Drug Rehab for Meth Addiction

Meth is one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs abused today. Thankfully, even the most severely addicted people can make lasting recoveries with today's drug rehab programs. Due to medical advances over the last several decades, addiction specialists have been able to develop a myriad of effective addiction treatments. Here are a few of the proven methods which rehab clinics use to help people recover from meth addiction.

Rapid Detox

Most people who come to rehab clinics with severe physical drug dependencies require detoxification. Detox is a five to fourteen-day process of drug deprivation that weans addicts of their constant and immediate needs for drugs. It doesn't cure addiction - nothing does - but it allows rehab patients to effectively engage their therapies.

In the case of meth addiction, however, normal detox methods can involve risk of breathing problems, seizures, and even heart attack. To mitigate these symptoms, doctors sometimes use specialized medicines to induce rapid detox. Meth addicts can experience days of withdrawal within hours, limiting the time they spend exposed to high-risk withdrawal symptoms.

Inpatient Treatment

Because meth causes such severe addictions, addicts typically require inpatient rehabilitation programs. Inpatient treatment lasts one to three months and requires addicts to live at their treatment facilities. Patients receive fifty or more hours of therapy per week - therapies which help them make rapid but lasting lifestyle changes.

There are a variety of effective therapies for addiction treatment, but the most common ones are called evidence-based therapies. These primarily include individual counseling, group discussions, and family therapy, and they are the most rigorously tested treatments available today.

Individual Counseling

All evidence-based therapies are effective, but one-on-one counseling sessions are the most important aspect of most addicts' recoveries. During counseling, addicts discover the root causes of their addictions and learn to identify their triggers - the people, places, and objects which lead them to use drugs.

Once they have made these personal discoveries, addicts can effectively formulate plans to avoid their triggers and deal with drug cravings. Addiction last a lifetime, and these coping strategies are crucial for staying sober when life's unpredictable situations cause cravings to reemerge.

Biofeedback Therapy

Meth is one of the most physically damaging illicit drugs, and users often lose their abilities to identify the physical warning signs of impending cravings. To restore this kind of mind-body connection, rehab clinicians use specialized biofeedback machines to monitor patients' vital signs. They the teach addicts the connections between physical stressors and drug cravings, allowing them to avoid future temptations to use.

Sweeping Lifestyle Changes

In most cases, addicts must make drastic changes to their lifestyles to maintain the clean lives they begin during rehab. In most cases, they must cut ties with old friends who still use drugs - even if those are the only friends they have. Since stress so often leads people to relapse, they must also change their careers, social circles, and living arrangements to create low-stress environments.

Meth addiction can make life seem utterly hopeless, but even the most severely dependent users can get clean. If you're struggling with meth or other drugs, click the links below to locate the treatment centers in your area. Drug rehab can help make life worth living again - all you have to do is ask for help.

Various Approaches To Alcohol And Drug Abuse Rehabilitation

Drug and alcohol abuse is a malice that afflicts all sections of the society and spares almost no one. Countless lives have been cut short and many more have been crippled by drugs and liqueur. But in the midst of grim statistics are stories of revival and courageous fightbacks. "Platoon" and "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen is in the news, for all the wrong reasons and stories of his drug abuse days are doing the rounds. In fact, his father Martin Sheen has gone so far as to attribute his current problems to his addiction. But, in this context, it is worth remembering that Charlie Sheen has fought his probelam and successfully completed a drug abuse rehabilitation program.

Alcohol and drug abuse rehabilitation encompasses varied approachesmedical, spiritual, and holistic. In the medical method, the patient is treated at specialized clinics with trained and licensed physicians and care-givers. The patient is constantly kept under supervision and his withdrawal symptoms and recuperative process are monitored.

The 12-step substance abuse rehabilitation program is a historic method of treatment, originally published in the book Alcoholics Anonymous way back in 1939. This spiritual approach to treating substance abuse has been defined by the American Psychological Association as a process where the patient first admits to having a drug abuse problem, then recognizes that there is a higher power that can help him if he admits to and then amends his past misconduct, and finally adopts a new and improved way of living and tries to help others with the same afflictions. This rehabilitation program also combines group therapy sessions where like-minded individuals can empathize and help each other along the path of recovery. Many alcohol and drug abuse rehabilitation centers follow variations of this 12-step program depending on the specific needs of the patient.

The holistic approach to alcohol and drug abuse rehabilitation may be a combination of both traditional and non-traditional methods of treating drug dependency in an individual. In recent times, some alternative forms of holistic treatment methodologies have come to the forefront, like those where nutritional and dietary supplements are prescribed. There are also some others that involve meditation sessions, listening to relaxation tapes, and going in for bio-feedback. Many physicians believe that physical training sessions are critical to rehabilitation and hence also include yoga and exercise regimes in the program.

Counseling, both of the patient and his family members, is another integral part of a drug or alcohol abuse rehabilitation program. Individual counseling sessions help a patient deal with his stress, improve his self-esteem, and also strengthen his mind so that he can stay away from temptations in the future.

There are many forms of alcohol and drug abuse rehabilitation programs. None is superior, but the implementation of any one or a combination of a few depends on the specifics of the case under consideration.