Rehab centers all over are filled with people who don’t have a problem. I know because I was in one and nothing was wrong with me. So what, I liked to get my drink on every now and again. That didn’t mean something was wrong with me. My girlfriend had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. She kept insisting that I was in denial and that I really needed to see someone before things got bad. I told her she was insane, but I decided to acquiesce when she threatened to leave me. I figured what the hell, I’ll just go and show her how incredibly wrong she was. Once she saw that I was fine it would take her years to get all the egg off of her face. Of course it didn’t happen like that at all.

A Rehab center is places where people like me go to find out just how bad their addictions are. When I checked in their were a gaggle of other folks who were saying the same thing that I was. We were all basically in denial. It sucks to find out that you do have a problem when you’re already on the inside. I guess it’s because it’s so hard to believe that it took you that long to figure it out. Some people find it impossible to get over, but there’s so much more stuff to focus on that you just have to let go. Seriously, because once you let go that’s when the healing begins.

Drug rehab broke me down. I’m not too big to admit that, or to proud to cop to the fact that rehab was the hardest thing I ever did. Rehab made me cry. Made me grovel. Made me wish I were anyone but me, just so I could get away from the indomitable and interminable Grind. Rehab also got me sober, by the way. And I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about it.

Rehab was hard, for me, because that’s the way addiction treatment is: hard. Drug rehabiliation isn’t, can’t be, easy; that’s not the way recovery works, not what healing is all about. Drug rehab helps you get healed by digging down into the guts of who you are: into all those old demons and neuroses that made you an addict in the first place. That sort of process is bound to be difficult. But it’s the only chance you’ve got to ever get clean.

Drug treatment broke me down. It’ll probably break you down too: make you cry, make you grovel. Drug treatment, if it works like it should, will be the hardest thing you’ll ever do. And not a day’ll go by that you don’t get down on your knees and say thank your for it.

Rehabs are like computers: They’re only as effective as the people who operate them. Rehabs don’t operate in vacuums, after all; they don’t succeed simply by virtue of the philosophy on which they’re based. Rehabs that work, on the contrary, are rehabs peopled by passionate, committed individuals: by caregivers who want to help patients get better and, more importantly, patients who want to get better themselves.

Rehabs, it’s important to note, are not centers of passive activity. Addicts can’t check into rehabs and then expect someone else to do the hard work for them; they’ve to be ready for a struggle, and for a fight: for a journey that will test every last ounce of their resolve. Rehabs, you might say, can’t work unless rehab patients are willing to suffer a little on the way to where they need to go. And nothing…nothing…could ever be more worth suffering for.

Rehabs save lives. That’s really the only point that could matter, in the end. Rehabs save lives. Don’t wait another day to find that out for yourself. Your future is in your hands. What you do with it is up to you.

Rehab without patient involvement is like a car without gas: It just can’t go anywhere. Rehab only works…only helps addicts get sober…when rehab patients play active roles in their own healing. It’s not enough to check into a rehab center and then wait to get saved; you’ve got to work for it, to struggle and suffer and scrape against your addiction, with everything you’ve got, until you finally get to that place where you need to go.

Is rehab easy? Not by a long shot. Is it worth it? More so than you could ever possibly imagine.

Rehab that works is rehab that gives you your life back: the hope, the joy, the sense of dignity that addiction strips away. Rehab that works is rehab that makes life worth living again, so long after addiction turned it into a pale facsimile of whatever it had been. Please, for your own sake, don’t wait another to find out the truth for yourself. Your future, after all, won’t be around forever.

Rehabs only matter insofar as they help addicts get better. That’s the bottom line here, the only point that could ever really be important. Rehabs have got to be about healing. Some things are too important not to get exactly right; some journeys are too important for the cutting of corners. If rehabs are going to heal rehab patients, nothing…not money, not time, not anything…can be allowed to detract from the central mission.

Luxury rehabs aren’t cheap. But don’t kid yourself: They’re worth it. Worth it, really, because you’re worth it, because you…your future, your life…are more valuable than any dollar figure. Luxury rehabs that work are luxury rehabs that help patients rediscover themselves, and all the hope and joy and emotional vitality that make life worth living in the first place. No one can put a price tag on that. Please, for your own sake, have enough sense to see the big picture, to understand that your life…you life…is more than what’s in your wallet.

Luxury rehabs really do help patients get healed. Make today the day you start finding that out for yourself.

I’d have been a goner, if it weren’t for rehab. I was dead. Deader than dead. So dead it’s a wonder I was ever even alive at all. Before rehab, during the Unpleasantness, I was a shell of anyone I’d ever been or wanted to be. I lost my wife. I alienated my friends. I couldn’t hold a job for more than a few weeks. I was, well…I was a goner. And I guess that about says it all.

Rehab, so you know, isn’t easy. It never is. It can’t be. Rehab works by turning addicts into New People, by helping them learn new ways of engaging with themselves and their world. The typical rehab patient can’t Function, as they say, without resorting to drug use. If you’re going to get sober…if you’re going to stay sober…rehab has got to help you break that dependency. Short of that, you can’t ever hope to be anything but gone.

