Having worked on an alcohol
and drug treatment referral
line over several years, and
having answered thousands
of calls over those years,
I know that family members
are frequently the first ones
to realize that an addict
or alcoholic is in need of
help. Every family member
who realizes this and seeks
treatment for a loved one
wants treatment to work. Research
has shown that there are several
key considerations that need
to be taken into account for
treatment to work most effectively.
•Supervised withdrawal
is only first step and by
itself will do little to solve
the problem
Withdrawing from drugs and
alcohol can be dangerous.
In fact about 1 in 10 alcoholics
who attempt to withdrawal
off alcohol without medical
supervision actually end up
dying. Therefore a medically
supervised detox center is
frequently a necessary first
step in treatment. However,
some people confuse this short
3 to 7 day period with treatment,
which it is not. If you are
looking for treatment for
someone make sure that you
don't stop once you've found
them a place to detox. The
best situation is for the
person to go directly from
detox to rehab.
•What works for one family
members treatment may not
work for another's
Because there is a genetic
component to addiction family
members who are helping a
loved one in to treatment
have often experienced treatment
themselves. One common mistake
is to assume that what worked
for you or the person's uncle
will work for them. This simply
is not true. The ultimate
success of each individual
entering treatment depends
on finding the right treatment
setting and methods for the
individual, and everyone's
needs are different.
•Find treatment centers
that deal with more than just
the addiction
Drug addiction is a multidimensional
problem, and treatment needs
to address all of an individual's
needs. Good treatment must
address the individual's drug
use, but it should also attend
to any associated medical,
psychological, social, vocational,
or legal problems.
•Don't settle for any
program that doesn't include
therapy
Many alcoholics and addicts
mistakenly believe that if
they could just stop using
for a week or two they could
stop using forever. In reality,
counseling (individual and/or
group) is a critical part
of every effective addiction
treatment episode. In therapy,
addicts, build skills to resist
drug use, replace drug-using
activities with constructive
and rewarding nondrug-using
activities, examine their
motivations for using drugs
and improve problem-solving
abilities. Additionally, therapy
helps individuals to rebuild
and re-learn family and social
living patterns.
•Drug testing during
treatment is important
Don't be fooled that just
because you get a loved one
into treatment means that
they are suddenly safe from
drugs. Drugs are brought into
treatment centers all the
time putting those seeking
recovery at risk of relapse.
This means that every individual
in treatment should be monitored
for drug treatment on an ongoing
basis. In this manner treatment,
plans may be modified to increase
the chance of ultimate success.
•Some people require
medication to treat their
addiction
The American Medical Association
has for years recognized addiction
as a disease. It should therefore
not come as a surprise that
many addicts need medication
during and after rehab. Sometimes
frowned upon by some individuals
in recovery the truth is that
these medications allow millions
of individuals to live normal,
productive lives.
•Fifty percent of the
people with an alcohol/drug
problem also have a mental
health issue
People may be using drugs
to deal with mental health
problems or they may have
the mental health issue because
of their drug use. In fact,
studies have shown that fifty
percent of people who have
one also have the other. The
most effective way to deal
with these two "co-occurring"
disorders and deal with the
addiction is to treat them
at the same time.
•An addict does not have
to want treatment for it to
work
A common myth is that someone
has to want treatment before
it will work for them. Based
on research, this is not the
case. In fact, treatment is
just as effective for individuals
who are court ordered to do
treatment as it is for people
who figure out the need for
it on their own. Families
can be just as effective at
getting unwilling addicts
into treatment. Frequently,
a family's first step to getting
someone into rehab may be
performing an intervention
with the help of a professional
interventionist. Call your
local alcohol and drug help
line to locate these professionals
in your area.
•Treatment duration counts
The appropriate duration for
an individual depends on his
or her problems and needs.
Research indicates that for
most patients, significant
improvement is reached at
about 3 months. The research
suggests that this may be
residential, outpatient or
a combination of both depending
on the individual's needs.
After this initial period,
additional treatment can produce
further progress toward recovery.
•Don't lose hope
Your loved one may successfully
complete treatment, but then
relapse. Don't lose hope.
Alcoholics and addicts may
need lengthy treatment and
more than one time in rehab
before they can enjoy long-term
abstinence and full restoration
to a drug free life.
About the Author
David Westbrook is a freelance
writer who frequently writes
for such quality websites
as www.rehaber.com
and www.fxrehab.com
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