Friday, 20 March 2009

Drug Rehab Center the First 24 Hours

Pure hell!
Exclaimed Jon during one of the first family visits when talking about his first day in the drug rehab center. He even stated that we totally abandoned him leaving him isolated in a facility with total strangers and he missed his so called friends. Jon also went on to say that knowing how the first day would go ahead of time actually made his stay at the drug rehab center easier and in reality his mouthing off was just a form of protest and an attempt to put Mom and Dad on a guilt trip.
Jon's morning at the drug rehab center was filled with interviews. He spent several hours meeting with professional drug counselors going through an intake interview and felt that the therapist was too personal in her questions about his history of drug use and his relationship to other family members. He did realize that the more he would cooperate with the staff the better his drug rehab treatment plan would be for him. The skilled therapist will base your treatment program on the best known addiction recovery criteria tailoring your treatment to your specific drug abuse problems and any psychological problems you may be having as well.
Keep in mind you are a patient at the drug rehab center and there is a legal protocol offered to you through a Patient Bill of Rights normally you will receive a copy of this along with your schedule of activities, your treatment plan and other any other information important to your stay at the drug treatment facility.
Soon after Jon had his orientation and intake interview all of his belongings were thoroughly searched and examined for any contraband. He initially was not able to have his stereo and headphones and a few other personal items were not allowed until he earned the use of them through the course of his treatment. He did not even complain about the dress code in the first few weeks of the program either.
You might as well get use to the idea, upon your arrival at the drug rehab center you will have to have a urinalysis, a complete physical exam by a physician and possibly a complete blood test to determine the extent of and what drugs may still be in your system. Normally, you will also be tested for tuberculosis, HIV and other communicable diseases. All the test results will be given to you and discussed with you by the doctor or his staff in the event you need any other medical assistance in addition to your drug treatment at this time.
Jon realized right away that he was the most important member of his drug treatment team. Right from the beginning from the initial detox to figuring out his individual treatment plan, he had a role in its design. He feels very strongly today that one of the reasons of his successful recovery was his ability to be involved with his treatment right from the beginning. If for some reason your drug rehab center will not include you in the planning then, by all mean do not hesitate to seek out a different facility.
Yes, committing yourself to a drug rehab center can be very scary but, hopefully I have been able to shed some light on what to expect your first 24 hours. This is the first giant step in your recovery do not hesitate to ask questions and then listen, yes listen to the answers. Everyone at the drug rehab center is dedicated to helping you win the battle against your drug addiction. They do have you best interest in mind and will do everything they can to make your time at the treatment center as pleasant and rewarding as possible.

Drug Rehab Programs High Success Rate Today

Drug rehab programs are located throughout the country from Alaska to Florida and California to Maine. You will discover many of the drug treatment centers operate totally independently from any major hospital, psychiatric facilities or any of the primary health care facilities. Do not be surprised to find many different drug treatment plans as well, long term live in, inpatient treatment and the very short term outpatient plans. Unfortunately, too many time the drug rehab programs will be determined by your insurance company or even you ability to pay.
What type of drug rehab program will be best for you and provide you with the best results and success of recovery. Many people feel more at home in a private setting and should probably choose one of the more private programs. While others, my feel a stronger need for a more traditional medical hospital and feel more out of harm's way with the help of a full service hospital.
Dual-diagnosis is something you should keep in mind. If you are suffering form a psychological problem as well as your addiction to drugs. You may need to consider a psychiatric hospital associated with a drug rehab center. Being able to manage ailments, your drug addiction and your psychological adversities will greatly increase the probability of your complete recovery.
Conquering your drug addiction will require a safe and secure facility for you to combat your drug problems. You will find many different approaches to the treatment of your drug dependency. Many of the hospital programs will follow a more traditional medical plan to treat your addiction. Physician will often prescribe medication to reduce the physical affects of drug detox. Methadone, a synthetic narcotic similar to morphine, may be given to help block the effects of addictive drugs and help reduce your cravings.
Alternative or natural rehab programs are becoming more the vogue within the industry. Here they use limited medical intervention and focus more on the natural techniques. Diet and nutrition, breathing exercise combined with Yoga, meditation and many other new techniques for combating the symptoms of your detox and withdrawal.
Rehab programs today, fall within two extremes and use a plethora of professionals and peer counselors to help you gain control over the many problem areas of your life that may have led to you using drugs in the first place. Think for a minute about the connection of you body and mind. The ability to work with nutritionists and other professional who specialize in drug addiction will make your road to recovery much easier and with more hope of success. Learning coping strategies will be a major part of your blueprint to sober living.
Choosing one of the many drug rehab programs will be a major decision of your lifetime. Right now you are probably in a state of confusion because of your addiction. Seeking the help you need is the right thing to do. Make an informed decision by researching the all the drug rehab treatment programs being considered and asking any questions you may have about the facility or the treatment plan being reviewed.

