Left untreated, drug addiction can ruin lives. It has been charged with having people lose their homes, their families and their lives. Drug addiction is an epidemic in many parts of the world, often swept under the rug by simplistic campaigns like "Just Say No" and other lucrative but hollow attempts at understanding the issue. Instead, grasping the real problem of drug addiction requires patience and real education.
When most people think of a drug addiction problem, their minds go automatically to old movies. A junkie shivering on a street corner, selling her body for her next fix, or a tragic old man lying in a gutter with a needle in his arm, or even a college girl snorting a line of cocaine in a frat house bathroom during a wild party. These images are powerful to be sure, but drug addiction generally creeps up slowly and insidiously. Months or years pass, during which time the addicted person is still able to hold a job, maintain a place to live and keep relationships going. A drug addiction problem usually passes slowly through several phases. Just because someone you know has not lost everything he or she owns to drugs does not necessarily mean that he or she does not have a drug addiction problem.
Possibly the most insidious drug addiction is prescription drug addiction, followed closely by alcohol drug addiction. We are a nation of pill poppers, taught since childhood that if something hurts, we should take a pill to make the pain go away. Children are being prescribed drugs such as Ritalin in record numbers, as parents and doctors blur the line between healthy, active kids and those with a true Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. We are constantly bombarded with advertising for pain relievers, sleep aids and a litany of other medications, both prescription and over the counter. Prescription drug addiction is easy to understand from this perspective. We do not question the doctor thoroughly about the risk of dependency on any medication, since medication as a whole is so widely accepted. We simply take the drug without question and before we realize it, we have developed a prescription drug addiction.
Alcohol drug addiction is a problem that many more people have than they'd like to admit. It is a high probability that you know someone with an alcohol problem or that you have one yourself. An alcohol drug problem can slowly spiral out of control and can provide the same problems of addiction that any other drug can.
The best way to guard against drug addiction of any sort is to carefully monitor the things that go into your body. Every pill, alcoholic beverage or recreational drug that you consume is a choice. Monitor yourself to make sure that you are making good choices. Only you know your personal level of tolerance for each item, but be sure that you are fully informed of all risks, including the risk of dependency, before consuming any drug item. If you feel that you or someone you know already has a drug addiction, seek professional help and advice.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Battle of the Detox Centers
If you or a loved one is experiencing the signs of a drug addiction problem, then it may be time to look at detox centers. Detox centers vary from drug rehab centers in several very important ways. Detox centers are designed for a short term stay. They provide a safe place for you to detoxify your body and fight your drug addiction problem. Drug rehab centers, on the other hand, are generally designed for a longer term stay and will provide counseling and other tools designed to address the underlying issues behind your drug addiction problem.
Most drug rehab centers either have detox centers attached to them or provide some form of medical detox services. This is very important due to the nature of physically withdrawing from many drugs or alcohol. Abruptly stopping the use of some drugs can lead to withdrawal symptoms, delirium, tremors and many other painful and potentially dangerous effects.
Detox centers will offer you a variety of medical intervention techniques to assist you with the effects of drug withdrawal. Depending on your drug or drugs of choice, you may be prescribed sedatives, methadone or other prescription medications. These medications help you to safely withdraw from your more dangerous drug of choice. You will then be slowly tapered off from the replacement prescription drug.
At times the lines are blurred between detox centers and residential drug rehab facilities. Technically, it is the job of detox centers to simply help people withdraw from the drugs before referring them on to outpatient care to finish fighting the drug addiction problem. However, many modern detox centers utilize counseling, group therapy and other techniques that are common to residential drug rehab programs.
The decision between residential drug rehab programs or detox centers may be made by your insurance companies. The recent trend for insurance companies, is to pay for as few days of inpatient treatment as possible. Detox centers, even those that offer counseling and other techniques, generally provide fewer days of inpatient treatment than do residential drug rehab facilities. Detox centers are also considered to provide emergency treatment, which insurance companies are more likely to accept with less documentation.
If you choose to utilize any of the myriad detox centers, you will need follow up care. Detox centers will help you to combat the physical withdrawal symptoms and clean the drugs out of your system. However, lifestyle changes and working through the issues that originally caused your drug addiction problem are necessary to maintain a drug free life. Follow up care can come from residential drug rehab, outpatient drug rehab, sober living facilities or twelve step programs. Many former drug abusers say that they were most successful in step-down programs which provide progressively less structure as you gain more days of sobriety.
In starting the process, a detox center can be an invaluable resource. While they do not offer the full benefits of drug rehab facilities and full treatment resources, a detox center will cleanse the system and help the body repair itself. Detox centers are an often overlooked piece of the drug treatment puzzle, but they are an important part in any program designed to help addicts get clean.
Most drug rehab centers either have detox centers attached to them or provide some form of medical detox services. This is very important due to the nature of physically withdrawing from many drugs or alcohol. Abruptly stopping the use of some drugs can lead to withdrawal symptoms, delirium, tremors and many other painful and potentially dangerous effects.
Detox centers will offer you a variety of medical intervention techniques to assist you with the effects of drug withdrawal. Depending on your drug or drugs of choice, you may be prescribed sedatives, methadone or other prescription medications. These medications help you to safely withdraw from your more dangerous drug of choice. You will then be slowly tapered off from the replacement prescription drug.
At times the lines are blurred between detox centers and residential drug rehab facilities. Technically, it is the job of detox centers to simply help people withdraw from the drugs before referring them on to outpatient care to finish fighting the drug addiction problem. However, many modern detox centers utilize counseling, group therapy and other techniques that are common to residential drug rehab programs.
The decision between residential drug rehab programs or detox centers may be made by your insurance companies. The recent trend for insurance companies, is to pay for as few days of inpatient treatment as possible. Detox centers, even those that offer counseling and other techniques, generally provide fewer days of inpatient treatment than do residential drug rehab facilities. Detox centers are also considered to provide emergency treatment, which insurance companies are more likely to accept with less documentation.
If you choose to utilize any of the myriad detox centers, you will need follow up care. Detox centers will help you to combat the physical withdrawal symptoms and clean the drugs out of your system. However, lifestyle changes and working through the issues that originally caused your drug addiction problem are necessary to maintain a drug free life. Follow up care can come from residential drug rehab, outpatient drug rehab, sober living facilities or twelve step programs. Many former drug abusers say that they were most successful in step-down programs which provide progressively less structure as you gain more days of sobriety.
In starting the process, a detox center can be an invaluable resource. While they do not offer the full benefits of drug rehab facilities and full treatment resources, a detox center will cleanse the system and help the body repair itself. Detox centers are an often overlooked piece of the drug treatment puzzle, but they are an important part in any program designed to help addicts get clean.
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