Drug addiction is a disease that affects the central nervous system and is suffered by those who are dependent on a substance, such as alcohol, cocaine, or heroin. It is very important that when noticing small signs of addiction, a professional is asked for help to start rehabilitation for drug addicts.
Drug addiction affects all aspects of the individual’s life, not only physically but also causes serious consequences for the family, work, academic, economic, and sentimental situation.
How is the process of rehabilitation for drug addicts?
Drug addiction can be treated, but it is never an easy path since it is not just about stopping consumption, it is a process with several stages that must be overcome to ensure the effectiveness of rehabilitation. In most cases, it is a process that requires long-term attention to be able to recover 100% of life before starting to consume.
Drug rehab is beneficial as it can help you to stop using drugs, and learn to stay away from them and the bad influences that can cause a relapse.
Drug rehab can include behavior therapy, medication help, or a combination of the two. Behavior therapies will be very useful for the individual to strengthen their self-esteem and increase motivation to achieve full rehabilitation.
Psychological support facilitates the treatment of drug addiction by helping to overcome dependence with behavioral therapies, group therapies or motivational groups, family work, etc. There is no single effective treatment since not everyone is affected by a substance in the same way.
There are many factors that will cause different effects and consequences. That is why at Clínicas CITA we adapt all rehabilitation to drug addicts according to their needs. We evaluate each case and develop personalized treatments to guarantee better results.
It is very important that if you have contact with an addicted person, they decide for themselves to ask for help from a center to carry out the corresponding rehabilitation. The individual must realize and accept that he really has a problem and that it causes serious consequences in many aspects of his life, not only for him but also for those around him, as we have mentioned before.
How long does drug rehab last?
The duration of treatment is not an exact science as it depends on many factors. It depends on how many years the addict has been consuming since it is not the same to treat a heroin addict for 6 years as one who has been consuming for 3 months.
On the other hand, it will also influence whether the treatment is residential, that is if there is admission to an addiction treatment center. Or, the treatment is done on an outpatient basis. Other factors that will depend on the duration of treatment are:
- The age of the consumer
- The substance to which you are addicted
- If you have already performed treatments previously
- The amount usually consumed
- Family factors
- Presence of any psychiatric illness
That is why in CITA the patient receives a personalized treatment since each person has many factors that will depend on the treatment process.
We have already said that it is practically impossible to say a duration before starting the treatment. But in the case of admission to a center, an estimate can be made based on the average length of admission. The normal is a stay of approximately three months, although sometimes it has been the case of making a stay of six or nine months.
This does not mean that after three months of treatment all the work is done, but it does mean that the first part of the treatment is completed and it is necessary to move on to the following phases.
As for addiction treatment on an outpatient basis, the duration of treatment is very similar to residential treatment. The main difference is that in exchange for the first three months of admission, a higher frequency of outpatient follow-up appointments is recommended. The duration of said follow-up can be between 12 and 24 months.
In what cases is admission to a detoxification center necessary?
There are a number of cases where admission to a detoxification center is necessary since it is very difficult to treat it on an outpatient basis.
In the first case, when the person presents psychiatric complications such as alcoholic psychosis, toxic psychosis due to drugs, or depression.
Admission will also be necessary when there is a serious medical complication such as nosebleeds due to perforation of the septum, liver failure, or severe heart disease due to cocaine use, among other examples. In this case, before entering an addiction treatment center, a hospital admission would be necessary to treat said medical complications.
Finally, when, despite having the desire to quit the substance to which he is addicted, he cannot do so due to the presence of a craving, the appearance of continuous relapses or the desire to do things well and start treatment professionally in an intensive way, temporarily moving away from a stressful environment that facilitates the consumption of alcohol or drugs.