What is Your Goal in Drug Addiction Treatment?

Customizing a drug addiction treatment plan for your specific needs will depend on many of the conditions of your addiction. Due you have any family history of drug addiction? What has been your drug of choice and how long has your addiction been controlling your life? You will find drug addiction plans as varied as there are number of days in the month. Allowing the drug addiction counselors to match a drug addiction plan base on the many variables of your own addiction will provide a tremendous benefit in treating your specific needs.
One of the major decisions facing you in your recovery is the choosing whether you will stay in a residential drug rehab or inpatient drug rehab program. Driving the need for a long term rehab will be your history of addiction along with other factors, for example are you addicted heroine, cocaine or one of the other hard drugs found today. If that is the case then a long term stay in a residential program will be mandatory. You will need constant medical care as you go through the withdrawal process safely and correctly. Unfortunately, many times you will find your insurance will not covered this and only allow a short term stay that is merely slapping a Band-Aid on a major wound. Try not to be discouraged as you will find alternative programs that base their rates on your ability to cover the cost yourself.
Just to point out that if you are addicted to a drug that is safe to withdraw from physically without the need of medical intervention then you should be able to avoid a stay in an inpatient program and only need a few days stay in a residential program and will be on an out patient status very quickly. Most personal insurance plans will allow for this type of treatment and allow you to pursue your recovery in an outpatient drug addiction treatment program very soon.
A drug addiction counselor will be assigned to you upon your initial assessment and you will find your treatment does comply with a know format that will work successfully in your achieving your goal of recovery. Specializing in drug addiction recovery your addiction counselor will more than likely be a licensed therapist. You will proceed through a series of interviews as part of your intake into the program. Just so you know the interviews will be thorough and somewhat long going over your family history of drug abuse if any, your specific addiction to your drug of choice, any physical health issues and any of the psychological disorders that you may be suffering from. Discovering the root or common theme that maybe associated with your personal drug addiction will often strengthen your ability to successful drug addiction recovery.
Your assessment will provide your counselor with many great facts to the underlying cause of your addiction. In addition to discussing the rules or policies of the drug treatment center based on the data gather you may be assigned appointments by other health care specialists. They may include a peer counselor, a psychiatrist, a trained therapist and even a nutrition expert if there is a need for that. Having your treatment team in place, working together, all of you to create, organize and begin the pursuit of your goal of recovery with an a drug treatment plan designed just for you.
Make no mistake about it, today you will have a say in your treatment plan and you should expect to be allowed offer suggestions in what is needed to provide you with the best possible treatment plan. Extinct medical models of the past are thankfully gone. The medical community has recognized the fact that one of the best resources to use in your recovery is you. You have been there; you know first hand what your problems are and are not "out of your mind." Listen, do not get me wrong, I am not saying you are the quarterback of your treatment plan team, but you certainly are one of the key players, so get involved.
Let's face it, you are living the addiction and with that you have the insight and education to be more involved and to take charge of your own healing process. Having established the success of a customized drug treatment plan they are becoming more and more popular and the focus of drug addiction treatment at many to the top rated drug and alcohol treatment centers today. Stay focused, have faith and be committed to your goal of recovery and you will succeed.

