Drug Addiction

Perhaps one of the most effective ways to treat a drug addiction is to seek rehab treatment in a licensed rehab facility.  Drug addiction is no laughing matter and can be very serious when a person begins to go through the recovery process.  A rehab treatment center can provide so much when it comes to successfully beating drug addiction.

When a person has become addicted to drugs, their body has become used to having drugs in its system.  Taking the drug away produces often severe withdrawal symptoms that can be medically problematic.  Rehab treatment centers have medical staff that can help ease the often excruciating pain of detoxification, and they can monitor the condition of the person so that the withdrawal doesn’t cause other serious health problems.

There was a reason that the addict began to use drugs in the first place.  You see, drug addiction is more than a physical attachment to a drug – it is an emotional attachment as well.  The mind tells the addict constantly that the only way to face problems and life is to use the drug.  This emotional dependence can be even more difficult to beat than the physical part.

Licensed and reputable rehab treatment centers will treat both the body and mind for the person with a drug addiction.  They will provide group counseling so a support system is built and the addict does not feel alone in their problem.  They will also provide one-on-one counseling that will address the specific reasons why drug use began in the first place.

Family therapy is also a big part of most treatment facilities.  Once the patient is released from the treatment center, their family will play a big role in keeping them clean and sober.  Family therapy is designed to address any issues that may have arisen in the past and get everyone “on the same page” when it comes to the person’s recovery.

Reputable rehab treatment centers will also give the patient tools they can take with them once they re-enter the “real world” in order to help keep them off drugs for good.  The temptations and stressors that led them to drug use in the first place will still be out there.  Learning how to resist the temptation and deal with the stressors in a healthy way is very important to successful long-term recovery.

Drug addiction rehab treatment may seem like a drastic measure to take for some people, and for some people it might be.  However, the truth is that when addiction has taken hold of a person’s life, beating that addiction is an uphill battle.  Rehab treatment centers make overcoming the addiction just a little bit easier to bear.

Have you ever thought about what drug addiction rehab really means?  The words are thrown around in the media, in government, and in our schools, but what exactly is rehab for drug addiction?

In its simplest form, drug addiction rehab means quitting drugs and learning how to live a drug-free life.  However, it’s much, much more than just quitting drugs.  Various drugs have different effects on the body and mind just as certain people are prone to addiction to certain drugs.  Treatment can vary according to which drug is involved as well.

Drug addiction rehab can take the form of behavioral, or cognitive, therapy, medication, or a combination of both.  It depends on a lot of factors that will determine which treatment will work best.

Behavioral therapy offers addicts strategies to coping with their drug cravings.  It teaches them ways to avoid drugs and prevent relapse.  This type of therapy also teaches them how to deal with relapse should it occur.

When a person's drug-related behavior places him or her at higher risk for AIDS or other infectious diseases, behavioral therapies can help to reduce the risk of disease transmission. Case management and referral to other medical, psychological, and social services are crucial components of treatment for many patients.

The best programs provide a combination of therapies and other services to meet the needs of the individual patient, which are shaped by such issues as age, race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, pregnancy, parenting, housing, and employment, as well as physical and sexual abuse.

Treatment medications, such as methadone, LAAM, and naltrexone, are available for individuals addicted to opiates. Nicotine preparations (patches, gum, nasal spray) and bupropion are available for individuals addicted to nicotine.

Medications, such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or neuroleptics, may be critical for treatment success when patients have co-occurring mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, or psychosis.
Drug addiction rehab can occur in a variety of settings, in many different forms, and for different lengths of time. Because drug addiction is typically a chronic disorder characterized by occasional relapses, a short-term, one-time treatment often is not sufficient. For many, rehab is a long-term process that involves multiple interventions and attempts at abstinence.
Rehab is probably the best course of action when trying to beat an addiction.  It doesn’t have to take place at an in-patient facility, but it does offer the best success rate when it comes to beating drug addiction and leading a drug-free life.

Some people don’t like being quoted statistics.  But when we speak of statistics on drug addiction, the numbers are actually important.  These numbers can help us identify problem areas with drug addictions and help us better understand what exactly is going on with drug addiction in the country.

For example, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States according to a 2005 survey.  Over seventy-six percent of the population reported using marijuana in that year’s time.

An estimated 15.9 million Americans aged twelve or older reported using illicit drug in the month prior to the 2005 survey.  That statistic represents 7.1 percent of the population 12 or older.  This is an increase of almost 8 percent from the previous year.

Drug addiction statistics can be a little bit scary as well.  Consider that in 2003, there were nearly 20,000 deaths directly attributed to drug use both legal and illegal.  Of those deaths, about 3 percent were to people 21 years of age and under.

