Today, drug menace is a tragic phenomenon gripping the world, and several nations are reeling under its influence, especially in the third world. According to the report of UNODC ( United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) published in 2017, 250 million people use drugs out of which 29.5 million people suffer from various drug disorders that include dependence. The phenomenon affects all sections of people across different strata in the society, and there is an urgent need to put things in order by bringing back the addicted population into the mainstream of the society. According to experts, the cause of the pervasive influence of drugs on the younger community results from a breakdown in societal values. Opioids, the most harmful type of drug are responsible for the majority of drug-related disorders (70%) that has a negative impact on health.
The vice of drugs is engulfing the youth at an alarming rate. Although the society feels pity for those under the influence of drugs, it does not hesitate to discard drug addicts by considering them as outcasts. The only way of countering the continuous refusal by society to accept people affected by drugs is to hold their hands with empathy and walk them down the path of recovery through rehabilitation programs so that they can lead a healthy and healthy life in future.
The process of drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a process that is not at all easy. It is much more than a routine treatment spanning over 12 weeks, which is visible to all. Recovery from drugs is a long drawn process that requires effort and consistency and most importantly lots of time. The process of drug withdrawal is gradual as also the time it takes for the effects of rehabilitation to build up so that it becomes noticeable. Over a period, the person undergoing rehabilitation experiences improvements in physical health and a feel-good factor starts setting in due to emotional and mental enhancements. The body becomes healthier, and the frequency of visits to the doctor keeps reducing. There is a distinct mark of mental soundness that reflects in the behavior and the feeling of depression and guilt gradually vanishes. Overall, there is a feeling of cheerfulness that makes the joys of life come back again.
Recovery during the process of rehabilitation evolves through many stages that bring back the lost sobriety in you that can last for the rest of your life. While giving up the habit of depending on prescription drugs might be comparatively easy, it is undoubtedly a significant accomplishment. Opioid addiction is hard to recover from although not impossible and the fight begins with the affected person undergoing the process of detoxification to cleanse the body from the dangerous traces of drugs. In this article, we will discuss the various stages involved in a drug rehabilitation program like Light drug rehab.
Detoxification – cleansing the system of drugs
Physicians conduct and manage detoxification programs which are the first phase of the drug rehabilitation program. That is just taking the first step in recovering from the habit of taking drugs, and one has to go a long way to attain satisfactory recovery.
Detoxification helps to free your body of alcohol and drugs and assists in identifying or treating the existing health conditions that accompany the drug habit and cope with the withdrawal symptoms. The goal of rehabilitation is to bring back the sobriety in you by creating a sound situation of health both physically and mentally as well as emotionally. The program not only teaches to lead a drug-free life but also helps to acquire the confidence and skills of building relationships at all levels.
Depending on the drugs you use and the treatment required, you can undergo a detoxification program at a hospital or emergency room or an outpatient treatment center and even go for a residential rehabilitation center. As the program progresses, you would experience withdrawal symptoms because the body starts adjusting to the absence of drugs or alcohol. The symptoms might be quite severe as you would feel deep cravings that are quite difficult to ward off.
Besides the medical detoxification program, there are programs of social detoxification comprising of counseling sessions and group therapy, to help encounter the withdrawal symptoms effectively. Once your body is free from substances, you are ready to begin your journey in recovery, and the next stage of treatment can begin.
A supportive environment is necessary
The success of your recovery depends significantly on the environment you select for drug rehabilitation. Regardless whether it is an inpatient facility, a residential recovery community, or an outpatient center, the atmosphere of the place is critical for effective recovery. The setting must have the elements that support sobriety. The atmosphere could be available in both inpatient and outpatient treatment.
Outpatient rehabilitation works well if you experience withdrawal symptoms that range from mild to moderate and you have a high level of confidence and self-motivation for recovery. In case of severe withdrawal symptoms, inpatient care is the only way to tackle the problem effectively as you would require much closer attention, care and support to get back your lost sobriety. Inpatient rehabilitations keep you away from social distractions and help to overcome the temptation of going back to the drug or alcohol habit once again. The rehabilitation program teaches you to exercise self-control necessary for preventing relapse by overcoming high-risk situations on your own.
Minimizing your exposure to risk
Any drug rehabilitation program aims to reduce the chances of relapse by ensuring longer stay in a supportive environment of a rehabilitation facility that becomes your second home. Studies have shown that the risk of relapse is related to the duration of stay at the rehabilitation center and the longer is the stay, and lesser are the chances of relapse. Short-term rehabilitation programs can last for two weeks with the longer programs being of three months duration or more.
Staying in a recovery housing after a short-term detoxification program for relief from opioids increases the chances of staying clean and sober by more than ten times. The rate of drug abstinence for those who do not go through the detoxification program but spend time in recovery housing for 90 days is also high. The emphasis of the treatment is on exposing people to a drug-free environment for a prolonged period and encourages the practice of healthy behavior.
Understand your addiction
To recover from addiction, it is essential to understand what causes addiction. When someone is addicted, apparently it might seem that drugs and alcohol are the cause of addiction, which is far from correct. Only when you go through detoxification that you would understand that drugs and alcohol are not the cause of addiction because there is a deeper psychological connection to it. That is the reason that you would find psychotherapy as a part of drug rehabilitation program. A study conducted on a group of drug addicts who dropped out from rehabilitation program clearly showed that they had developed some psychological risk factors like depression, suicidal tendencies and borderline personality disorders which underlines the importance of psychotherapy in successful drug rehabilitation programs.
Healing families and rebuilding homes
Drug abuse takes a heavy toll on families that begin to disintegrate and put spouses, children, and partners in deep despair. As drug rehabilitation program aims at helping addicts to recover and lead a healthy life by enhancing their social acceptance, it also has to take care of other accompanying members who have suffered and had to go through terrible mental agony. The drug rehabilitation program should give family members the opportunity to heal from the scars of drug abuse and rebuild families. The rehabilitation program has to be comprehensive and should include education and preventive counseling for all family members and not just the addicted person. For rehabilitation counselors, protecting the family is a top priority.
Keeping up with recovery
Having gone through detoxification and the phases of initial healing, you have to keep up the momentum of the recovery process by attending group therapy, outpatient counseling and if needed, medication therapy. Outpatient services may be available at the center where you had been an inpatient during the earlier phase of treatment, or the rehabilitation center helps you to connect with providers within the community so that you can carry on the procedure from home. In case you need more time to sustain the recovery in a drug-free and secure environment you could associate with a sober living home that provides the supervision and the infrastructure you need. You can continue treatment at the facility as an outpatient and start building new social relations that augur healthy living.
It requires long-term commitment to recover from drug addiction and rebuild your psychological and physical health. Drug recovery is a challenge in self-exploration, and the more you a start believing in you, higher are the chances of recovery. The time spent at the rehabilitation center should give you a deeper understanding of yourself and build hopes for a healthy future.