Rehab for worked for me. The fact that I’m here, writing this, is nothing short of miracle. And believe me: Not a day goes by that I don’t drop to my knees and say thanks. For rehab. For healing. For the second chance I got from my rehab program, when everyone who knew figured I was well past saving.

I can’t imagine how any gift would have ever been more worth getting.

You’ve seen it on television and in magazines; you’ve read about it in memoirs and biographies: people losing themselves and everything dear to them to an addiction to illicit and prescription drugs. While the leading cause of drug use is as simple to locate as the company one keeps, no person is born a drug addict. Instead, the gateway to drug addiction is seldom a personality disorder but rather stems from the fact that the consequences of drug use are not immediately apparent which can lead to the misconception that the drug has no affect on one’s ability to lead a normal and productive life. Of course, the idea that one can sustain a growing drug habit while maintaining a healthy lifestyle is believable until it isn’t. At some point, the unchecked drug user must seek drug treatment.

However, individuals and families affected by drug addiction have never had so many places to turn for help in coping with addiction. From counseling and screening at community health centers and county hospitals, individuals can begin to receive information and help almost immediately. In fact, the federal government has continued to recognize the moral and economical benefit to helping individuals overcome their addiction, especially before they turn to crime or otherwise cease to be productive members of their community. From unique Drug Courts that involve the family and community of addicted drug users who have recently turned to crime to help them achieve a return to a drug-free life, to state issued drug treatment and recovery support vouchers allowing the implementation of more innovative strategies to combat drug-addiction.

Treatment facilities are also more and more varied. Suitable treatment can be found for any level of addiction and can be tailored for each individual depending on his or her needs. From long-term care at private drug treatment centers to short-term, open-facility care in homes democratically run by tenants transitioning into their new autonomous drug-free lives, treatment isn’t the regimented practice it once was, with blanket solutions applied to unique problems. Treatment can help with more than coping with the psychological and physical barriers to overcoming drug-addiction, treatment offers the people the opportunity to remove themselves from the culture of drug use and replace it with the culture of productive, healthy living. People who were introduced to drugs by members of their social circles or communities have the opportunity with treatment to learn how to make better decisions that can affect positive change in all areas of their lives.

Treatment today is more nuanced than many may realize. Often, a more holistic approach is used in drug treatment and the individual is taken into more complete account. Approaches to drug treatment today recognize that recovery from drug addiction is something that does not necessarily end with one treatment and cannot be determined only by the words “success” and “failure”. Understanding that relapse and co-opting one drug for another, while not expected, can be part of recovery process helps to make drug treatment adaptable to an individual’s needs and help reshape behavior during all stages of drug treatment and addiction recovery.

Source: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/ndcs06/chap2.pdf

Recovery from a drug addiction implies acknowledging the problem and being willing to seek help from a drug treatment center. Since denial is normal amid drug addicts, getting them to a cure center may involve aggressive pleading from relatives or friends. In spite of this, once an addict accepts treatment and starts detoxification, which clears the body of damaging toxins, they can begin the path to recovery.

Drug treatment centers are necessary because drug addicts are usually unable to overcome dependencies on their own. Many will attempt self-treatment. However, without support or supervision, a setback is inescapable. By entering a drug treatment center, patients go through continual mental evaluations. Before a patient can begin recovery, medical doctors must help the patient understand the origin of drug addiction. In some instances, deep mental distress from the loss of a loved one, unhappiness, failure, and so forth play a role in prolong drug use. Once a patient identifies the factor(s) that causes vulnerability, and discover ways to deal with these problems head-on, he or she can begin recovery.

Upon entering a drug treatment facility, patients are required to cooperate. Recovery does not come about immediately. Unfortunately, many patients become very impatient, and leave the treatment center before getting better. This is usual at some stage in withdrawals when a patient’s body strongly craves the narcotic. However, if patients can endure the symptoms and finish detoxification, the chances of a full recovery are higher.

After an initial psychological exam, patients must consent to detox. On average, it takes about 3 days for a person’s body to rid itself of toxins and other substances. Withdrawal symptoms may become intense during this period. Long-term drug users experience the worst symptoms. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, and sweating are common. In rare instances, patients may suffer a seizure, which can be life-threatening. For this matter, undergoing detoxification and withdrawal in a drug treatment center under the supervision of physicians is strongly recommended.

Following detoxification, patients begin therapy sessions. Counseling is purposely postponed until the completion of detox. This way, patients are in the right mindset. Individuals and group therapy sessions are effective with helping ex-addicts address and resolve hurt feelings. If family or friends become a road block to recovery, counselors may recommend a family therapy session. In some cases, drug abuse is the cause of deep rooted family issues.

Upon completion of a drug treatment program, patients are encouraged to attend support groups such as Narcotics Anonymous, or join online support forums. Aftercare is extremely important, and helpful with preventing relapses. If necessary, patients also have the option of continuing treatment on an outpatient basis.

