Drug Rehab Is More Successful in a Warm, Friendly Environment

I recently worked with a family whose son had been using heroin. He’d tried various detox and in-patient programs with no success. The family and I talked about the possible reasons why his past attempts had failed. They were able to give me a lot of information on the history of his abuse and the treatment programs he’d tried so I could help them find a drug rehab program that would work for him.

One of the most important factors when selecting a program is that the environment of the treatment center is conducive to recovery for that individual. Their son’s chief complaint was that each of the drug rehabs he’d attended had a sterile hospital-like environment. Since it’s very important that the person feel comfortable while in treatment, I took this into consideration when looking for a drug rehab program that was right for him.

We were able to find him a program that could handle his detox and provide the type of care he needed, and it was a safe and warm environment. He spoke with the center on the phone and was actually eager to get started due to the “care-factor” he felt from the staff and the fact that it was not a hospital setting. He enrolled two days later.

His family emailed me recently to thank me for helping them. He’s now been in treatment for two months and described the experience as “the best program he has ever been to.” His parents told me he sounded great and they were getting very positive progress reports from the center. His mother also visited him and said she, too, like the warm environment and kind staff. I was glad to be able to help and will continue to recommend non-hospital based drug rehab programs whenever possible.

Drug Rehab Can Be Highly Effective

I have been helping families and friends of drug users find treatment programs for many years. It can get very frustrating when the media portrays drug rehab as a quick fix that doesn’t work – it’s simply not true. Recently there’s been a wave of big name celebrities checking themselves into treatment programs and, just weeks later, the media reports a relapse. However, no details are given regarding what treatment program they entered, why it didn’t work, and so on – they’re simply looking for a reason to print something controversial about a celebrity. The thing that really bothers me about this is that people who really need help can get the idea that all drug rehab programs are the same, and that none of them work. Consequently, they won’t even bother to take the steps necessary to find a successful drug rehab program to get the help they need.

If a relapse occurs, there’s a reason for it. Perhaps many of these celebrities are going into a treatment program that doesn’t have a history of success. If that’s the case, relapse is almost inevitable. I’ve worked with and seen great results from many drug rehabs across the US, and I know for a fact that help is available for those who need it. If the right drug rehab program is chosen, there is a very high probability that the addiction will be overcome. I would be glad to help anyone locate a successful program near them. The idea that all treatment doesn’t work is just not true. Successful drug rehab does exist.

Drug Rehab Isn’t Just For Street Drugs

One of the fastest growing drug problems today is the abuse of prescription medications. Opiates in the oxycodone/hydrocodone families and benzodiazepines such as Xanex are especially popular, and are highly addictive. Many people are initially prescribed these medications for legitimate medical conditions and don’t see the warning signs of addiction before it’s too late. The fact that the doctor prescribed the drugs also delays recognizing that there is a problem since it adds legitimacy and justifies taking them. So, the situation goes on and on – and then I get the call from someone looking for a drug rehab program.

When the legitimate reason for taking the drugs has passed, and the initial doctor will no longer write the prescription, users start doctor shopping – looking for a doctor unscrupulous enough to write a medically-unnecessary script. Or sometimes they get the drugs online. Regardless of the source, make no mistake - these drugs are just as addictive as street drugs, and for the user to stop taking them, they need a successful drug rehab program.

I recently worked with a family whose son had been buying Xanex on the Internet. They were totally unaware of his problem but had become curious about the regular packages he’d been receiving in the mail. The parents pressed the issue, and he finally admitted he had a problem. His mother told me they had no idea what to do – not only was it a legal drug, she didn’t even know if there were drug rehab programs designed for his addiction. In fact, they didn’t even realized you could become addicted to prescription drugs.

Benzodiazepine withdrawal can be one of the most difficult, so we had to be sure the program we found for him would be able to really handle his situation instead of just putting him on substitute medications. We located a drug rehab that could address his addiction fully and offer the care he needed. Needless to say, they were very relieved to find a program so quickly and be able to help their son. If you know someone who abuses prescription drugs, find a successful drug rehab program and get them help before it’s too late.

Drug Rehab as an Out-Patient Is Not Successful

Out-patient drug rehab programs are the least successful form of treatment. Over the past few years I have worked with many families who have tried various out-patient programs and the consensus is that they are short term fixes, but offer no real long-term results. The biggest problem seems to be that the addict is still very close to their home environment with easy access to drugs and drug friends. The amount of supervision required is not available like it is in an in-patient drug rehab program, and this burden often falls on the addict’s family members. Unfortunately, when the person then relapses this can cause the family to feel that they have failed to help and makes them less willing to try to help again when it’s most needed. For a change to actually occur, it seems that an inpatient drug rehab is required.

Most families I’ve worked with whose loved ones were unsuccessful with out-patient programs wanted to “try” that first, in the hopes that maybe the person wasn’t as bad off as the junkies they hear about in movies and TV. But it’s a big mistake to try to qualify the addiction based on stereotypes used solely for dramatic purposes. That’s not to say that addicts don’t get themselves into those situations and, in some cases, much worse than seen in the media, but the idea that there’s a quick fix for a problem that took a long time to develop is incorrect. Going a few nights a week to meet with other addicts from the same area does nothing but help the addict make more connections and possibly meet new people to get high with.

Couple that with the dismal success rates of most out-patient drug rehab programs and you get a pretty good idea why so many counselors in the addiction field push so hard for longer in-patient stays as the best route - it eliminates the around-the-clock pressure on the family to keep the person occupied and sober, and prevents cravings and potential relapse by removing the person from the environment where they’ve been taking the drugs. For this reason, I never recommend out-patient programs. If a person truly wants to be successful, in-patient drug rehab is the only viable solution.