diyhealth.com

Desperate times calls for desperate measures – the agony of sending your loved one to rehab

rehab

Addiction of any kind is a disease- a disease of the mind, which can wreck not just one’s life but also the lives of one’s near ones. Substance abuse is a killer but it doesn’t just apply when the person succumbs because of it, it kills slowly. Watching a loved one getting addicted to drugs and alcohol can be tragic, and there comes a time when some steps are needed, sending them to a rehabilitation center is one of the best things a family or friend can do. It is an extreme step and still holds a stigma in modern society, but it must be taken.

Addiction and its repercussions

addicted to alcohol

The condition of being addicted to a substance is a slow and gradual process. It usually starts with someone ingesting a certain drug or alcohol and becoming enslaved by it. A raw craving for the substance arises which derails the person’s private and professional life. Neglecting people and activities becomes the norm. Slowly their appearance suffers followed by abnormal behavior and even risk taking endeavors. Addicts have been known to go to great lengths to find their fix, and this can be a terrible thing for family members and relatives to witness.

What one must keep in mind is that addiction is beyond an addict’s self control, and it is usually a sign that the person is in some kind of pain. A physical discomfort is understandable for example, medical marijuana is given as anesthetic to many amputees, but usually there is a psychological or deep seated mental scar which causes the person to depend on a substance to relieve them of their anexiety.

Repercussions of addiction range from destructive and aloof behavior to getting dangerously close to harming the body, leading to an untimely death.

Addressing the issue

sending-your-loved-one-to-rehab

Much before confining to a center, it is important to talk about it with the addict, which can be especially hard if the addict is a family member. Drug and alcohol dependants cannot see right from wrong, their judgments are often clouded by the drug’s effect on their minds. It is important to start slow: Tell them it isn’t wrong to take the substance, but in moderation. This is a start. Slowly start moving forward: tell them about local detoxification and recovery program. Chances are this will upset the addict, but if said with conviction and warmth, it can be done.  Getting a counselor is a step worth considering as they have expertise and knowledge a layman does not.

On the other side, one should also keep researching about the drug in use and its effects. There are many treatment options at hand, and even different centers approach the matter differently: It is important to be aware of every option and if it is financially feasible for you. Although drug rehabilitation centers are not expensive by any means, many bills add up.

Rehab and how to go about it

addicted to drugs

Although, well represented in mass media due to the rich and famous heading into it, rehabilitation centers are still out of the general public’s consciousness. Most people understand the word rehab but do not really know the necessary steps to get information and go about sending a loved one to one. It is important to learn as much as possible about the center- whether it is an inpatient or outpatient facility. Outpatient is when the patient stays at home and goes routinely to the facility for counseling and treatment, whereas inpatients live on site inside the facility. Some centers focus on group therapy and others are on a one on one basis. Some facilities also offer extended care and these are quite popular too for obvious reasons.

Duration is also a choice with the most popular option being the 28 day program. Many facilities also offer nutritional choices and life skills which go beyond basic drug addiction. Most importantly you must decide if the programs at offer would be suitable for your loved one.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and if the need arises for an addict to be admitted, it should be considered. The patient might feel bad about it. But it is a necessary step to battle drug and alcohol dependency.

Today's Top Articles:

Scroll to Top