Teenage Drug Addiction Help

Mom, Dad please keep in mind finding the correct or best drug addiction help for your son or daughter will certainly be one of the most painful task you will have today raising a teenager. I know from my personal experiences with my own daughter that the problem of addiction in your family will be heartbreaking for everyone involved. Pay special attention to the need of your teen searching for the fragile balance of belonging and for the pursuit of one's individual identity. One of the saddest days of my life was to realize that my daughter had turned to use drugs in order to cover what she felt was a weight problem. Thankfully, with the expert help of a fantastic teenage drug addiction treatment program, we never gave up hope and were fortunate to seek recovery before it was too late.
Your due diligence is a necessity when choosing a drug addiction center. Many of the standard drug treatment programs are all designed for the adult addict and do not address the special needs of your teen. Keep in mind your son and daughter are still growing, their minds and bodies are still developing. These constant changes taking place within your son or daughter must be addressed and included in a drug treatment plan for teens and adolescents.
You should expect and plan to be a partner to your daughter's drug addiction recovery regardless if they are in an outpatient counseling program or a full time inpatient facility. Your presence in family sessions should be required by the treatment center and are extremely recommended. This should not be interpreted to mean that your son's drug problem is your fault in any fashion; however the often hectic family dynamics we experience today may certainly be a contributing factor in whatever the underlying cause may be. I am sure you will agree that with your teen's use of drugs you have most likely grown apart creating a massive chasm between the two of you making any communication and support difficult to say the least. Your demonstration of your love and support for your son or daughter by attending the family sessions will reaffirm your commitment to their successful recovery and must not be taken lightly.
Unfortunately, relapse is a common thread to successful drug rehab. One of the best ways to avoid this after your son or daughter completes their inpatient drug rehab program will come from the type and quality of aftercare drug addiction help your teen receives. Pay attention to the referral your son receives to a psychologist, outside therapist as well as all information about the twelve step programs, encouraging them to get involved. You should also however, allow your daughter or son to become increasingly more responsible for making their own aftercare decisions giving them the ownership of their recovery.
Terrifying as it may be drug addiction recovery is difficult for any age group. Life is tough enough for any teen today, simply struggling to establish one's own personal identity and everyday issues. Throw in the harrowing experience of traveling through drug addiction hell and suddenly the issues of teen drug addiction and overcoming them may be a mountain to high to climb. Seek professional help and guidance at the first signs of your son or daughter's involvement with drugs. Drug addiction can be beaten, never give up hope, yes it will take hard work and amazing sacrifice but, you and your teen can win over this incredible scourge that has taken control of your child's life. Together you can beat this. Never give up.
Life comes at us full stride. Never a dull moment and full of many twist and turns

Sober Living Home the Best Choice

What is the best choice of an alcohol and drug free living environment? Once you have conquered your drug addiction problem you may have no where to go. It is really difficult to return to your old lives surrounded by the people who supported and in some cases encouraged your drug abuse. You may not need the full inpatient treatment of drug rehab or even need the structure of a halfway house or transitional living. But, you certainly would feel safer and more secure if you knew you were away from the old influences of your past life. The best choice and one you should definitely consider is a sober living home.
One of the biggest strengths and keys to your recovery is to surround yourself with like minded people who are also seeking support in a sober living environment. Most importantly no drugs or alcohol are permitted is absolutely the basic requirement and structure of a sober living home. Each individual home rules and structure may vary to a degree but you can rest assured there will be no drugs or alcohol permitted. You or your housemate are certain to arrive at different times in their recovery and you will find that many sober living homes will follow a twelve step approach providing those who have more time in the program the opportunity to be counselors for their peers. You will find this approach to inpatient drug rehab and transitional living will provide for many more benefits of your recovery including much more personal freedom.
You can rest assured living in a controlled environment like a sober living home that provides the security and safety net to protect you from the pitfalls of your recovery is championed by all major drug treatment programs. Having the constant support of others who share the realities of your past and understand the difficulties you are facing offers you the 24 hours support in your constant pursuit of you inpatient drug rehab therapy. You can be certain that having a sober living residence free of drugs and alcohol will make the possibility of relapse more remote and unlikely, leading you to a successful recovery.
Sober living home may not be a good option for you and in reality is not for everyone recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Unfortunately, many of our insurance plans today only provide for detox in life threatening situations and may not even consider covering drug addiction problems and rehab. So it is a matter of fact that a sober living environment for you may be based more on economics than need, so be sure to search around to find a sober living house you can afford.
A major hurdle to sober living is unfortunately the cost associated with it and an all too familiar roadblock to recovery. Many of our insurance companies will cover the cost of drug treatments but seldom do they want to provide the funding for any kind of long term drug treatment. So keep in mind that many full time rehab treatment programs and sober living homes will not be totally covered by your insurance. They seem to prefer the short term, less expensive treatment of a simple detox and literally force you back into the perpetual endless cycle of relapse and recovery.
Please keep in mind a sober living home is only a short term solution. Most of the drug treatment plans will require a stay of at least 30 days providing you with the continued support group of the other residence in the home. Returning you back to the community as a constructive good citizen is the major goal of sober living. One of the best benefits of sober living will is your ability to make new friends, sober friends who will continue to support your efforts in your drug addiction treatment. Take advantage of the opportunity sober living presents and you will be completely ready to return to your community clean and sober at the completion of your stay.