W hen an individual with a drug or alcohol abuse problem has made a conscious decision to stop abusing drugs or alcohol, but has been unsuccessful in all attempts to do so on their own, it may become necessary to solicit help from a drug treatment or alcohol treatment professional. The importance of choosing the appropriate type of treatment for a individuals specific situation should not be under estimated.

T he initial step of choosing a treatment program should ensure that the most effective treatment method is selected which best fit the individuals specific treatment needs. If an incorrect evaluation is made when selecting a treatment modality the individual chances for failure increase significantly.

D rug treatment and alcohol treatment should address the specific needs of each individual. There are varying degrees of abuse. Some individuals may have a history of many prior attempts to end their abuse patterns and failed. For those who fall into this category, in patient residential treatment may prove fruitful. Research studies show that in patient treatment is the most successful modality for individuals with multiple unsuccessful attempts at sobriety through out patient treatment .

O n the other hand, a individual may only have a recent history of abuse and wishes to correct the situation, but may encounter difficulty in doing so on their own. For such an individual out patient treatment or counseling would most likely be the appropriate initial approach in addressing their situation.

I ndividuals with years of heavy drug or alcohol abuse may have a more difficult time when it comes to ending their abuse patterns. The difficulty may lie in fact that their lifestyle has consisted of drug or alcohol use for such an extended period of time that it may be difficult to imagine themselves living without substances. This type of individual may greatly benefit from attending a long term inpatient drug ang alcohol rehabilitation program. This type of treatment generally involves a peroid of three to six months so as to provide the individual with an extensive change of environment as well as care twenty-four hours a day. Research has proven that this may be the most successful type of treatment for those who have a history of heavy substance abuse spanning over many years.

As you can see, it is important that you make an educated decision when choosing a drug treatment or alcohol treatment method. For many recovery has become a revolving door of treatment center after treatment center. This need not be the case. Drug & alcohol recovery is possible. You can do it and we can help! Contact us for a free confidential consultation and referral. We have over thirty years experience specializing in drug treatment and alcohol treatment. Get on the road to recovery today! Our referral network consists of over 3,000 of the best drug treatment and alcohol treatment centers in the United States. Drug Abuse Treatment.org is part of a non-profit social betterment organization. All referral services are free of charge. Call Today!

Drug Abuse Treatment

Drug abuse treatment is an important part of recovering from drug abuse. In addition to stopping drug use, the goal of drug abuse treatment is to return the individual to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and community. While in drug abuse treatment, recovering drug addicts learn about addiction, recovery and relapse while addressing misguided beliefs about self, others and their environment. Attending a drug abuse treatment program helps the recovering drug abuser make lifestyle changes, manage feelings and develop coping tools and drug refusal skills. In addition, they learn to identify relapse warning signs and challenge thoughts that may lead to relapse.

Keep in mind, no single drug abuse treatment program is appropriate for all individuals. Matching drug abuse treatment settings and services to each individual's particular problems and needs is critical to his or her ultimate success in returning to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and society. If you or someone you care about is caught in the trap of drug abuse, then drug abuse treatment may be necessary in salvaging their life.

Drug Treatment

Drug treatment is a way for individuals with addiction problems to learn valuable tools and information to help them recover. There are many different types of drug treatment available such as counseling, psychotherapy, support groups, family therapy, and in-patient or out-patient programs.

Generally, the more drug treatment an individual receives the better the outcome. Those who stay in drug treatment longer than three months usually have better outcomes than those who stay less time. Over the last 25 years, studies have shown that drug treatment works to reduce an individual's drug use and the crimes committed by drug addicted individuals. Research has also shown that those who have successfully completed a drug treatment program are more likely to be employed.

Alcohol Abuse Treatment

Alcohol abuse treatment works with the entire person to improve self-esteem and self-worth, heal core traumas, learn life-skills, gain control over addictive patterns, improve the health of the body, in addition to recovering from alcohol abuse. Treatment focuses on helping each person to rebalance their lives and gain the skills they need to live a successful, satisfying life, free from alcohol abuse. Those who attend treatment find that they have more skills and confidence in creating the lives they want, complete with good relationships, a satisfying job or career, and enjoyment of day to day life.

