Families of addicts often struggle with the question, can rehab help their loved ones overcome addiction and lead a normal life? Rehab centers all across the country help addicts abstain from using drugs and alcohol using a variety of options. They all have one goal in common and that is changing lives and giving addicts another chance to work through their addiction.
Therapeutic Setting
One of the reasons that addicts find it so difficult to quit is because of the environment that they are in. At home you they are surrounded by other addicts, peer pressures, familial issues and they need to learn different coping skills to deal with all of it. Coming to a rehab center removes all of that. Many inpatient rehab centers don’t allow any contact with the outside world for the first 30 days. That means no family, friends or even any phone calls. The addiction is given the chance to focus only on their recovery.
Depending on the nature of the addiction, for example opioid addiction, it is a physical addiction and an addict needs medical intervention to get through the detox process. After the detox process is over and the physical symptoms have subsided then it is time for therapy to get to the root of the addiction. Qualified therapists are on staff the help the addict understand their behaviour and how to change it in the future.
Group Therapy
One aspect of rehab is group therapy and it is there an addict can meet other addicts who are struggling with the same issues. The premise of group therapy is to let the addict know that they are not alone in their struggles. It helps to have others around you who understand your struggles and can give you the accountability that you need to stay away from drugs or alcohol. It is this type of accountability that helps with long term recovery.
Does Rehab Help?
Yes, in many cases it does help. Patients with physical addictions would never be able to kick their habit without medical intervention. In some cases the addict may need long term rehab or they may have taken several tries before they commit to being drug or alcohol free. However the patient has to want to live a life of sobriety and effectively work the program so it can work for them. Kicking addiction doesn’t happen overnight and it can take months of intensive therapy to get to a place where they can be a functioning member of society again.