What is Drug Abuse?
Drug abuse can strike just about anyone from any walk of life. The reasons can vary, and drug abuse often has biological. chemical, mental/emotional and environmental components. Its effects can be insidious. It can affect a drug abusers health, sleep patterns, performance at work, physical health, mental health and interpersonal relationships. However, no one has to face the effects of drug abuse alone. There is help. A qualified, professional rehabilitation center can assist with addressing all aspects of drug abuse and help the victim to get onto and stay on a road of recovery.
Seeking Help
Recovery is a lifelong process. It does not end after the patient leaves the treatment center. However, those 30 to 90 days spent in a drug rehab center can lay the foundation for a sustained successful and sober lifestyle. Getting help from a professional treatment program can be an intimidating step for some people. Quite simply, they fear the unknown. However, sooner or later the drug abuser will come to see that they need help to overcome their demons. When they do, there are a wide variety of options. The internet makes it easier than ever to thoroughly research the treatment centers available in one’s geographical area and to seek out the specific types of features and services desired in a rehab center.
Many drug abuse rehab centers structure the experience into four phases: initiation of treatment, abstinence from the substance, an abstinence maintenance plan, and transition into an advanced recovery lifestyle. These four phases of the drug abuse rehab process were put forward by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Initiation of Treatment
Treatment initiation begins when the person engaging in drug abuse decides they deserve better and chooses to seek out treatment. Sometimes this requires they reach “rock bottom” due to financial or legal issues, being arrested, or losing a job or significant relationship as a result of their drug abuse. This sort of experience is often the “wake-up call” that results in initiation of treatment.
Early Abstinence
After making the commitment to seek and receive treatment for a drug abuse issue and initiating the treatment process, the next phase of treatment is referred to as early abstinence. This can be the most challenging stage for some patients. This is where severe cravings, withdrawal symptoms, doubts and fears can set in as the detoxification process begins. Unfortunately, this is the phase where some patients give up and relapse. Counselors and medical professionals will be on hand to help the client though this process, offering guidance and teaching coping skills to help deal with triggers, cravings and the temptation to give up.
After 60 to 90 days of continual abstinence from use or drug abuse, the patient will transition from early abstinence phase to abstinence maintenance. For those in a residential or inpatient rehab center, this will mean being able to move out from the facility and continuing the recovery program on an outpatient basis. At this point, the patient will have learned advanced tools for maintaining a sober lifestyle and will be aware of the warning signs or “red flags” that might indicate danger of an imminent relapse.
Advanced Recovery
After a few years of successful abstinence, the patient enters the final stage of rehab, advanced recovery. This is a more independent phase where the addict has attained a degree of mastery in terms of healing from the past, employing coping skills and learning the tools needed for continued sober living. In this phase, the client has learned how to manage stress and maintain support with 12-step programs as well as caring peers, friends and family and a structured aftercare program.
Let Drugrehab.org Help Today!
You are not alone in your struggle, and there is hope. Please contact Drugrehab.org today and get help for drug abuse. Don’t wait a day longer in the depths of an addiction. Drugrehab.org can help you or someone you care for gain control of life again and move away from the destructive pattern of drug abuse.
Call us today at the toll free number at the top of the page. If emailing us is more convenient, please fill out our form in the right column. Take your first and most important step toward recovery.
