Drug Rehab Centers: Drug Treatment Centers

Drug treatment centers range from a designated area in a hospital to a separate structure designed specifically for drug abuse treatment. Drug treatment centers may be public or private and may have a sliding scale of payment amount.

Treatment centers for drug abuse are designed to deliver most or all of the needed services for someone wishing to quit substance abuse. Drug abuse centers typically provide:

• Medical services
• Multiple types of counseling, often including counseling for family members
• Life skills training
• Peer support
• Aftercare programs for when the drug abuser leaves rehabilitation

Drug Treatment Center - Drug Abuse Detox

Some drug treatment centers are designed to handle medical detoxification while other treatment centers for drug abuse only accept patients after medical detox has taken place elsewhere. For drug abuse rehab to offer detox, medical personnel must be on staff to observe and provide support during the period immediately after the drug abuser quits their drug of choice. Medical detoxification often involves the prescription of medication to ease initial withdrawal symptoms. Medical oversight of detoxification is critical for some drugs, like alcohol, as withdrawal effects can be life-threatening.

Drug Treatment Center - Residential Drug Treatment

Some drug abusers do not have safe home environments; they may be homeless or live in dangerous situations. In this case, a residential drug treatment center may be their best option for getting clean. In residential drug treatment, the drug abuser lives full-time at the treatment center for drug abuse. The residential drug treatment center will provide all food and lodging as well as drug abuse treatments like psychotherapy and drug addiction support groups. The benefits of a residential drug treatment program include:

• A safe living environment
• New, healthy routines including diet and exercise
• The ability to focus solely on drug rehab
• Being removed from outside triggers that may cause relapse
• Being surrounded by those with the same goals

Drug Treatment Center - Outpatient Drug Treatment

While residential drug treatment has benefits, many cannot afford to stay in residential drug treatment due to the cost, or cannot be away from family and work for extended periods of time. For this reason, drug treatment centers also offer outpatient drug treatment.

Outpatient drug abuse rehab often consists of the same basic services as residential drug treatment but does so in a drug abuse program that can be taken during the day with patients returning home each night. Outpatient drug rehab may offer courses all day, or only part of the day, for example, in the evenings for those who work during the day. This type of drug abuse center often mixes residential and non-residential patients together for some therapies like support groups.

Outpatient drug abuse rehab may be available through drug treatment centers or through medical facilities like hospitals. The advantages of outpatient drug abuse rehab include:

• Ability to live at home, particularly beneficial for those with a family
• Ability to work while attending rehab
• May cost less

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