Addiction treatment is the process of detoxing drugs out of one’s system. Although physical withdrawal doesn’t last for more than a few months (for instance, in the case of a heavy heroin addiction), psychological symptoms may never go away completely but over time they become manageable and people learn to live happy lives in long-term recovery.
Addiction treatment comes in many forms, such as doing an at-home detox or going to an in-patient addiction treatment centre, out-patient addiction treatment such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) or private outpatient treatment service.
Inpatient Rehab Treatment in South Africa
In-patient addiction treatment is usually the most successful process, as addicts will be in an environment away from temptations, have professional counselling sessions and be around people with whom they can relate to.
They will be supervised and unable to contact old dealers to get drugs.
In-patient addiction treatment, however, is also very expensive and many people cannot afford it. Often if patients are on an existing medical aid, the medical aid will cover a portion of, if not all of the price of the residential treatment.
Addiction treatment like AA or NA is a very good support structure once a detox in an in-patient treatment centre has been completed, but as a stand-alone treatment, success varies depending on the level of addiction. Many alcohol abusers have success with going to regular AA meetings, but relapse rates are very high for NA members addicted to heroin or methamphetamine unless they properly detox first.
Home Detox
Doing an at-home detox to treat addiction may have success depending on the addict and his/her surroundings. Heroin, alcohol, methamphetamine, benzodiazepine withdrawal can be severe and cause seizures, so quitting cold-turkey is not recommended.
Addiction treatment is different for every addict, and some things may work for certain addicts while others will not. There is no excuse not to get help for addiction. Before attempting any home detox, one should read our recovery guide and make informed decisions, preferably with the assistance of a specialist addiction counsellor before undertaking a home detox.
Whatever addiction treatment is chosen, it is the responsibility of the addict to stay clean, there is no one that can force them or watch them all day every day. Getting clean off drugs is a long and hard path and the addict needs to be surrounded by support and leave bad influences behind and avoid situations where they may be tempted. Addiction treatment goes beyond rehabilitation, as the saying goes – Once an addict, always an addict. The psychological struggles will always continue, but having a solid support structure will greatly help in their addiction treatment.
Drug addiction is a disorder that can be treated through lifestyle changes and sometimes with medication as well.
Addiction treatment centres all offer different treatment plans and programs so one should be quite thorough when choosing a drug rehab centre. When looking at the many different therapies available for those who are dealing with addiction and substance abuse, you need to look at the whole picture because these therapies generally do not work very well in isolation. For example, therapy alone is not nearly as effective as therapy and medication combined. This is why the best option is to look for a drug and alcohol treatment centre that offers a rehab programs that incorporates many different types of treatments.
We strive to provide all the information and different types of treatments for individuals struggling with drug addiction. Popular treatments that have been proven to be successful include the following:
Counselling / Therapy
This is perhaps the best known form of treatment that is offered to those trying to deal with their drug addiction. However, there are many different types of counselling or therapy that individuals can benefit from while at a rehab treatment centre. These include group therapy, individual therapy or counselling and family therapy sessions. Therapy or counselling can be offered by psychotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists or a trained addiction counsellor who has perhaps overcome their own addiction. We encourage all those taking part in drug addiction treatment to give each type of therapy a fair chance as each of them has their own merit.
Medication
Not many people are aware that just like you would be prescribed medication if you had a heart condition, addicts are often prescribed medication to help alleviate the symptoms of withdrawal and help function as a constructive member of society. This medication is generally only required in extreme cases where the individual has been addicted and using a particular drug for an extended period of time. Opiates, for example, are some of the most difficult addictions to kick.
Creative undertakings
Art and craft activities of all kinds are encouraged and are very popular among those seeking treatment for drug abuse and addiction. Treatment centres who believe in the holistic approach to overcoming addiction will most certainly offer patients the opportunity to enjoy art sessions working with different mediums.
