Drug addiction treatment is a long and complicated process that should be almost completely integrated into the life of an addict for a certain period. Many people think that after a short use of drugs or alcohol, treatment is not necessary for a long time, but this is not entirely true. A full course of psycho-social recovery, generally, lasts more than six months. But the individual characteristics of an addict are of great importance.
The first thing that experts pay attention to is the degree of dependence. You might think that the longer a person uses substances, the stronger it is. But it is not always the case. The role of the drug in human life is determined by factors such as age, environment, the degree of psychological susceptibility, and addictive potential. It’s enough for someone to try the drug just once so that later for many years, they fall into the trap of addiction.
Based on all these factors, a person forms a certain level of dependence, which determines the entire future work of specialists in the fight against addiction. Generally, for those who google find a rehab facility near me and come there for the first time, this level is quite high, and a person needs long-term treatment and deep psychoanalysis.
How opiates work
After a delicious meal, kisses, or interesting movies, we feel good because our body produces endorphins. They are a kind of reward to a person. If we have a low level of endorphins, then, on the contrary, we feel dissatisfaction and depression.
Opiates are analogs of endorphins in action. However, they are not excreted by the body. Right after an opiate injection, a person feels a very strong euphoric sensation that lasts several minutes while the drug binds to the receptors. Then, for about 4 to 6 hours, a person experiences satisfaction.
As the drug is removed from the body, symptoms of withdrawal begin sweating, skin redness or blanching, chilling, shaking hands, headache. Usually, it is compared with the extreme flu. Withdrawal starts in about 8 hours after the last injection and becomes unbearable after about 24 hours. Fear of it makes a person take drugs by any means.
Physical dependence
Almost everything is built on the principle of feedback in the body – if a certain substance is released a lot, its synthesis stops, and if not enough, it resumes. Opiates, after a certain period, completely inhibit the synthesis of endorphins. That is how withdrawal appears. The body simply does not have stocks. However, when a person stops using a drug and it eliminates from the body, the synthesis of endorphins resumes. Usually, it takes from 5 (if special detoxification is carried out by the nearest rehab) to 12 days.
Generally, if a person does not have heart disease or some other chronic diseases, withdrawal cannot lead to death. While the synthesis of endorphins does not normalize, the person’s mood can change every five minutes from euphoria to complete emptiness. Finally, the production of endorphins normalizes only after 6 – 12 months.
Psychological addiction
Psychological dependence is much worse than physical. While using drugs, a person does not feel pain. As soon as they stop drinking, depression, loneliness, pain fall upon them. The only way out of the problems seems to be the renewal of using drugs.
It is very difficult to cope alone. Addicts always remember how good they fell before. Psychological dependence cannot be completely removed – just as memory cannot be erased selectively. So it is not enough to find an inpatient drug rehab, you also need to work hard after leaving it.
Stages of drug rehabilitation
The goal of the drug addiction rehabilitation system is to restore the patient’s personality so that they can take control of their behavior and start life from scratch. That is why detoxification is required at the first stage; rehabilitation by the direct work of psychotherapists, psychiatrists, narcologists, psychologists, social workers, consultants is required at the second stage. A created social environment provides a patient with all possible support, along with medical and psychological methods.
Psychological rehabilitation of drug addicts involves the use of drugs to correct residual disorders, such as depression. On average, the first stage lasts three months.
The second stage is the implementation of acquired knowledge in real life after leaving the rehabilitation center. At this stage, the patient gets support in outpatient psychological groups, as well as assistance in finding a job. A patient needs to believe in their strength.
Special programs in drug rehabilitation centers
The drug rehabilitation program is a plan of comprehensive measures to return the patient to normal life. There are several models of social rehabilitation for drug addicts that bring good results.
12 steps
This program was created in the USA in the 1930s and quickly spread to other countries. Now the 12 Steps is more about the ideology on which other programs are built. It is a consistent way of recognizing a person’s inability to cope independently with drug addiction to accepting help. Under the programs with the ideology of the 12 Steps, tens of millions of people are treated all over the world. There is no particular timeline for it: it can take 90 days for you to finish it or some years. Process and results depend on your motivation, health, level of addiction.
Therapeutic Communities
Rehabilitation of drug addicts is more effective when they are placed in a therapeutic community. There, patients with a diagnosis of drug addiction jointly prepare for life without drugs in the outside world. Life in such a community, subordinated to the general routine and motivated by common moral values, launches an unconscious process of adaptation. Old values are transformed and acquire a healthy shade. The therapeutic community forms clear norms and standards in which there is no place for drugs. This is a model of society, following which the patient can restore and work out lost skills, find support in solving their problems.
Post-rehabilitation support
This part of rehabilitation depends on the public and state initiatives to support former drug addicts in their desire to return to normal life, find a job, and develop various hobbies. You can find help at outpatient programs organized at rehabilitation centers, relatives, and friends. You can also turn to support from church organizations or look for state-funded programs. If you don’t know how to find a rehab center, it is better to call a hotline first.
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