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Drug Rehabilitation Services
Mike Tyson talks about Alcohol and Drug Rehab
Table of Contents
Page Summary
Information on alcohol and drug rehab centers, which offer many addiction treatment options. This page includes information on substance abuse intervention services in addtion to information on choosing the the right addiction treatment center. Also includes how an addict’s past may have lead them to their drug use and the pressures of being an addict. Gives instruction on how to plan an intervention and who should be supporting the addict through their recovery. This gives information on how alcohol drug treatment centers treat the physical and psychological dependencies of addicts.
The Benefits of Drug Rehabilitation Services
The top rehab placement specialists in North America can be found at the Drug Rehab HQ. Our counsellors are here to help you find a specific drug addiction treatment center that best suits your needs. In general there are three main types of rehabilitation services.
Our goal is to provide all available information on every type of substance abuse treatment currently available in the United States. We do this so you may begin treatment with confidence that you have selected specific treatment options that best suit the needs of the addict. If you are having any difficulties, please phone our toll free helpline as we are happy to help you until you are satisfied.
If you have a loved one in denial about his or her addiction, we have provided a step by step walk through of the family intervention. In some cases a professional is needed to really impact the addict and bring about an immediate change in attitude. Please phone our toll free helpline for further information on intervention or treatment.
Drug Addiction Treatment
Drugs is such a widely used term it has all but lost its meaning as drugs can refer to a medication prescribed by a doctor or street drugs basically anything that alters mood and or perception. People are usually referring to illegal narcotics when they use the word drugs such as marijuana, methamphetamine, ecstasy, heroin, PCP, cocaine, crack cocaine or a wide variety of narcotic pharmaceuticals.
There are two main ways that drugs can control addicts; Physical Dependency and Psychological Addiction.
Physical Dependency
This occurs once a person has been regularly consuming a substance which is physically addictive and has now become dependent on it. Discontinuing the use of that substance abruptly can cause serious risk to the person’s health, with symptoms such as mild to grand maul seizures, elevated blood pressure which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Once a person is physically addicted to a substance rehabilitation is now a two stage process where it requires medical assistance to safely discontinue the use of that drug. Once stabilized the psychological aspect of the addiction can be addressed.
Psychological Addiction
Psychological addiction or behavioral blueprinting aspect, where a person as a result of being under the influence of drugs experiences a brief reprieve from the daily stress of life. If this person does not have well established and productive strategies for dealing with life’s stresses this release very quickly become their only strategy for dealing with stressful situations. Solutions for the psychological addiction are elusive and difficult to achieve as an individual must unearth and confront underlying issues and learn new ways of dealing with them. Psychological addiction can only be helped with therapy and education to provide the much needed strategies for successful living.
Drug Rehab HQ has done extensive research on all aspects of traditional and modern drug treatment. We would be proud to have the opportunity to share this knowledge with those who it will benefit the most. Our goal is to help anyone struggling with addiction to seek out and attain the treatment they require to live healthy, successful, and productive lives. Please take a look at some of the different drug rehab treatment options available and speak with us for additional information by phoning our toll free helpline at 1-866-720-3784.
Rehab Success Rates
Based on many factors the success ratio of rehabilitation can vary greatly. Some treatment centers are inherently more suitable to the needs and wants of the individual. So, the selection of a treatment center should factor in all the variables such as cost, region, the spiritual beliefs of the individual, severity of the problem, their age, comfort level and what their health concerns may be. If one does not achieve a proper understanding of his or her own addiction they are infinitely less likely to recognize and avoid a reversion to alcohol and less likely to overcome barriers in a healthy productive manner. We have audited thousands of different treatment programs and their facilities in the USA and we are proud to share our insights so that you or a loved one can find a lifelong solution to alcoholism.
If you are not sure what service you are looking for please phone our toll free helpline and we will assist you until you are satisfied.
Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Alcoholism is a progressive, degenerative condition with several very specific stages once each one has been achieved the alcoholism becomes more chronic and pushes the likelihood of recovery further and further away. Although alcohol is a legal drug it is a drug which is abused more than any other in the world today, it is common for both physical and mental dependencies to occur. The fact that alcohol is legal and widely accepted allows Alcoholism to go unnoticed and untreated, often times until it’s too late. Alcohol is the single most dangerous substance to sober up from once a physical dependency has been achieved. The worst consequence of withdrawal is death. This is why choosing the right alcohol abuse treatment center is extremely important for the alcoholic who has become physically dependent upon alcohol.
If you know anyone who uses alcohol every day and you observe that they become anxious or have involuntary shaking in their hands when they do not have a drink, they are at a high risk for the most severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms and should only discontinue the use of alcohol under the supervision of a trained professional nurse, doctor, or certified drug abuse counsellor. The term most commonly used term to describe the withdrawal from alcohol is the D-T’s (delirium tremens) this is when the alcoholic who is dependent on alcohol's body literally goes in to shock from the lack of alcohol which there body now requires to maintain nervous system function. The most feared symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are seizures, heart attack and stroke.
