When drug abuse takes over a friend or family member’s life, it can be difficult to deal with…to say the least.
The person that you thought you knew is suddenly replaced with someone who is distant, unstable and destructive. You want to help, but aren’t sure how. Coming to a decision about your friend or family member’s care can be hard to make in the moment. There are so many emotions involved, and several different options. You may not be sure whether you should turn them into the police, cut them off emotionally and financially or check them into a drug rehab program.
What Do You Do When a Loved One is Addicted to Drugs?
Compared to the other options, drug rehab programs give your addicted loved ones an opportunity to break their physical addiction to drugs in a controlled and safe environment. Through detoxification, your loved one will be able to get the drugs out of their system, reduce their cravings and set the foundation for recovery.
However, detoxing on its own won’t lead to long-term success. Drug rehab programs also include another important piece of the recovery puzzle – therapy. Group and individual therapy can help your friend or family member uncover the problems that lead to their drug use in the first place: Were they trying to deal with stress? Were they avoiding problems in their life? Were they trying to overcome past pain by burying their feelings in drugs?
Through therapy, they can uncover the problems that make it easy for them to turn to drugs. That is a key reason why, compared to the other options, drug rehab programs are the best chance for your friend, family member or loved one to get over drugs and move on with their life.
Which Drug Rehab Programs are Best?
Not all drug rehab programs are created equally.
There are several different types of programs that have varying levels of success:
Residential rehab programs keep patients in house during treatment and provide around the clock care. Most of these treatment programs last 28 days or more so patients can take time away from their life and work toward their recovery.
Outpatient drug rehab programs let patients live in their own homes and they continue their normal daily routines – like work or school. For rehab, patients will go to the rehab center at regular intervals on a weekly and then monthly basis.
Both residential and outpatient drug rehab programs have proven to be effective, but one may be better than the other for your loved one. The best thing to do is to speak with a qualified drug rehab program professional who can go over your options and help you make the best choice.
