By Merv Nash
DETOXIFICATION
Some substances are more physically addictive than others. In many cases, the level of physical addiction is proportional to the length of time for which they are used. The act of flushing harmful chemicals residues from the bloodstream and repairing physiological systems to their normal natural state is known as detoxification. Going through detox brings on a condition known as withdrawal which is a state of anxiety and craving for the drugs being washed out as they leave the body. This is the very reaction from the drug that trapped the person into taking more of it in the first place, otherwise known as addiction. Obviously, getting a person through this safely and with as little pain and uncontrollable craving is a critical part of any detox program. All good rehab facilities have the services of a competent medical professional at hand monitoring the individual as they go through this part of the program.
EASING THE PAIN
As well as medical monitoring to see that the person is never beyond their ability to get safely through the detox some programs have regimens of diet and supplements which can greatly ease this experience.
COMPLETELY REMOVING DRUGS FROM THE BODY
The other thing that has been discovered is that drugs lodge in the fatty tissues in the body. This is quite a major discovery. This discovery explains why relapses occur. You see, nearly all drugs are fat based substances which means that they do not dissolve in water so don't just wash out of the person's system no matter how much they drink or sweat in an attempt to clean themselves of drugs. What does happen is, because they are fat based substances, small amounts of them are attracted to the fatty tissues in the body where they lodge more or less permanently. One of the things that can release them back into the bloodstream again is exercise or any strong physical activity. This causes the person to get a taste of the drugs again and experience craving and is actually how craving occurs. If a rehab program does not address this issue and wash these residues out, the person will eventually revert. This point alone accounts for the majority of program failures.
LIFE SKILLS
There is another aspect to rehabilitation rarely covered and that is the area prior to addiction. What was the person doing that caused them to become susceptible to drugs? Unless this is addressed and handled the person, even though now clean, can be talked back into starting over again. A program that does not address this area of the person's life and provide them with effective teaching, training and coaching to strengthen their character will also fail the person. This does not mean simply lecturing at them and telling them where they went wrong. It means getting them to fully understand all their actions and decisions that got them into drugs, increase their knowledge about living and help them develop useful life skills so they can determine for themselves what they want to achieve after they leave the center drug free.
Substance abuse is a significant, financial, and community health problem. Drugs and alcohol are the primary poisons which diminish the health of citizens, neighborhoods and cities as a whole. Treating substance abuse is a challenging ordeal and for that reason it requires total commitment from the center with well-defined rehab procedures. Complete program results can only be fully attained at an in-house rehabilitation facility. Furthermore, it is critical that you carefully choose a professional rehabilitation organization that addresses the issues mentioned and consequentially will be able to demonstrate a very high level of success.