Intervention Services
Intervention is a process by which an addict or alcoholic is confronted by family, employers, friends or any group which they are a member to impose their wish to save that persons life by stopping their addiction dead in its tracks. People are really realizing the benefit of intervention since the release of the Arts and Entertainment network’s award winning television series Intervention.
If you have been fortunate enough to watch this program it is wise to take notice of the fact that there is always a trained professional present to ensure that the intervention is effective and doesn’t worsen the situation. If you are not sure if the situation is classified as an addiction take a look at some of the addiction information and warnings signs to get a general feel or idea of the case.
Questions To Ask During An Intervention
Families seeking alcohol and drug addiction treatment and are preparing to perform an intervention must be brave as they are entering a volatile situation and if the rules for successful intervention are broken the addict can be left even more estranged and hopeless. Remember that most addicts and alcoholics, while on the exterior seem rugged and tough; they are quite fragile below this exterior. We strongly suggest if you are considering an intervention, to utilize a professional and ask these important questions to achieve successful interventions. Over 90 percent of interventions are successful when these questions are asked.
- What treatment center will I use?
- When will the addict be ready to seek help?
- What pressures does the addict feel now?
- Who should be there?
- When is the appropriate time?
- What is the general language or message?
- What is plan B?
The ultimate goal of the intervention should be that the addict agrees he/she has a problem and agrees to get help immediately.
An extremely important step is finding what help is available by doing the appropriate research to locate an appropriate and well established treatment program. We recommend that all parties involved in the intervention agree on what program or method will be best for the addict so there are no stops once the individual has accepted help. Intervention is the best way to make help available to those in denial about their addiction.
What Treatment Center will I Use?
If the addict or alcoholic agrees he/she has a problem and wants help, you need to know what that help is. Having to choose from several different types of drug addiction treatment options makes it important to have a good understanding of the services available. It is advisable that the parties doing the intervention agree on what program or method will be best for the addict once he/she has agreed to receive help. There are thousands of programs and many philosophies or approaches to treatment and generally the addict needs help in identifying one that is right for them.
The result of which program or approach he/she goes to will determine if the addict or alcoholic relapses after treatment causing much greater complexity and further risk as well as continued pain and struggle for those around them. Once the intervention team has decided on the treatment they intend to propose to the addict, they should contact the facility of their choice.
They will need to determine admittance procedure; financial obligation as well as specific questions that remain about what treatment the addict will receive. Remember we’re talking literally about the addict or alcoholic’s life and general quality of that life so doesn’t hesitate to be inquisitive. If the prospective treatment centre doesn’t adequately answer all pertinent questions or they are illusive as to expect out come of treatment the family may want to consider a second opinion. Addicts live and die by their ability to recover so this is not a decision to be taken lightly.
When Will the Addict Be Ready to Seek Help?
The addict or alcoholic has things in his/her past or present that seem like devastating events and which has something to do with drugs or alcohol. One example is a person that has lost his best friends due to his addiction. Another example is a person losing his wife and child over drug or alcohol abuse. A family member can look at an addict’s life and see hundreds of reasons he/she should quit using but unfortunately these reasons are not REAL to the addict.
There are problems the addict encounters that he or she perceives as a real or significant threat to their own life. When he or she sees this as a reason to quit using drugs these troubles are called "rock bottom". These are important to identify because they can be used during the intervention to remind the addict or alcoholic why he/she must seek help.
What pressures does the addict feel?
The addict doesn’t necessarily share the same beliefs about their substance abuse that non-addicts might. For instance, he/she may have semi serious health problems, lack of friends and job or income but feel like they are “doing OK”. Many addicts have actually overdosed on drugs coming very close to death and are right back using drugs the very next day. This may appear crazy but in fact is only part of the pain for the addict. With this in mind, the addict from time to time will encounter added pressure, which forces them to make an actual decision about whether to seek help or continue to use.
Pending legal charges that could easily lead to jail time, threat of losing spouse, pending loss of job, all are possible situations where a person has enough pressure to fight their compulsions and seek help.
Although any one in particular may not work in your situation, there are pressures that can come to bear which will help prod the addict into a decision to seek help. It is easy to assume the addict is “only seeking help to avoid jail” or some other evaluation which in many cases is true. The fact remains that an addict will only seek help when some one or some thing pushes him out of his “addiction comfort zone” and forces him into a decision.
Very few addicts with access to money, a place to live, people who agree with his usage and no legal issues seek help. In their mind they “don’t have a problem”. This is very important to understand and will be crucial in any attempt at an intervention.
