What You Need to Know About Drug Rehab Centers

No single treatment for drug addiction works for everyone. Rehabilitation is a personal process targeting both behavior and brain function. If you're considering rehab for yourself or another person, here are the essential facts you need to know.

Types of Treatments

People completing rehab have the best success when they use multiple different treatment types.

Detoxification
Addiction treatment starts with a detox, where a person abstains from addictive substances and the body cleanses itself of drugs. People going through detox usually experience horrific withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, nausea, chills and hallucinations. If the person suffers from a lasting addiction to alcohol, benzodiazepines or opiates, withdrawal can be fatal. Doctors help with these symptoms by administering certain medications.

Drug rehab centers employ a variety of methods to help people beat their addictions.

Counseling
Addicts in treatment can express their emotions and receive advice through counseling with a therapist who specializes in addictions. These sessions can be conducted individually or one-on-one.

• Individual counseling: One-on-one sessions are designed to help addicts achieve short-term goals such as finding a job or repairing damaged relationships. Counselors refer patients to services - such as psychiatrists or job centers - that help get their lives back on track.
• Group counseling: Group sessions offer the support necessary to commit to leaving drugs. It's also a therapeutic exercise, allowing people to vocalize the harm their addiction has caused themselves and others, and to experience an emotional release.
• Other mental health concerns: It's not uncommon for addicts to have other mental health issues that cycle into their disease. Depression, anxiety, and even worse illnesses like schizophrenia and psychosis sometimes lead people to use drugs to alleviate their symptoms. Getting help for these conditions reduces the need for drugs.

Medication
Addictions to alcohol, opioids and tobacco can all be treated with medication to help prevent relapse. The medication curbs cravings and helps regulate the brain, and people with more than one addiction must take medication for each.

• Alcohol: Acamprosate reduces symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. Disulfiram creates unpleasant reactions like nausea and flushing as alcohol breaks down in the body, leading people to stop drinking. Naltrexone, meanwhile, reduces cravings and the pleasure one gets from drinking. All three are approved for alcohol treatment by the Federal Drug Administration.
• Opioids: Naltrexone affects opioid addiction the same way it does alcohol and is used in the last stage of treatment. Before Naltrexone, addicts must withdraw from opioids. Meanwhile, Buprenorphine and methadone curb cravings and help withdrawal.
• Tobacco: Gums, patches, sprays and lozenges are all used to replace nicotine and can be purchased without a prescription. There are two FDA-approved medications for tobacco use: bupropion and varenicline.

How It Works

Rehab programs generally last 30 days, although some go up to 90 or more. Long-term treatment is proven to be most effective, and people should continue to seek help after their rehab ends. There are a few factors determining how long a person's rehab treatment lasts:

• The drug in question.
• A history of drug addiction, whether in the individual or his or her family.
• The severity of the addiction.
• Other behavioral, medical or mental conditions.
• A court mandate.

Patients must sometimes detox for a week before entering a facility. Once admitted to rehab, they're generally given a daily schedule that includes various forms of counseling, activities, journaling, medical visits, education, chores, meals and hygiene regimens.

Admissions
Contrary to popular belief, an addict does not need to "hit rock bottom" before seeking treatment. Just like with other medical afflictions, it's best to get help early. Unfortunately, many people don't consider the individual warning signs:

• Drug tolerance: If a person continues to use a drug for a long period of time, he or she will gradually need more to produce the same effect. Symptoms of drug tolerance include taking more drugs over time, taking drugs more frequently and forgetting how much you've already consumed.
• Changes in physical appearance: Drugs have various visual effects on the body. Nicotine, for example, stains teeth and fingers. Smoking methamphetamine causes severe tooth decay and malnourishment. While not all addicts look the same, many have a thin or bony appearance, red eyes, bad breath and thinning hair.
• Changes in habits or activities: Addiction warps the mind into believing that getting high is more important than the activities a person used to enjoy. People often stop hanging out with friends and family, abandon their jobs and even neglect self-care.
• Changes in demeanor: Drugs often cause depression, anxiety and paranoia. They can also make people unreasonably lethargic or quick to anger.
• Relationship issues: Negative changes in behavior can have drastic consequences in relationships. People suffering from drug addiction often experience problems where none existed before and are increasingly paranoid, angry or forgetful. In addition, drug addiction can also impact sexual behavior.
• Withdrawal symptoms: Some people experience uncomfortable symptoms when they stop using drugs, which indicates an addiction. Symptoms of withdrawal include depression, anxiety, confusion, erratic behavior, shaking and hallucinations.
• Avoidant behavior: Lying and hiding drug use indicates shame, which could mean the person doesn't want to face their loved ones with their addiction.

Inpatient vs. Outpatient
Most people think of inpatient facilities when they imagine rehab, but it is possible for addicts to receive treatment while still maintaining a normal life.

