How to Choose a Drug Rehabilitation Center

According to Wikipedia.org, drug addiction is defined as "the compulsive use of psychoactive drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use." Since drug addiction is a complex illness, it has so many dimensions and disturbs so many aspects of an individual's life, dealing with this ailment is anything but simple.

When a person is at a ‘no control’ stage, drug rehabs must help the person discontinue use of drugs and maintain a drug-free lifestyle, while gaining productive functioning in the family, at work, and in society. There are many reasons why a person would need to attend a drug rehabilitation program. Some of them are: the inability to control drinking or drug use, cutting themselves off from their friends and family, criminal offenses, and problematic behavior at work. At such facilities, through therapy and education, the individual is helped to gain their former self. They are then able to become part of the society.

Now, let’s think about drug rehab centers and what images do you conjure? Resort-like facility or a strict hospital-like setting? Chances are, your perception does not cover the entire spectrum of drug treatment centers. Since there are several different types of drug rehabilitation programs available ranging from inpatient, outpatient, residential, short-term, and long-term, it helps to learn what’s out there and how to choose one. Here are a few:

First of all, gauge the situation by considering the following factors in the life of the individual who needs the drug treatment:

1. Age of individual

2. Insurance options

3. Type of drug used

4. History of criminal offenses if any

5. Friends and family support

6. Number of times the individual needed the treatment

7. Is the individual psychologically addicted and will they require complete behavioral alterations?

8. Will they have withdrawal symptoms?

After accessing the individual, you need to ask questions similar to the following to your physician, counselor and especially the drug treatment programs.

1. What types of medications are used in the treatment?

2. Which types of vitamins and/or natural treatments are used?

3. What is the counselor-to-patient ratio?

4. How do they medically manage withdrawal symptoms?

5. Test or assess infectious illnesses such as TB, HIV, Hepatitis etc.

6. Also, how long is the treatment program?

7. Are families involved?

8. What is the cost?

These and similar questions can help you find out more about the different drug treatment centers.

How do you access if the individual will need residential treatment programs? Residential treatments are geared toward those who have been addicted for a long time. These are usually longer programs and try to educate individuals to live in a drug-free community.

It is said that the best rehab programs are those that are structured to an individuals needs. This needs taking into consideration the individual’s race, age, culture, gender, employment, past drug history, criminal behavior and history of physical or sexual abuse. In choosing the drug treatment program, observe individuals within the drug program and notice their seriousness. It has been know that those who may have only tried a few drugs get more excited about trying other drugs when around serious drug users.

In most all drug rehab centers, regardless of their differences, they have one major goal: try to get the individual back to a drug-free lifestyle. Often times this requires more than one drug treatment and sometimes multiple attempts within a drug treatment center. Do not be discouraged. Do your part in researching and hopefully you will be able to find a drug rehabilitation center that will fulfill your requirements.

Danah Yousuf is a freelance writer and a full-time mom. Her work and poems have been published in periodicals overseas and has written extensively for women and children.