Who should be at the intervention?
One of the major considerations involving intervention is selecting who will be there. This matter should be well thought out before hand. The number of people there is less important than who is there. If at all possible, the person in the family whom the addict respects the most should be there.
This person is an opinion leader to the addict and needs to be fully supportive of getting the person help as well as informing them about the actual agenda. As many family members as possible should be there as long as each and every one are completely in agreement about the fact that the person needs help and supportive of the general agenda.
If someone in the family is antagonistic towards the addict and is not capable of restraining themselves from arguments and blame then you might consider leaving them out. Usually, the addict has many enemies and has done wrong to most of the family. These disagreements will not help addict to get treatment and will in fact result in stopping this from happening because the focus of attention gets placed on the argument and not on the matters at hand.
Many people hire professional counsellors to run the intervention. This is advisable in many situations but not a necessity in most. This depends largely on individual circumstances. For instance, does the person have pending legal issues, external pressures etc. or does the person completely deny any drug usage. These type factors need to be considered intensely before bringing in an outside person. You may want to seek help in establishing who should be present at the intervention because it is a crucial factor.
When is the appropriate time for an intervention?
When does the intervention take place? Ideally this has less to do with the family schedule and more to do with the addict’s life. The optimum time for an intervention is just after a major event. Such an event would be having been arrested, or when he/she has done wrong (lied, stolen, cheated etc.) a family member and shows remorse or guilt. Another would be spouse leaving.
Yet another would be after an overdose. Although you obviously don’t want to risk the addict’s life by postponing forever, an intervention will be exponentially more effective after such events when the addict is down and feels like his/her world is coming to an end.
Even in the absence of these situations, an intervention can be successful especially if the family is close to the addict daily so that every little situation is known. An addict’s life is a major roller coaster and the only way an addict can deny their problem is to successfully hide these problems from those who love them. A major consideration should be when the addict is sober. In the case of cocaine, crystal methamphetamine etc. this should be in the morning after the addict has slept. In the case of heroin, methadone, or opiate type drugs, it will be when they are withdrawing and not high.
In either case attempting an intervention while a person is extremely high will usually not be productive because the addict can not see many of their problems and their attention will be focused elsewhere. In general, the timing of the intervention is crucial and needs planning but at the same time an addict’s life is very unstable so opportunities present themselves reasonably frequently.
What is the general language or message in the intervention?
The tone should be concern. The intention should be clear. It should be unwavering. “We love you, we’ve always loved you, we’ll never stop loving you but we’re not willing to watch you kill yourself with drugs”. The family should definitely express concern but not sympathise with the addict. Sympathy is a form of agreement and can back fire by justifying the drug use. Without any anger or fear, the addict should “get” from every one present that the situation is known and that he/she needs treatment. Don’t allow stories of family problems and life’s troubles sway the attention off the point that the addict has a problem and needs to seek help fixing it. This is where the family’s preparation pays off.
Interventions have approximately a 90 percent or better success ratio with proper planning when carried out correctly.
A successful intervention occurs when the addict or alcoholic accepts and begins successful treatment. You must accept the fact that ultimately the addict may for whatever reason refuse the offer of help. Any one planning to conduct an intervention should be prepared to have the alcoholic or addict outright refuse help in this case be prepared to execute plan B.
What is plan B?
If the alcoholic or addict chooses to refuse the help being offered, the family and friends should not feel that they have lost the battle. Rather they now have an opportunity to further impose their will upon the alcoholic or addict. Their advice and actions at this point will have a critical effect on the person. Upon having refused the help being offered the alcoholic or addict is essentially saying “I want to continue to use drugs. I want to continue the suffering. I want to be in control.” The alcoholic or addict will from this point be in control if the actions and words of the family aren’t extremely clear. The family needs to acknowledge the addict or alcoholic’s decision, but refuse to aid or support the individual in any unsuccessful action.
This means they can no longer reside at the family’s house and can expect no financial help. Then the addict or alcoholic is alone to fend for themselves but they know they have the option to get help. Soon it will be clear that there is no other option. Obviously, there are certain risks involved with either approach and should be evaluated clearly before hand. One thing is certain, as long as the addict continues to use, they risk the only one thing they have; their life.
The simple rule is that the addict or alcoholic must choose for them selves to get help or it is doomed to failure when a person if forced in to treatment the likelihood of success is diminished. What ever the alcoholic or addict chooses has a significant chance of helping that individual so anyone attempting to help an alcoholic or addict must remember that they are not trying to think for the individual rather they are trying to stimulate that individual to think positively for themselves.
If now is not the time, ask yourself: How much worse will it have to get before you are willing to act? Will doing a drug intervention make matters worse? No. Doing nothing will make matters worse.
