How To Choose A Drug Rehab Center

How To Choose A Drug Rehab Center

Getting the addict to agree to treatment is a big first step towards recovery, but the very first question that comes up is what type of drug rehab center is most appropriate? Most addiction experts agree that the most successful programs involve getting the addict away from familiar surroundings which have been nurturing the addiction.

Removing the addict from the using environment is crucial since being close to home makes it far too easy to slip back into old habits. Whether the drug treatment center is one hour away from home or a four-hour plane trip, the ideal environment for a recovering addict is in a residential treatment facility or drug rehab center.

Although a residential drug rehab center is ideal, many addicts and/or their families cannot afford the substantial cost involved. Too, many addicts seeking recovery have work or family commitments which make attending a residential facility unsuitable. The case of Charlie Sheen who sought treatment in the middle of filming his hit show "Two and a Half Men" well illustrates the dilemma of many addicts and their families. Out-patient treatment is the only possible treatment for many.

Among drug rehab centers, whether in-patient or out-patient programs, those making the selection will have a wide range of choice. One choice to make is between a tailored and a non-tailored treatment program. Tailored programs cater to groups of people from a similar demographic, work, lifestyle or socioeconomic background. Most today are familiar with celebrity rehab, one type of tailored program, due to the TV program of Dr. Drew Lipinsky and his staff.

Other types of tailored programs from drug rehab centers might be geared toward those whose professions are highly susceptible to excessive drug or alcohol use. Professional athletes, for instance, have high rates of perscription drug abuse, while musicians tend to illegal drugs. Indeed, creative people of all kinds seem to be more inclined to addiction. Today, too, the elderly are statistically more likely to abuse alcohol or perscription drugs. Any of these might benefit from a tailored program. Teenagers also seem to benefit more from treatment programs while they are among their peers.

For most, though, a non-tailored program will be the choice of drug rehab center. Here, the addict will encounter others from every walk of life and socio-economic station. For many addicts, realizing that anyone can suffer from the chronic disease of addiction is a crucial first step in recovery. Once addicts get past the self-blame, they can connect to other sufferers in the drug rehab center and start helping each other towards a lasting recovery.

Once the treatment at a residential drug rehab center is complete, usually within six weeks, then the careful preparation for returning home, to the formerly using environment, can begin. Most frequently, at this time another drug treatment center or an ancillary facility provides out-patient programs to the now-recovering addict. The recovery at this point is still new and fragile. The addict needs the support not only of friends and family but also of individual and group counseling from the drug rehab center.