Drug addicts often question themselves whether going to a rehab is actually worth it. The effectiveness of rehab is usually under scrutiny as many people deem rehab centers to be useless. If you are a drug addict, it is very important to know whether all the money and time you spent getting enrolled into a rehab center will actually prove to be fruitful. So let’s talk about whether drug rehab is actually effective?
What Is Drug Addiction?
Before we focus on the solution let’s discuss the problem itself. Drug addiction is a neurobiological disorder that hinders a person’s rational mind. It stops them from making right decisions and clouds their judgment. This obsessive approach towards drugs can harm a person’s life. Drug addicts are unable to lead a normal life with stable relationships and sources of income.
If one wants to lead a normal life, they should get rehabilitation help from a well reputed center. Addiction is like a deep well, one cannot get out on their own. You need someone to help you out. That someone can be drug rehabilitation centers. Most drug addicts avoid going to rehabilitation centers as there is a lot of speculation about their effectiveness.
How Can You Measure Effectiveness Of A Drug?
Drug addiction is vague and so is its treatment. Measuring the effectiveness of rehabilitation treatments can be through qualitative measures. For instance, if a friend of yours has recently received rehabilitation treatment, you may notice signs of improvement in their behavior. You may also notice if their personal lives are improving or if they are doing well in their professional lives. Other than this you may be able to notice the obvious signs such as abstinence of drugs.
In other cases, it can also be so that recovered addicts are no longer involved in criminal activities and their health seems to be improving.
Treatment Programs
Rehabilitation programs are not measured with a yard stick. Not one type of rehabilitation program is fit for everyone. There are different programs that cater to different cases of drug addiction. Each of these varies in their extent of effectiveness. One type of treatment can be more effective than the other. Here are some of the most effective treatment programs:
Detoxification
Detoxification is the very first step followed by most rehabilitation centers. It is the most effective program that helps drug addict’s deal with withdrawal symptoms. Detoxification is a medical process that allows doctors to remove all traces of addictive substances from an addict’s body. The detoxification process is performed in a controlled environment to ensure that the patient is safe. Once all traces of addictive substances leave the body, patients can move on to other, more long lasting treatment programs. If patients skip the detoxification process, they will have to face severe withdrawal symptoms. That can lead to hindrance in the rehabilitation process. Once combined with other therapies, the result can be long lasting.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a very effective tool for all sorts of addictions. It is not just limited to drug or alcohol treatment but is an all-encompassing treatment for addictions like food addictions. In this treatment, the patients are forced to address all the ill feelings and thoughts they have when it comes to their addiction.
A certified professional delivers this therapy and ensures that the patients open up and address their problems in a healthy discussion. This is a very effective treatment as it helps resolve unresolved feelings. This, in turn, prevents addicts from going back to their addictions. Its effectiveness is much higher than other types of treatments and it fixes problems at the root level.
REBT
REBT is the abbreviation for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. In this therapy, patients talk about the negative feelings they come to face when they think about their drug addiction. They are also pushed to focus on how they should counter the feelings of self defeat. This therapy focuses on instilling rational thinking into the patients so that they can counteract any illogical thoughts they have about taking drugs.
Experts focus on teaching the patients that their illogical thoughts can be controlled by themselves. They do not need other people or situations to deal with their impulses.
12-Step Program
The 12 step facilitation system is a new and popular system that helps people with their addictions using 12 different steps. This type of therapy is a form of group therapy that focuses on a higher power and how addicts should surrender to that power. This way they are able to address situations and deal with impulses to take drugs. This platform combines all different types of group therapies that help them such as AA meetings. The main themes of this treatment are philosophy. Using emotional support addicts are lead to recovery.
Now that you know how effective some drug addiction treatments can be, let’s discuss some statistics to prove that.
- 76% of rehab patients are found to be sober even after 3 months of discharge. A whopping 69% of people are still sober even after 6 months.
- 80% rehab patients have reported that they feel an improvement in their life and health once they complete the treatment.
- 43% of all people who go to rehabs are known to complete their treatment programs.
These statistics are a clear representation that drug rehabs are successful for drug addicts. If you are addicted to drugs you are in a vulnerable state. It is very important to get out of that state or you will end up with irreplaceable damage to your life and your relationships. Rehabilitation centers are worth giving a shot with everything you have got. This will help you stay on track with your recovery and you will be able to recover in the best way possible.
It is established that drug rehabs are effective. Now the ball is in your court, you must look for a good rehabilitation and get treatment that is specific to your case.