ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTER.

It is also referred to as drug rehab center. Its main functions are to treat dependency on psychoactive drugs, treatment of behavioral compulsions, and aftercare monitoring in order to ensure total addiction recovery. It also offers alcohol rehab, alcohol relapse help, addiction rehab, chronic relapse help and also alternative drug rehab. Its overall aim is to improve the mental health of the addict in order to ensure that the former addict can be able to interact appropriately within drug-free settings. It also assists the community in that an addict who has been successfully treated can be re-integrated into the community.

An addiction treatment center does manage both addictions and behavioral compulsions through a combination of medical treatments, psychotherapy and spiritually-based interventions. This is done in order to ensure that all the physical, psychological and spiritual needs of the addicts are addressed properly. This in turn ensures that the addiction recovery is successful, and the former addict can even be used to encourage other addicts to enter treatment. It also improves family relationships as the successfully treated addict can now perform his or her familial duties, and in turn, the other family members can reciprocate by providing the former addict with the necessary support that he or she needs.

Each and every addiction treatment center does have a drug rehab program which guides its addiction treatment. Most of the drug rehab programs are derivatives of the 12-step program which was developed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). From the 12-step program, there has evolved the 12-step recovery, 12-step treatment and the 12-step rehab. A unique advantage of the 12-step program is that it seeks to ensure the permanency of the addiction recovery by addressing all the relevant physical, psychological and spiritual needs of the addicts. Also, there are specialized alcohol rehab centers and alcohol treatment centers which utilize modified versions of the 12-step programs to manage alcoholism.

Most addiction treatment centers are located in secluded locations in order to ensure that the addict maximizes his or her interactions with the fraternity of the drug treatment center. Faith-oriented addiction treatment centers do cater also for the religious and spiritual needs of the addict according to the religious teachings of the religious fraternity running the drug treatment center. The types of addiction treatments offered in addiction treatment centers include residential treatment, extended care programs, outpatient treatment, local support groups, medical care, addiction counseling, orthomolecular medicine and recovery houses. Some addiction treatment centers do provide age-specific and/or gender-specific rehabilitation programs. All forms of addiction treatment include aftercare monitoring as part of their overall treatment schedule.

Most addiction treatment centers do follow the 13 principles of effective addiction treatment. These principles are supported by empirical scientific evidence. The 13 principles were issued by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a subsidiary institute of the National Institutes of Health. The main aims of these principles is to ensure cost-effective management of drug addiction and treatment of related physical and/or mental illnesses with the aim of restoring the general wellbeing of the addict. These principles also aim to manage dysfunctional behaviors in order to restore normal functioning of the patient. Each of the 13 principles is described briefly below.

To begin with, there is no single treatment that is appropriate for all the patients committed to the addiction treatment center. This is because each addict has his or her own unique set of addiction(s) and associated health-related problems; and as such, the treatment regimen and selected interventions should match the treatment settings and the unique problems of each addict. Such an individualized treatment increases the probability that there will be complete addiction recovery for each addict treated. It also ensures that the former addict is able to function productively in the workplace, society and family settings. Another principle states that the appropriate treatment should be readily available. This is of importance because any addict who is about to enter treatment must be assured that apt treatment is available and readily accessible. As such, the potential drug treatment applicants would benefit from the opportunities and services offered by drug rehab programs.

There is also a principle which states that an effective treatment must cater for the multiple needs of an addict, not just his or her addiction problem. This implies that an effective treatment must cater for the addicts’ addiction alongside the associated medical, social, psychological, legal and vocational problems. Another principle states that the treatment plan for each addict must be continuously assessed and modified aptly as per the changing needs of the addict under treatment. This is informed by the fact that the various needs of the addict do respond differently to the treatment plan, and for the treatment to be effective, it must be responsive to these ever-changing needs.

For effective treatment, the addict must remain in treatment for a sufficient period of time. The time period is dictated by the unique problems and needs of the patient. Scientific studies have shown that significant improvements in addiction treatment outcomes do occur after a treatment period of over 3 months. Another principle states that counseling, psychotherapy and associated behavioral therapies are vital elements of an effective treatment plan, as they address the issues of motivation, substitute drug-using activities with more productive and rewarding drug-free activities, builds the patient’s capacity to resist (or avoid) drug abuse; and also drastically improve the problem-solving capabilities of the patient. Behavioral therapies do also improve interpersonal skills of the patient thereby enabling him or her to function normally in the family and society at large.

For effective treatment, it should be realized that medication is a vital component of the treatment plan, especially when it is combined with psychotherapy and appropriate counseling services. Medications do stabilize the physiological parameters of the patient and also reduces the craving for the illicit substance. Another principle states that both the addiction and any existing mental disorders should be treated together using an integrated treatment plan so as to ensure complete addiction recovery. There is also a principle which states that medical detoxification should be considered as the initial stage or phase of addiction treatment, and as such, it confers no lasting treatment to long-term addiction. 

There exists a principles which considers both voluntary and involuntary treatment to be both effective. However, it still requires strong motivation to expedite an effective treatment process and as such, sanctions and enticements can be used to involuntarily enter addicts into treatment and also ensure their compliance with the treatment plan. Another principle states that there must be continuous monitoring of possible drug abuse during the treatment period. The treatment programs should also assess for tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and C, HIV/AIDS, and other related infectious diseases, and that counseling must be offered to patients at risk of such infections. Finally, there is a principle which states that the process of addiction recovery can take a long time thereby necessitating several episodes of treatment.