Rehabilitation programs traditionally have the following basic elements:
- Initial Evaluation
- Abstinence
- Learning about addiction
- Group counseling
- Individual counseling
- A family support program
What will “Rehab” accomplish?
- Abstinence: In many cases it seems that as long as the substance is in the blood stream, thinking remains distorted. Often during the first days or weeks of total abstinence, we see a gradual clearing of thinking processes. This is a complex psychological and biological phenomenon, and is one of the elements that inpatient programs are able to provide by making sure the patient is fully detoxified and remains abstinent during his or her stay.
- Removal Of Denial: In some cases, when someone other than the patient, such as a parent, employer, or other authority, is convinced there is a problem, but the addict is not yet sure, voluntary attendance at a rehab program will provide enough clarification to remove this basic denial. Even those who are convinced they have a problem with substances usually don’t admit to themselves or others the full extent of the addiction. Rehab uses group process to identify and help the individual to let go of these expect able forms of denial.
- Removal Of Isolation: As addictions progress, relationships deteriorate in quality. However, the bonds between fellow recovering people are widely recognized as one of the few forces powerful enough to keep recovery on track. The rehab experience, whether it is inpatient or outpatient involves in-depth sharing in a group setting. This kind of sharing creates strong interpersonal bonds among group members. These bonds help to form a support system that will be powerful enough to sustain the individual during the first months of abstinence.
- Basic Training: Basic training is a good way to think of the experience of rehab. Soldiers need a rapid course to give them the basic knowledge and skills they will need to fight in a war. Some kinds of learning need to be practiced so well that you can do them without thinking. In addition to the learning, trainees become physically fit, and perhaps most important, form emotional bonds that help keep up morale when the going is hard.
Programs for Drug Rehab:
While the goal of all drug rehab centers is to get drug addicts sober and into recovery, some centers take it a little further. These centers seek to improve the quality of the addict’s life after recovery. Through a series of programs, the recovering addict will be taught skills that can be used in all aspects of their life to make it better.
Creating a Better Life After Recovery:
People who become drug addicts are typically deficient in a number of life skills or have not been able to implement them fully. For example, addicts may not be able to identify the qualities in other people that are negative and/or anti-social. For that reason, they may fall into a “bad crowd” and push away people who love them. Some rehab centers have courses that can help an addict identify what type of person they should form relationships with in order to help maintain sobriety.
There are also programs that can help addicts dig deeper into their psyches and teach the addict how to express repressed feelings. For example, drug addicts may have been caught up in a cycle of unethical behavior in order to cover up and maintain their addictions. They may be lying, cheating and stealing all because of their addiction. Ultimately, it is the people who are closest to them that are hurt the most. Consequently, the addict feels intense feelings of guilt. That guilt is locked away inside them and can interfere with the recovery process.
In a rehab program that address this cycle of unethical behavior, an addict can pinpoint the times when they have behaved unethically and what the repercussions were from that action. This can be a cathartic experience because addicts are in effect confessing their transgressions and releasing the guilt associated with them. With the guilt out of the way, they can focus on recovery.