Friday 23 May 2014

What Kinds of Therapies do Drug Rehab Clinics Use?

There is no denying that drug rehab clinics do very good work in helping a segment of society that so desperately needs help. Whether clinics are private, public or run by charities, these provide the services and therapies recovering addicts need to overcome their addictions. Yet one look at a group of clinics reveals something interesting: not all clinics use the same therapies.


What needs to be understood about drug addiction is that it is as individual as the clients undergoing rehab are. That is why drug rehab clinics using bespoke treatment plans for each individual seem to enjoy better success. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach to drug treatment that works every time.

Two Kinds of Detox

Although detox can take place in a variety of settings – i.e., inpatient, outpatient, or home – the two main types of detox are medicated and non-medicated. Medicated detox is supervised by a nurse or doctor, involving certain prescription medications designed to ease the symptoms of withdrawal and prevent medical complications. Medicated detox is not possible for every kind of addiction.

Non-medicated detox is what we commonly refer to as ‘cold turkey’. It tends to be faster and more thorough than its medicated counterpart is, but it is also a lot more uncomfortable. It is also medically supervised by drug drug rehab clinics.

The purpose of detox is to break the physical addiction to drugs or alcohol. This is accomplished by denying the recovering addict access to his or her substances of choice for period of about seven days. In that time, his or her body is able to rid itself of all of the chemicals it has been exposed to.

Multiple Rehab Therapies

When the recovering addict makes it to the rehab states, the clinic has a nearly limitless number of therapy options to choose from. This is where the real variety comes in. Rehab therapies include things like group counselling, individual counselling, life skills building, art and music therapy, exercise therapy, meditation and reflection, family support, etc.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is one of the more successful counselling therapies used today. It is a coping therapy designed to help recovering addicts find new and effective ways to deal with addictive thoughts and desires. Drug rehab clinics that use CBT make it part of a larger programme aimed at teaching clients a new way of life.

Aftercare Therapies

The weeks and months following the completion of a residential rehab programme can be among the most difficult for recovering addicts. To help them deal with the pressures and avoid relapse, drug rehab clinics usually include 6 to 12 months of aftercare services. Aftercare therapies include things like group support fellowship, 12-step work, and one-on-one counselling.

As you can see, there are many different therapies that drug rehab clinics can implement to help recovering addicts overcome. The best clinics will use whatever treatments are best for a given individual, as determined by experienced clinicians, rather than depending on one way of doing things.

No comments:

Post a Comment