Alternative therapy
We fully endorse alternative therapies as complimentary therapy while receiving treatment for a drug addiction. Therapies that have been known to be quite effective include reiki, massage therapy and nutritional therapy.
If you need any further information about any of the above mentioned drug addiction treatment options then please do not hesitate to contact us.
Addiction treatment is available through many different suppliers in South Africa. If you are the more holistically inclined patient looking for a slightly different approach to your addiction problems, or if you are simply at a loss with western treatment and its possible lack of effect on you, you may be interested in looking into a holistic addiction treatment program.
Many rehabilitation centres offer only the traditional addiction treatment programs, but some lesser known and less westernized centres will offer a different treatment for your addiction problems. In the rural beautiful areas of the country, from barrydale in the Karroo to the forests of hogsbacks, are centres specialising in a holistic, eastern approach to addiction rehabilitation. With combinations of counselling, meditation, yoga and seeking peace in nature, they claim to have the same if not better recovery rates than the standard clinics whilst allowing the user to escape the city and any temptation which it may hold, be that a dealer, friends with addiction problems or stress.
If this is not your desired treatment plan for your addiction, there are many centres offering straight forward rehabilitation very close to home. These centres are run in a traditional western medicine approach to drug rehab, if you end up in one of theses clinics, you will be assisted pharmaceutically with the withdrawal process to ensure that you get through it without relapse or severe health issues.
Centres like this are also run by medical practitioners capable of prescribing and understanding prescription medication.
A heroin addict will enter a clinic like this with the comforting knowledge that they will be treated with methadone in order to help them through the withdrawal process. Methadone is a schedule 6 drug which is prescribed to assist in cold turkey withdrawal from opiate drugs such as heroin, although the addicts may shift their addiction to methadone rather than heroin, it is without the serious side effects and much easier to be weaned off of.
Addiction should be treated early and effectively, if you get to a point where you are in denial of having a problem then you may already be very far down the road with an addiction problem.
Apart from the known addictions such as alcohol, drugs (both illicit and prescription) and nicotine there are many more recently identified forms which are now commonly acknowledged such as gambling, sex and food, addiction.
Regardless of what form of addiction, an addict has some chance of recovery once they acknowledge their addiction. Recovery, however, is difficult if not impossible without some form of treatment. The most common form of treatment is admission to a rehabilitation centre, therapy or both.
An important element in the treatment of addiction and rehabilitation is that the choice is made by the addict and there is no force or trickery involved. There are three distinct stages of addiction recovery, namely medical, psychological and social.
In order to alleviate the anxiety of any addict entering a rehabilitation centre, the addict needs to feel at ‘home’. It is important that they feel that the staff and fellow addicts understand their predicament before they can face the challenges of detox, therapy and finally equip themselves with the life strategies that can help them cope with whatever challenges face them in life after rehabilitation.
Detoxification can be very difficult or painful but this is only the physical aspect of the process; there is always an underlying psychological reason for dependence or addiction. If this is not addressed, there is little chance that the addict will not revert to their old habits. In fact many rehabilitation programs are criticised for merely replacing an addiction with prescribed drugs. Prescribed drugs can be used as part of the medical process to assist in detox.This can be a means but not an end in itself. In order to free the addict of their compulsive behaviour the cause needs to be found and treated, not just the symptom.
The final stage of treatment for addiction is often overlooked and without this stage, the treatment fails. The recovered addict needs support and skills to face whatever the future has to offer. This stage is vital and when this stage has not been part of treatment and the recovered addict is for some reason unable to join a support group, it is essential to have moral support from friends or family.
Locations of Addiction Treatment Facilities
Outside of Cape Town, if you are looking for some of Johannesburg’s best addiction treatment facilities, here is a list of locations that offer premium care at both residential and outpatient programs levels. If you don’t see a local facility near you, please feel free to use the form below to ask our counsellors or view our complete guide to rehab locations in South Africa.