What you Should Know About Rehab?
The best way to find out about rehab and whether you or a loved one needs to enter a rehab program for a alcohol or drug addiction is to consult a medical professional. One needs to remember that trained physicians, nurses as well as other counselors and drug rehab experts are deft at studying the symptoms of possible drug addictions and understand well whether someone needs rehabilitation or not. In order to assess the extent of addiction and the need for rehabilitation there are certain questions that are created by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). These addictions are:
- Is the patient using any substance like illicit drugs or alcohol regularly for the last one year?
- Has the patient had a history of substance abuse in the past?
- Is patient addicted or depended on any drug within the last three months?
- Is the use of drug causing negative effect on the patient’s social and economic life as well as health?
- Are your friends as well family members concerned about your drug use?
- Have you tried to stop the habit constantly and failed every time?
These questions help a doctor or counselor to determine the risk level of a patient and then decide who needs to enter a rehab program.
Apart from a professional assessment, a non professional assessment in a few cases can also help in deciding whether someone needs rehab or not. The following symptoms can help you raise an alarm about a possible addiction and the need for rehab:
- If a person is expressing unusual change in behavior like anxiety, depression, irritability and anger
- If an addict stops his usual dosage of drugs he undergoes withdrawal and the symptoms of withdrawal may include tremors, vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, constipation, headaches and diarrhea
- The person suffers from strong cravings for the drug that he is unable to control
If a loved one is showing the following symptoms then rehabilitation is probably necessary and you should contact professional help immediately.
What can I expect if I go through a Rehab Program?
A rehab program is not just based on the principle of helping the patient get rid of his habit of drug abuse. The whole treatment program focuses on helping the patient recover from his past life and take lifelong measures to ensure he does not undergo a relapse.
Generally any rehab program includes the following steps that any addict can expect:
- Detoxification – This is necessary so that the body the addict free of toxic substances
- Rehab – Once the detoxification is completed rehab is the next step in the recovery. This process involves the rehab team getting to the bottom of the addiction causes and helping the patient deal with those issues so that he can get rid of his habit and move on life in a healthy manner
- Recovery – Recovery after rehab is not a timely thing – this is a lifelong process for any addict. Once the rehab is over the patient usually sits with his counselor and discuss the best aftercare program.