When Does Rehab Seem Appropriate for Drug Addiction?

By Gabby Hyman gabby.hyman@hqpublications.com Pharmavita Columnist October 31, 2005

The high-profile news stories of addicted movie stars and rock musicians have popularized drug treatment centers in contemporary folklore. People sling around the term "rehab" as a way of joking about their own drinking or the behavior of a friend. But when drug addiction has become the focal point of someone's life, rehab is no joke.

Addicted people often are convinced that they don't have a problem, and if you suggest that they do, they cross you off their list of friends or family. I have an acquaintance that checked into rehab carrying a set of golf clubs, thinking that he had been squired off to a social club.

Getting Up from the Bottom

Most 28-day drug treatment programs use a multi-faceted approach that includes medical detox, intensive residential counseling, relapse prevention education, and a component that assists family members who have suffered along with the addict.

Following detox, treatment is conducted through individual and group counseling. The aim is to strip away the process that the addict uses to blame everyone else for his or her problems. Following drug treatment, the addict leaves the rehab with a set of tools to prevent relapse -- if he or she chooses to use them. Aftercare can continue for the rest of the addict's life, often in 12-step programs, in a spiritual community, or in counseling groups.

There's a wide range of drug treatment centers, from the lavish, popularized rehab facilities for the well-to-do addict, to the more Spartan quarters of heroic public service agencies like the Salvation Army. All of them utilize the same methodology in preparing the addict for a life that begins after their 28 days are over.

About the Author
Gabby Hyman has written for print and online media for more than 20 years. He has created online content for eToyds, GoTo.com, Siebel Systems, Avaya, and Nissan, UK. He has also been a web consultant to the Governer of California. As an author of fiction, journalism, and poetry, Gabby is a former English professor for the University of Illinois, Universityu of Alaska, and Old Dominion University. He holds an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Alabama.