A vast majority of those who abuse alcohol have self-esteem issues and feel powerless in the face of beating their alcohol abuse problem. Alcohol abuse treatment focuses on building self-esteem and helping people begin to feel their own self-worth again. This in turn builds their confidence and their ability to create the lives they want. With a sense of powerfulness and self-worth, people are in a better place to say "no" to unhealthy, addictive behaviors and to say "yes" to the healthy choices that make life worth living. In addition, people gain skill at recognizing the addictive "part" of themselves and at diffusing its power.

Alcohol Detox

Alcohol detox is the first step in treatment. What does it mean to enter an alcohol detox? The definition of detoxification is as follows: "A treatment for addiction to drugs or alcohol intended to rid the body of the addictive substances, and the physiological and mental readjustment that accompanies the process." This definition refers to the physical withdrawal symptoms of alcohol abuse, as well as the psychological symptoms experienced while in alcohol detox.

Alcohol abuse and addiction require detox before beginning treatment and recovery. When alcohol residuals remain in the body, cravings will continue and recovery from alcohol addiction will be very difficult to achieve. Alcohol detox should be done under the care of a licensed medical facility. Attempting to detox from alcohol without the proper professional help is extremely dangerous. It can result in serious physical, psychological, and emotional consequences which can include death.

Drug Detox

The goal of drug detox is to rid the body of toxins accumulated by drug use. The first step of detox is drug withdrawal. Drug withdrawal is "the act or process of ceasing to use an addictive drug." Once an individual has discontinued using drugs physical and behavioral withdrawal symptoms may follow. Drug detox is a process that helps diminish the uncomfortable symptoms of drug withdrawal.

Drug detox is performed in many different ways depending on where you decide to receive treatment. Most drug detox centers simply provide treatment to avoid physical withdrawal to alcohol & other drugs. A quality drug detox program will not only to provide the individual with counseling during detox but help with the physical withdrawal and the psychological root cause of the individual's addiction problem, so as to decrease the chances of relapse.

Drug detox can be viewed in three separate stages:

1. Medical Detox: A medical doctor will need to supervise your medical withdrawal from drugs, ensuring you complete this phase safely and with minimal complications. Medical detox can take several days.

2. Physical Detox: Once your body is no longer dependent on drugs, you will need to work on building up your physical health. A nutritionist can be helpful during this phase, enabling you to develop a balanced diet to help you through the rest of the drug detox process.

3. Emotional Detox: Detox can be extremely difficult on your emotional health, which is why most treatment centers offer counseling during detox. Because drugs have become an integral part of your mental, emotional and social life, you will need emotional help as you detox.

Alcohol Treatment

Alcohol treatment is a place where an individual who has a drinking problem can receive help. Treatment means that an individual enters a program that helps them with their alcohol addiction and provides them with the tools necessary for a complete recovery.

Alcohol treatment works for many people who have problems with alcohol abuse and addiction. But just like any other drug of abuse, the individual has to be committed to make a change for the better. Some people stop drinking and remain sober. Others have long periods of sobriety with bouts of relapse. And still others cannot stop drinking for any length of time. With alcohol treatment, one thing is clear: the longer a person abstains from alcohol, the more likely he or she will be able to stay sober.

Long Term Treatment

Long term treatment involves individuals spending a substantial amount of time on their drug addiction treatment program. Generally, long term treatment is conducted in residential treatment facilities. When an individual enters a long term treatment program they know that they have truly dedicated themselves to recovering from their drug addiction. Long-Term Residential Treatment provides care 24 hours per day, generally in nonhospital settings. The best-known long term treatment model is the therapeutic community (TC), but residential treatment may also employ other models, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Long term treatment generally lasts anywhere from 3 to 12 months and is focused on the "resocialization" of the individual. Long term treatment uses the program's entire "community," including other residents, staff, and the social context, as active components of treatment. Long term treatment focuses on developing personal accountability and responsibility and socially productive lives. Long term treatment is highly structured with activities designed to help residents examine damaging beliefs, self-concepts, and patterns of behavior and to adopt new, more harmonious and constructive ways to interact with others.