• Inpatient: The addicted person temporarily lives in a facility that provides round-the-clock care. This allows the person to focus completely on their recovery and escape the temptation of everyday life. Inpatient rehab is best for people with severe addictions, more than one addiction, or additional medical or mental health concerns. It's also the best option for people who've tried rehab before or who have relapsed. Inpatient centers are sometimes - though not always - associated with hospitals. These facilities usually have a doctor or nurse present 24/7, while those not affiliated with a hospital may have a doctor or nurse check in periodically.
• Outpatient: This type of treatment allows a person to attend rehab at a scheduled time and then return to their normal work, home or school life. Treatment can last anywhere from a few hours to an entire day. Because it is less involved than the alternative, outpatient services cost less and better help people with short-term addictions than long-standing ones.

Cost
Inpatient programs generally cost between $2,000 and $25,000, depending on the facilities in question. Some only provide enough to cover basic counseling services, while other offer amenities such as yoga, massage therapy, acupuncture and regularly scheduled recreational activities.

Entering Rehab for the First Time

• Entering yourself: If you feel you have an addiction, the first thing to do is research. Facilities differ in their programs, activities and medical staff. In addition, you must decide whether you need inpatient or outpatient treatment. Your loved ones can help you decide what type of treatment is best for you.
• Entering a loved one: Involuntary commitment can be incredibly difficult, mainly because of a 1975 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that states the act violates a person's civil liberties. A person can be forcibly committed to a hospital or rehab if they are a danger to themselves or others, but it's otherwise considered unconstitutional. The best option in this scenario is to convince a person to seek treatment themselves, either through an intervention or therapy.
• What to bring: Each treatment center has its own specifications on what can and cannot be brought. A list is given to patients before their first day. However, most centers suggest patients bring identification, insurance cards, a journal, stamps and envelopes, personal items like pictures or important jewelry, essential medication and a list of their loved ones' contact information. Patients should also bring comfortable, appropriate clothing and hygiene products. People should not bring open or unapproved over-the-counter medications, drugs or alcohol (including products that contain alcohol, such as mouthwash), sharp objects, weapons, games or electronics, cleaning supplies or aerosols such as hair spray.

Barriers to Rehab
Unfortunately, there are roadblocks that prevent many people from getting help:

• Cost: Rehab is expensive, and most insurance companies offer limited coverage. They also usually require people to pay for the treatment in full and then issue a reimbursement at a later date. There are a few centers with free or sliding scale fees, but they usually have strict requirements and are constantly filled up.
• Criminal background: Most facilities don't accept people with any sort of criminal history. Many addicts come into trouble with the law for illegal drug use, while others are homeless or forced into other illegal activities such as prostitution. This makes it harder for them to get help.
• Underage drug use: Many states don't offer addiction treatment programs to minors, yet many people start using drugs before they turn 18. It's not unheard of for people to get into alcohol and cigarettes as teenagers and then progress to more addictive substances.

Additional Factors to Consider

How Various Drugs Affect the Human Body

• Alcohol: People who consume too much alcohol lose control of their motor skills. Their speech becomes slurred, and it can be hard for them to balance. Over time, alcohol damages the liver, heart and immune system. It can also cause the pancreas to leak the toxins that cause pancreatitis and increase a person's cancer risk.
• Cocaine: Symptoms of cocaine use include euphoria, insomnia and restlessness, erratic behavior, anxiety and panic attacks, strokes, seizures or comas. Over time, cocaine abuse leads to a much smaller appetite and decreased blood flow.
• Heroin: Although heroin leads to a euphoric feeling, it also slows breathing and heart rate and causes nausea. People who use heroin over time suffer from collapsed veins, a damaged heart, pneumonia, and liver or kidney disease.
• Marijuana: Legalized marijuana, whether for medicinal or recreational use, is an ongoing debate. Nevertheless, it can cause drowsiness, anxiety, memory problems, issues with balance and coordination, and an increased appetite or heart rate.
• Methamphetamine: Considered one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs, meth use increases activity, breathing, heart rate, temperature and blood pressure. Over time, it increases anxiety and contributes to violent behavior, delusions, paranoia and dental problems.
• Tobacco: Smoking is known for its contributions to mouth, lung and throat cancers.

Staging an Intervention
Interventions require a lot of care and planning, but honesty is the most important aspect. People shouldn't enable the addiction or make excuses for it.

• Make a plan: Never go into an intervention unprepared, as the high emotions make it easy to lose control. Prepare a time, establish rules and discuss how each person plans to express their feelings. If you can, find a mental health counselor, mediator or addiction specialist to help you brainstorm and guide the actual session.
• Learn: Find out everything you can, including common addiction behaviors, statistics, consequences and treatment. Also, talk to friends and family members to learn more about the person's addiction.
• Refine your message: Talk to members of your intervention team - usually family members and close friends - and reestablish what you're going to say. Stick to facts and solutions over emotions. Decide on specific consequences to enact if the person doesn't seek treatment.
• Have the intervention: Bring your loved one to the intervention site without him or her knowing why. Every member of the intervention team should take turns expressing their message without talking over one another. At the end, ask the loved one to accept treatment on the spot.