Three Ways Drug Rehab and Detox Differ

The issues of drug abuse and addiction are something that touch more families in the UK than many of us know. Unfortunately, the UK has seen a significant rise in drug and alcohol use that has left us scrambling to provide the care people need to overcome addiction issues. Two of the options we offer are detox and rehab. Yet despite what you may think, the two options are different.

In the simplest terms, detox is a standalone treatment option designed to break the physical addiction to a specific substance. In most cases, it can be accomplished in about seven days. Rehab is different in that it deals with the body and the mind. Rehab does include detox as part of an overall programme, but the psychotherapeutic treatments involved go above and beyond physical addiction.

Here are three ways drug rehab and detox is decidedly different:

1. Short-Term Versus Long-Term

The detox process is a very short-term strategy meant to deal with physical addiction. Because it can be completed in about a week, some drug abusers and addicts prefer to go that route in order to minimise the disruption of treatment. They can schedule a week off from work, attend detox, and get back to work the following week.

Rehab is a long-term strategy that requires a greater time commitment. The average programme offered by drug rehab clinics in Europe takes between 4 and 12 weeks to complete. After that, recovering drug abusers will spend anywhere from three to 12 months receiving aftercare support services.

Despite the time commitment involved, comprehensive drug rehab usually achieves better results than detox alone. Complete rehab deals with the individual as a whole person – body, mind, and spirit – rather than just as a physical creature.

2. Long-Term Goals

The differences in long-term goals are significant between the two therapies. Where detox is concerned, no clear long-term goal exists because the point is to simply get the user to stop taking drugs. However, detox does nothing to prevent relapse in the future. That is why so many drug addicts in the UK go through detox numerous times without an actual life change.

The long-term goal of rehab is one of preventing relapse by teaching the drug user how to live life to its fullest without using drugs. A rehab clinic that is successfully doing its job does not ever want to see a client a second time – unless it is because the recovering drug addict has returned to help others.

3. Sources of Treatment

Anyone in need of drug detox in the UK can access it free of charge from the NHS. Detox can be accessed on an inpatient, outpatient, or home basis, depending on individual circumstances. However, the NHS does not offer comprehensive drug rehab programmes of its own.

Drug rehab is provided by private clinics, drug and alcohol charities, and local support group organisations. The NHS can refer individuals to these other programmes, and they often do following the completion of detox. The best source of comprehensive drug rehab is a private clinics specialising in such programmes.

It is true that some people can fully recover from drug abuse and addiction by just attending detox. Nevertheless, they are the exception, not the rule. Most chronic addicts need a comprehensive rehab programme provided by a qualified organisation. That is often the only way to fully recover.