Counseling

Counseling focuses on the symptoms of drug addiction, the individual as a whole, and the content and structure of the individual's recovery program. It gives the person coping strategies and tools for recovery. The primary goal of counseling is to assist the individual in achieving and maintaining abstinence from drugs and alcohol. The secondary goal is the help them recover from the damage addiction has caused in their life.

Counseling works by first helping the individual recognize the existence of a problem and the associated irrational thinking that comes along with drug addiction. Next, the person is encouraged to achieve and maintain abstinence and then to develop the necessary psychosocial skills to continue their recovery. In counseling, it is the individual who must take responsibility fro working on and succeeding with a program of recovery.

Drug Intervention

Drug intervention is a process that helps a drug addict recognize the extent of their problem. Individuals who are addicted to drugs or alcohol usually do not know their addiction is out of control. They tend to look at those around them as a measure of how right or wrong their actions are. These individuals need objective feedback on their behavior. It is through a non-judgmental, non-critical, systematic drug intervention process that the individual is able to see their own lifestyle choices. When they truly understand the impact that their alcohol dependence or drug addiction has on others, they may truly begin to see they are hurting those around them.

The goal of drug intervention is for the addict to accept the reality of their drug addiction and to seek help. The process of conducting a drug intervention is a difficult and delicate matter. It is important that it is done correctly, otherwise the individual may feel cornered and become defensive. Advice from a trained professional is useful in determining the proper strategy and timing for your specific drug intervention.

Alcohol Intervention

Alcohol intervention is a process that helps an individual who has problems with alcohol recognize the extent of their situation. Those who have a problem with alcohol usually do not know they are out of control. They look at their alcohol-using peers/friends and their own use appears normal in comparison. They need objective feedback on their behavior. Through a non-judgmental, non-critical, systematic process, the individual is confronted with the impact of their alcohol abuse. The goal of alcohol intervention is for them to accept the reality of their problem and to seek help.

An alcohol intervention is a difficult and delicate matter. It is very important that they be done properly. No alcohol intervention should be undertaken without advice and counsel of a professional experienced in the alcohol intervention process. Furthermore, since people embarking on an alcohol intervention often feel ambivalent and apprehensive, it is important that they trust the interventionist.

Meetings

Meetings can complement and extend the effects of professional drug addiction treatment. The most prominent meetings for those recovering from drug addiction are those affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Cocaine Anonymous, all of which are based on the 12-step model. There are other groups who provide meetings such as Smart Recovery and others not based on the 12 steps. Most drug addiction treatment programs encourage patients to participate in meetings to solidify the recovery process during and after formal treatment.

Meetings many times are free of charge, self-governing and self-supporting. Information regarding day, time, and locations of meetings held by 12-Step organizations can be found by calling a central group telephone number in the yellow pages under "Alcoholism" and "Drug Abuse and Addiction". Typically meetings are held one or more times a week, at the same location and at the same time. Meetings focus on members sharing with other members their experience, strength, and hope in terms of recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction.

Residential Drug Treatment

Residential drug treatment for drug abuse and addiction has existed for 40 years. Residential drug treatment, also known as therapeutic communities are located in residential settings and use a hierarchical model with treatment stages that reflect increased levels of personal and social responsibility. The idea behind residential treatment is that the individual suffering from drug addiction is able to live in an environment which is drug free. They begin to see how to live life without drugs and alcohol through their time spent away from their previous environment. As time progresses they are able to handle more and more responsibility within the residential treatment facility and are expected to be part of the community in which they live. This means helping those who are just beginning as well as those around them.

