feed your pets and attend to other household chores while you are in rehab.

First Steps

• Once in rehab, the length and direction of the program will depend on the severity of your addiction. Some people may need only a quick three-day detox while others may need to stay in a residential facility for up to a year. Detox means detoxifying the body completely from the drug in question, and can take up to a week for narcotics such as methamphetamine. Once the offending substance is out of your system, outpatient procedures and counseling may be indicated for less serious cases. Short or long-term residences for a month to a year are recommended for severe addictions. Addicts have the best chance of recovery in a communal setting with medical care, on-site therapy and interaction with other recovering addicts.

Maintenance

• Longtime addicts, particularly those arrested and jailed several times on drug charges, benefit the most from the aforementioned long-term residencies. Sometime called half-way houses, these community-oriented environments provide job training and education for addicts and give them a better chance of reentering society successfully. After release from a halfway house, addicts need to participate in Narcotics Anonymous, or other 12 step program to stay clean and sober. Continued behavioral therapy and other counseling is also necessary in most cases.