So what actually happens inside a rehab centre?
Patients are given the medical care they need to break away from their addiction. An addictive substance has many effects on the body and when it is suddenly taken away, the body may go into shock since it has gotten so used to the drugs. A doctor and other medical personnel need to be on hand to ensure that the person suffering from this shock and from the removal of drugs from their system does not die.
Another important facet of rehab is therapy, individual and group counseling and education on how to live as part of society. The therapy and counseling explore such as issues as why there was an addiction in the first place, and what the addiction is covering. It also explores deeper emotions, ones that may lead to feelings of guilt and shame and helps the addict get past those feelings and come to a happier place.
The education is important too, and comes down to teaching these individuals how to live as a part of society without drugs in their lives. They learn a variety of skills from eating right to exercising but most importantly, must learn how to deal with their problems rather than trying to escape them with drugs.
This is one of the most important things an addict can learn and once they have mastered it, can leave rehab. Of course, not every addict gets out of rehab and never touches drugs again and that is why many facilities also have outpatient treatment.
Sometimes, people see addiction treatment centres as rest homes, places where people can rest and relax and take a month off work. While this is not completely untrue, they are much more than that. They do provide those who have addictions with a safe space away from society where they can deal with their addictions and the fact that they may be able to relax is an additional perk.
There are many jokes that tend to fly around about these centres and they are often positioned as mental asylums, places where crazy people go, but this is only because there is such a misunderstanding around addiction. People do not understand that addiction is a disease and needs to be treated by medical professionals.
One of the most important things to know about these centres is that they are essentially about education. They help those who have addiction rewire their brains so that they do not need to depend on drugs to live. They are taught how to deal with problems and how to live as a member of society who deal with issues that can come up any day and at any time.
An addiction centre needs to be accredited with the government. If it is not recognized by the government, there is no way to control what happens there and this is when there is little healing and a lot of extortion of money. A good rehab centre is one that is not only accredited by a government organization, but one that is stocked with medical professionals, doctors and nurses who are registered with the medical counsel.
It is this type of place that patients need to get to in order to start their healing and to manage their addictions and without the essential, such as therapy and medical treatment there is little chance the addicts can heal. So the next time you think about making a rehab-related joke, think about what a centre such as this one does, how it helps those with real diseases and how, if you were in the situation where you needed it, they would help you.
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