Millions of people are affected by drug addiction around the world. Out of these, a major fraction of these make use of drug rehabilitation centers to recover. But not all of them get completely cured (or even if they do) and relapse to the habit of drinking after they leave the rehabilitation center. Sometimes, the reason for this relapse is the addict’s weak will power but at other times, the fault is in the treatment and programs carried in the rehab center. Therefore, it becomes extremely significant for the family members or friends of the addicts to conduct a thorough research of the best drug rehab locations.
Here is a list of 10 questions to be considered before searching the best drug rehab locations. Take a look:
1: What kind of result do you expect from drug rehabilitation?
The success of the drug rehabilitation & recovery program is determined differently by everyone. For some, success means proper medication and active participation of the patient in the counseling and meeting sessions. For others, uninterrupted completion of the 28-days program is a success.
If a patient doesn’t relapse to the habit of drinking after leaving the rehabilitation center, some people consider this also as the success. On the other hand, some might include certain factors of recovery such as profitable employment, improved confidence, morality etc. to determine the success rate.
It is upon you to decide what kind of success you want from the treatment based on which you would conduct your research to find the best rehabs.
2: What is the duration of the drug treatment program?
The most basic type of program provided by the rehabilitation centers is the 28-day program. As the problem of drug addiction varies on complexity level for different people, the 28-day period might not be sufficient for some. Therefore, you need to ask yourself whether you want a short-term or long-term rehabilitation program as you need a remedy for the damage done both to the physical and mental health of the addict.
3: Does the rehab’s treatment substitute the drug the addict was dependent upon?
Most of the drug treatment programs provide substitute medicines such as methadone, buprenorphine or suboxone to the patient who was addicted to either heroin, prescription painkillers or any other drugs. This kind of program is known as ‘harm reduction program.’
Such programs do not strive to create sobriety in the person, rather focus on reducing the harm caused by the drug abuse. This is done by providing a prescription substitute. Therefore, if your aim is to acquire complete sobriety in the patient, such a program would not deliver the desired result.
4: Does the treatment involve other drugs that themselves might be addictive to the patient?
A number of rehab programs rely on benzodiazepine-class drugs to reduce the symptoms of distress among the patients undergoing the treatment. While such drugs might be needed in the initial period of the treatment, they are not the only solution to cure the patient. If the prolonged use of such drugs takes place, the patient might get addicted to the medication itself. Some other programs give drugs like Antabuse to an alcoholic to make him feel sick if he drinks again. But such drugs might cause acute liver problems and even impotence among the patient.
Therefore, before admitting in a rehabilitation center, ask about the medications they prescribe and the reason for the same. In such cases, taking the second opinion also proves beneficial.
5: Does the rehab center program involve a method to reduce the drug cravings?
When a person is addicted to any drug, he feels a constant craving for that drug. When undergoing through a rehabilitation program, especially in the initial days, a patient struggles with severe cravings. In order to combat such cravings, most of the rehab programs provide medication which suppresses the cravings but doesn’t reduce it.
This might result in relapse after a person completes a rehab program. Therefore, ask the methods and motive involved while you research for the best drug rehab locations.
6: Does the rehab program give due importance to the nutritional component?
When a person arrives in a rehab center, he is usually in a very bad state of health. In such a condition, he needs proper nutrition apart from the medication focusing on the de-addiction aspect. If the lack of nutrition persists, a patient might suffer from sleeplessness and lack of appetite which might further lead to depression, irritation or other problems.
As per a research, the programs run under the best drug recovery rehab locations record 60%-80% success rate (due to the adequate supply of nutrients to the patients) in comparison to the 17%-50% success rate of the rehab centers (that don’t provide adequate nutrients to the patients).
7: Does the drug recovery program aim at creating sobriety in the person?
Due to the drug abuse, the sense of morality is damaged among the patients. No matter if he has successfully completed the rehab program, his real test begins when he faces the outside world. There is no doubt that he has to deal with pressures which might vary from a job loss to divorce.
In order to face such situations confidently, the programs under the drug rehab locations should aim to instill productive thinking patterns among the patients by teaching varied life skills.
8: Does the drug addiction center consider relapse as a compulsory aftermath of rehabilitation?
Generally, the rehab centers would tell you that no matter which kind of treatment is given to the patient, the condition of relapse would surely occur. But this is not true. The programs run under the best drug rehab locations provide a long-term solution to the problem of addiction. They not only depend on medicines to reduce the cravings but also give importance to building confidence and teaching morality to deal with stress one has to usually face after getting out of the rehab center.
Therefore, before getting admitted to a rehab center, ask them if they can overcome the patient’s addiction completely or not.
9: Does the drug rehab center offer a kind of illogical cure?
Some of the rehab centers promise instant cure from addiction by employing the use of electric shocks or continuous sessions for a week. Some therapists even promise to completely treat the patient in just 24 hours. Such promises are not only fake but might also cause destructive results in terms of person’s physical as well as mental health.
Therefore, you have to remain careful from such instant cures and only adopt the long-term treatment offered by the best drug rehab clinic locations.
10: Are you happy with the kind of treatment offered by the rehab center?
Some of the rehab centers employ very harsh treatments to cure the patient. This might include heavy drugging, forced labor, confrontational methods of counseling etc. to achieve the state of de-addiction. In such a situation, you have to ask yourself whether you really want such treatment for your loved ones.
A wise decision would be to understand each and every phase of the treatment while you are researching on the best drug rehab locations and ensure a quality and convenient treatment for your family members or friends.