Residential drug treatment is different than other treatment methods in many ways. Individuals are able to leave their destructive environment and enter into a clean and sober atmosphere. Their reminders of drugs such as the cabinet where they kept their alcohol or the drawer where they kept their stash are no longer a temptation reminding them of their drug addiction. Additionally, individuals are able to associate with others who share their same goal of addiction recovery 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This availability of individuals and staff at any hour is invaluable when a person is going through residential drug treatment.

Outpatient Drug Treatment

An outpatient drug treatment is a program designed to provide long-term abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Outpatient drug treatment programs use a broad verity of techniques. These techniques include a wide range of approaches including problem-solving groups, specialized therapies such as insight-oriented psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and 12-step programs. Similar to other drug rehabs, the individual may stay in the program for several months or longer. Those who attend an outpatient drug rehab do not live at the drug treatment facility as they would an inpatient drug rehab.

Outpatient drug treatment programs vary in the types and intensity of services offered. Low-intensity outpatient drug treatment programs may offer little more than drug education and counsel. Other outpatient drug treatment models, such as intensive day treatment, can be comparable to residential programs in services and effectiveness, depending on the individual's characteristics and needs. All in all, the ultimate goal of outpatient drug treatment is to help the individual recover from drug addiction so that they may re-enter society and lead responsible, successful drug and alcohol free lives.

Inpatient Drug Treatment

Inpatient drug treatment is one of many methods whose ultimate goal is long-term abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Individuals who feel their addiction has affected their lifestyle such as their family, friends, or work will benefit greatly from inpatient drug treatment. Additionally, removing the individual from their former surroundings (in regards to drug using friends and the individual's personal drug using paraphernalia) helps them to adjust to living a drug-free lifestyle. The benefits of inpatient treatment also include the reduced likelihood of the individual using alcohol or drugs while in treatment as well as highly structured days. Those who attend an inpatient drug treatment program are able to employ the new tools they have learned to help them re-enter society and lead responsible, successful drug and alcohol free lives.

Inpatient drug treatment centers offer support and structure for men and women seeking help for problems with drugs or alcohol. Participants reside on location for the course of the rehab program; lengths of stay vary and may be individualized. Care at an inpatient drug treatment program is provided 24 hours a day 7 days a week; this is only one of the benefits of attending inpatient drug treatment.

Alcohol Recovery

Recovery from alcohol is possible. There are many programs available for those who want to recover from the problems created by alcohol. These programs are designed to teach you in a very clear manner exactly how to become a sober, happy person. The question is, are you willing to do what it takes to become happy and free of alcohol addiction? Then you are ready to begin a life-changing recovery process.

Alcohol recovery is a multi-step process. Recovery from alcohol is getting stable as well as staying stable in ones life, long after leaving a treatment program. Individuals who are recovering from alcohol addiction first need to realize that they have a problem and are willing to work towards a solution. Alcohol recovery may require long term treatment, but varies on the individual and their alcohol history.

Drug Recovery

Drug recovery is unlearning addiction so that being clean becomes habitual. Recovery is a multi-step process. Drug recovery is getting stable as well as staying stable in ones life long after treatment. Individuals who are recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction first need to realize that they have a problem and are willing to work towards a solution. Drug recovery usually requires long term treatment, but varies on the individual and their drug addiction history. Individuals on the road to drug recovery conquer many obstacles, the first being withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. This process may be painful and the hardest to achieve depending on the drugs the individual must withdrawal from.

The next step in drug recovery stems from the idea that once the drugs are completely out of the system the individual is better able to handle learning new information and acquiring knowledge. This step is detoxification. This is only part of the initial steps of drug addiction recovery; many individuals misinterpret this vital step as the "only" step and feel that they have accomplished their goal of recovery. This is not the case though, recovery also involves understanding what caused an individual to begin using drugs or alcohol as well as finding solutions to prevent further abuse. During this step of recovery individuals also learn communication skills, personal ethics, social and anti-social personality traits, repair past damage they may have caused others, in addition to planing a strategy for their futures.