A serious crisis plagues the USA that merits immediate attention-drug abuse. Some people may believe drug problems were a thing of the past, the psychedelic ‘60’s or perhaps the club culture of the 80’s. It is very real and it is happening right now. According to the US Government, an alarming 19.1 million Americans have used an illegal drug in the past month alone. At this rate, it is not a problem that we can continue to ignore. The viciousness with which entire families can be dissected by this deadly disorder is both frightening and tragic. And it is noteworthy to point out that addiction shows no favoritism. No socio-economic group goes unscathed.

Yet, numerous people under this deadly bondage of dependency want help and healing desperately. They want to resume normal lives but don’t know where to go or shamefully, were turned away! It is estimated that nearly 100,000 people seeking help and treatment were unable to receive it over the past year.

In his State of the Union address, President Bush introduced Access to Recovery an initiative to aid afflicted American in their battle with this disorder. Patients would be tested to verify that they are qualified for the program then, vouchers for appropriate treatment would be administered. Patients could then present these vouchers for services rendered to participating rehab centers around the country. The philosophy is that no one should be denied the opportunity to get well. Another part of the government’s strategy deals with ways to reduce the supply and demand for illegal drugs crossing our borders. Additionally, it highlights new programs, which have been successful in fighting substance abuse. The website, Accesstorecovery.com, can give you more information on treatment centers around the country. CARE, California Access to Recovery Effort is another wealth of information on treatment-especially for youth. If you are 18 or older and are looking for a way out, know that a very effective residential and extended care center for treatment exists called Sunset Malibu.

Located in gorgeous Malibu, California, Sunset Malibu is known for its comprehensive treatment program. The Center is comprised of a dynamic team of expert doctors, therapists and very capable staff. They believe that every patient is an individual and unique being. Treatment is not just a blanket formula for all, nor it is administered in a sterile institution type setting. The specialized intensive program is comprised of group therapy, individual therapy, cognitive behavioral groups, a family program, conventional medicine, alternative medicine and 12-step programs. Many other philosophies are also incorporated to improve the outcome of an individual’s treatment. Sunset Malibu recognizes that drug or alcohol rehabilitation can be very painful and extremely uncomfortable emotionally as well as physically.

The center holds the belief that comfort is paramount to a patient’s success. That is why residents may participate in yoga classes; outdoor activities or perhaps receive a massage, facial and a manicure/pedicure all in the caring and luxurious environment provided. Daily needs are very amply granted such as gourmet meals, laundry service, transportation, appointment scheduling, Internet access and even special requests (when appropriate.)

All care is provided for in a state of the art facility fully equipped with large screen plasma TVs and many modern amenities. The exquisite views of the Pacific Ocean compliment the stunning decorations and beautiful architecture. There is no stress producing noise from the streets-only the calming sound of the waves. And, a patient’s privacy is never compromised. Providing a soothing, caring environment is what the Center strives to achieve and maintain.

There are counselors available 24/7 to speak with you @ 800-332-9202. They will discuss some of the issues you and your family face while in detox or rehabilitation.

No matter where you go to get treatment, go now. Make a decision to end your days of suffering physically, mentally and spiritually. You deserve wholesome healthy relationships with your family, friends and loved ones. At Sunset Malibu no one will ever punish you or tear you down for your addiction. They are there to help you build and excel in your life once again. The days of your healing and restoration stand waiting for your embrace.

In the desperate urge to help addicted and alcoholic individuals regain their lives, rehabilitation centers were first created. They are as varied as the alcoholics and addicts themselves, but break down into basically two types.

1. Long-term Residential Centers-this type of treatment offers a 24 hour structure, support, and drug-free environment in a community made up of both fellow recovering addicts/alcoholics and counselors. Alcoholics and addicts stay in these programs from 30 days up to a year or more. These are also referred to as therapeutic communities. However, this does present problems to the alcoholic or addict who is also intent on continuing their job and supporting or raising a family.

2. Short-term Inpatient Centers-This type of treatment offers a 24 hour structure, with a focus on medical stabilization, abstinence and sobriety, and lifestyle changes. Staff consists primarily of medical professionals and trained counselors, and patients generally only stay a period of a few days up to one month. This was primarily for alcohol abuse treatment, until these programs expanded into drug abuse treatment as well in the 1980’s. This treatment offers most of the benefits of the Long-term Inpatient Program, while only keeping the addict or alcoholic from working or raising a family for up to a month, which makes it a good compromise between long-term inpatient programs and outpatient programs, especially when medical supervision and structure is needed for only a short time. It can easily be combined (and this is optimal for those in short-term inpatient programs) with the outpatient drug-free program for additional support, education, and maintenance of a drug and alcohol free lifestyle, in order to start recovery.

Each of these centers has a lot to offer the alcoholic or addict. Each has it’s own particular shortcomings. They may find it difficult to move on from the long-term residential center back into mainstream life. Or they may find that the short-term residential center doesn’t offer sufficient time and structure to prepare them for the move from the center to their prior lives.

The most important thing when choosing a rehab center is to find one that will work with a focus on the patient’s well-being, rather than a scripted treatment plan. Not every plan works with every patient, and the rehab center that realizes this will tailor the treatment plan, focusing on bringing as many aspects of the addict or alcoholics lost skills and abilities and mental and physical health back as possible.