In the year 2001 alone, use of the club drug Ecstasy increased by 58 percent from the previous year.  This statistic was calculated by the amount of people who were admitted to a hospital emergency room with Ecstasy overdoses.

Statistics on rehabilitation center admissions also paint a sad picture of drug addiction.  In 2006, there were over 175,000 people who checked themselves into a rehab facility.  It is estimated that 5 percent of those people returned to using drugs after they were released.

Methamphetamine use is on the rise as well.  In 2006, a whopping 15 percent of the population reported using meth as their primary illicit drug.  This can be attributed to the fact that meth is easy to make with common household items and produces a significant high for the user that cannot be obtained by using any other drug.

Perhaps the scariest statistics on drug addiction are the ones that involve our youth.  A significant percentage of young people report having been introduced to one type of drug or another on a regular basis by the age of 13.  Nearly fifty percent of those children will try drugs by that age, and 20 percent will become addicted before graduating from high school.

It can be a big, bad world out there – for adults and children alike.  We may sincerely want to bury our heads in the sand when it comes to drug abuse and addiction, but we can’t.  When presented with statistics on drug addiction, there’s really no way we can ignore the fact that there’s a problem in this country – a serious problem – with drugs.

Elizabeth was just 13 years old when she had her first drink – this is a story of her descent into drug addiction.  After that first drink, she found she liked the way it made her feel, so she had a couple of more.  Before long, she experienced her first time being drunk, and the door had opened.


This story of drug addiction usually paints a very similar picture from addict to addict.  They share many aspects of their stories and they often share tragic endings.

Elizabeth soon progressed to smoking pot after school, and before long she was using it every day often smoking before school as well.  She found it difficult to find enough money to buy her marijuana, so she began taking money from her mother’s purse when she wasn’t looking.  It made her feel horrible, so she smoked the pot to help her cope with her guilt.

Drug addiction is no laughing matter. This isn’t a comedy; it’s more of a dramatic story about losing control once and not being able to regain it back.

When Elizabeth was 17, a friend offered her some methamphetamine.  By this time, she was known as a party girl and wasn’t about to tarnish that image.  She snorted the white powder and was transformed.  She became more than the life of the party; she became THE party.  People wanted to be around her because she was so much fun.  She couldn’t believe it took her so long to find this amazing high.

Have you ever had someone tell you a story you just couldn’t believe?  Well when you hear a story about drug addiction, it’s all too true and all too believable.  It happens every day.

At 19, Elizabeth had a baby.  She wasn’t sure who the father was, and the baby was born addicted to crack.  The doctors knew this and her son was taken from her before she was even released from the hospital.  Despondent over this loss, when she did leave, she immediately sought out her dealer and got high.

The story of drug addiction is painful to read and painful to tell.  For those people who are affected by drug addiction, it’s almost excruciating.

Twenty-one year old Elizabeth was arrested for possession of drugs for the third time in one month.  She is put in jail to await trial.  The judge orders her into a rehabilitation facility.  She attends for the required treatment time and, once home, uses drugs after just two days.  At 22, her parents are planning her funeral.  She was found in her basement dead from a drug overdose.

The story of drug addiction is often bleak and depressing.  The tale is told over and over again all over the world.  It’s sad because it’s preventable.  Don’t let you or a loved one be another tragic story of drug addiction.

When you are suffering from a drug addiction, finding a support group is so important to your recovery.  Support groups can give you new insight into your addiction, but more importantly, they can provide you with strength and courage to go ahead and beat your addiction.

What types of support groups are out there?  There are many.  Alcoholics Anonymous has been the foundation for many offshoots that deal with all sorts of addiction problems.  Narcotics Anonymous deals with people who have addictions to narcotic drugs, Al-Anon helps family members who are trying to cope with a loved one who has an addiction, and there are many more.

Many churches offer faith-based support groups that deal with addictions of all types.  You don’t necessarily have to be a member of that particular church to attend their support group either.  All you have to do is ask to join.  Faith-based support groups are generally very accepting of non-members, and when you ask for their help, they are usually there to welcome you with open arms.

Drug addiction is a difficult vice to overcome.  When you have the help of a therapist or counselor, you will be better off.  Ask your counselor if he or she can recommend an appropriate support group for you to attend.  They usually have all the information you’ll need to guide you toward one that is right for you.

Hospitals also will offer support groups for drug addiction.  Contact the administrator and ask about what they have to offer and whether or not their groups are ones that could help you on the road to recovery.

