Drug Rehab: How it Works

By : Drug Rehab

There is nothing more important than devastating to a person's life than being addicted to a substance. Along with the myriad of health risks that tend to arise when a person is addicted to drugs, he or she will end up becoming financially destitute, causing a great deal of distress to those who care about him or her, and radically altering his or her behavior. It is exceedingly difficult for a person to stop using drugs through the sheer force of his or her will. As a result, special treatment centers have been developed to help remove patients from situations where they will have access to drugs and teach them different ways to manage their urges to use drugs in the future.

What is Detox?

Detox is the first part of the process of drug rehab. It involves stopping the patient from using drugs and then allowing the drugs that are currently in his or her body to slowly work their way out. This can be dangerous to the person who is going through the process because he or she may suffer heart failure and other physical symptoms. True rehabilitation cannot occur unless the patient's mind and body is not in the grip of the drugs.

What are the Methods of Treatment?

There are several different methods of treatment that are utilized by drug rehabs. The first is individual therapy. Individual therapy is when the patient and a therapist sit down together and talk. They will try to figure out the circumstances that led a person to using drugs, what his or her emotions are with regards to drug use, and different situations and environments that trigger the urges to use substances. This will allow action plans to be developed so that the person, when he or she gets out of drug rehab, is able to avoid using drugs in the future. Usually strong emotions cause a person to turn to drugs to deal. Different therapies such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will provide the patient with skills to manage those emotions.

A second method of treatment is group therapy. Group therapy is similar to individual therapy, but with several people and one therapist moderator. People in groups will have had similar experiences and will be able to provide advice regarding what worked for him or her in the quest to not use drugs.

There are also several other types of therapy, such as exposure therapy, which helps a person overcome different aversions, art therapy, which allows people to express their emotions through art, and physical therapy, such as yoga, that allows tension to be released.

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Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/mens-health-articles/drug-rehab-how-it-works-6953381.html
About the Author
Hugh Jackman is a psychologist who specializes in helping patients overcome their addiction to harmful substances. He is a strong advocate of intensive therapy programs such as drug rehab and intensive outpatient therapy (IOP).