What is Rehab?

Rehab as an Addiction Treatment Option

Addiction is a condition that leads to a great deal of suffering and pain for those involved. This is not only a problem for the individual, but also for their friends and family as well as society as a whole. This is why there has been so much interest in finding remedies for this condition. There are now many different treatment options available, but probably the most effective is rehab. The secret to the success of this line of attack is that it takes the best of all the different approaches to addiction to create a programme that is comprehensive. The fact that this programme is then delivered in a therapeutic environment increases the likelihood that the individual will benefit from it.

If you would like to hear more about the different rehab options you can telephone us here on +44(0) 203 1313 416.

Rehab Defined

The word rehab is short for rehabilitation and it can be defined as meaning, “to restore to health.” The goal of an alcohol or drug rehab is to help the individual break away from this type of substance abuse. It can also be said that ultimately these programmes do more than just restore the individual to how they were before the addiction. The real aim is to get the individual to a much better place in life – something that is going to be better than anything they have ever experienced previously. There are a few other things worth noting about alcohol and drug rehab:

• The words “rehab” and “detox” tend to be used interchangeably, but they are not really the same thing. Detox refers to the initial detoxification stage of recovery when the individual will be dealing with withdrawals. Many rehabs do offer detox beds, but there are also many of them that do not offer this service. There are also supervised detox facilities that are not rehabs.
• Rehab usually refers to a residential programme, but there are also outpatient rehabs. The residential programme is considered more effective than the outpatient option, but the latter can be a good option for people who would not be able to enter a residential programme.
• There are many different types of rehab, and these will use different approaches to help the individual break away from addiction. The ultimate aim of all these faculties will be the same, but they will go about it different ways. There is no one approach to recovery that seems to work for everyone, so the availability of these different approaches is a good thing.

The Benefits of Rehab

It is doubtful that anyone would ever agree to go to rehab unless there were some very good reasons for why they should do this. The benefits of this type of addiction treatment are impressive and include:

• These facilities provide the individual with a therapeutic and nurturing environment. This can make a real difference to their ability to break away from addiction because such an environment will magnify their own motivation and determination. By staying in this facility, the individual may be getting that extra boost that they need to end their substance abuse problems forever.
• When the person stays in this type of treatment programme, all the resources they are going to need to break away from addiction will surround them. Many of these resources will be available back in the real world, but the fact that they are all in the one place makes it more likely that the individual will put them to use.
• The aim of this programme is to help the individual get to the root of their problems. This is vital because when the individual gives up alcohol or drugs they will likely be back where they started before falling into substance abuse. Unless these underlying causes of addiction are dealt with, the individual will be at high risk of relapse or falling into new addictive behaviours.
• The most common reason for why people will relapse in early recovery is that they feel unable to cope with life. This is because they will have been using alcohol or drugs to help them cope with life, but now they have nothing with which to replace it. One of the important goals of rehab is to provide the individual with appropriate coping tools and strategies.
• When the individual is in rehab, they will be surrounded by other people who are on the same path. It can be so empowering for the individual to have other people around them who share a common goal. During their stay in rehab, the person will always have people near them who understand, and who can offer them support.
• Another important goal of rehab is to help the person develop life skills like anger management and assertiveness training. It is common for people to fall into addiction at a young age before they have had a chance to develop these skills. In rehab they can be fast tracked through these life skills, so that they will be better able to find success in life.
• The individual will have plenty of time with a therapist. This will give them the opportunity to comprehend their current situation, and to develop plans for how they can improve things in the future.
• During their stay in rehab, the individual will be protected from the usual temptations and stresses. They will also be able to focus fully on getting better because they will not have to worry about going to work or taking care of family responsibilities.