Don’t discount online support groups that address drug addiction.  When you do a simple Internet search, you will find all sorts of places that offer online support for your addiction.  These groups will have chat times where you can discuss the problems you are having and often also have message boards where you can post questions and concerns.

When looking for a support group to treat your drug addiction, you should find one that makes you feel comfortable.  Try to find one that has members around your own age.  It’s often easier to talk to people who are your peers – that means age appropriate peers.  If you are a teen struggling with drug addiction, it’s generally not a good idea to be in a support group with mostly middle-aged people.

Finding a support group for your drug addiction is such a huge component of your recovery, it should not be overlooked.  Look around and pick the right one for you.  And know that you’re not alone in your addiction – or your recovery!

In the past, when a person found themselves struggling with drug addiction and they wanted to find a treatment center where they could get help with that addiction, they were met with discerning looks, judgmental people, and cold, stark facilities.  A lot has changed over the year when it comes to treatment centers for drug addiction.

Take, for example, the treatment center in California called Promises.  Many celebrities have checked into Promises Treatment Center for addiction to alcohol and/or drugs.  Famous people like Robert Downey, Jr., Robin Williams, and Keith Urban.

This treatment center is located in the rolling hills of California.  It is decorated with beautiful wicker, comfortable furniture, lots of lush green plants, and calming water.  There is plenty of room to move about, and they even offer various activities for the residents to choose from like boating and tennis.

Promises also gives its patients healing massages, nutrition programs for a healthy body, and promotes exercise and interaction through group programs.  They also have the traditional therapy programs for healing the mind as well as the body.

Other treatment centers have similar set-ups.  The idea of making a drug addiction treatment center so inviting is so that people are less reluctant to come there when they find themselves battling a drug addiction.  Often, it can be intimidating to think of being at an in-patient treatment center for any period of time.  When these centers are home-like, the residents are comfortable while they are trying to recover.

Drug addiction treatment centers are often run like a community with decisions about how the community operates left up to the residents.  There are meetings held when issues arise, and those issues are voted on and resolved with resident input.

You will find people from all walks of life at drug addiction treatment centers.  The disease of drug addiction doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, old or young, famous or not.  It takes hold of your life regardless of who you are or what you do.  When you realize that drugs have taken over your mind and your life, it’s time to seek out help.

The people who work at and operate drug addiction treatment centers will be highly qualified individuals who understand what you’re going through and know how to treat it.  There’s not much they haven’t seen, so you shouldn’t be embarrassed or reluctant to talk about your addiction.  They are there to help you.

Entering a drug addiction treatment center might seem intimidating, but it shouldn’t.  You’ll find more help than you ever thought you would and will get on the road toward successfully beating your drug addiction.

For people who are struggling with drug addiction, the good news is that there are now many treatment programs available to help them with their recovery.  At one point in time, treatment programs for drug addiction were cold and stark addressing only the addiction itself not the psychological implications brought about by that addiction.

Now, the treatment programs that are available focus on healing not only the body but the mind as well.  They realize that drug addiction is more than just a physical craving for drugs, it also take control of the mind to keep the addict using and prevent total recovery.

There are a variety of in-patient rehab centers that offer treatment for drug addiction.  These programs are set in beautiful places with plenty of room to reflect and move about.  They often offer classes in various coping skills and things you can do to keep yourself from putting yourself in the situation you were in when you began using drugs in the first place.

Rehab facilities also offer many types of therapy in the form of group therapy, family counseling, and individual one-on-one therapy.  Using this type of treatment, you will be receiving treatment for all aspects of your addiction – not just one.

These facilities also have medical personnel on hand to help with the detoxification process.  When you take drugs out of your system, you will be beset with some pretty difficult physical symptoms.  The medical staff will help you cope with those reactions and take measures to make you as comfortable as possible.

You can choose an out-patient treatment program for your drug addiction as well.  These types of programs are generally in the form of 12 step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous.  You attend meetings and participate in discussions that will help you cope with your own addictions and help others with theirs.

These treatment programs can be very effective, but your commitment must be strong so that you will follow through with the treatment completely and not relapse back into drug use.  When you work the full 12 steps in the program, you will find support from others who share your addiction and you will be given tools to use when you are tempted to use again.

Be sure that you are completely committed to your treatment if you choose an out-patient program for your drug addiction.  When you are going through withdrawal, the urge to use again may overpower your desire to become clean.  If your drug use is especially involved, a rehab facility might be a better choice for your recovery.

Drug addiction treatment programs have undergone amazing changes in the last few decades, and the stigma that used to be attached to checking into one of these clinics no longer exists.  If you or a loved one have a problem with drug addiction, know your options when it comes to treatment programs and seek out ways to live a clean and sober life.