Not everyone knows how very deep and thorough a good rehab program must be to provide an addicted person a chance to ensure their survival, and their success. There is, of course, no overnight cure, or even overnight treatment for addiction to drugs and alcohol. Because getting to the point of addiction is itself a process, it is imperative that steps be taken to slowly bring a person out of drug and alcohol addiction. Even those living with addiction may not know that there are may be over a dozen people involved in a single person’s recovery from a life that has killed many people. Having an understanding of the amazing, multi-dimensional approach that comes with a good rehab program offers an enticing option for those having difficulties that have led them to abuse controlled substances.
Interventionists
Getting a loved one into a reputable drug and alcohol rehabilitation program can be a difficult and taxing undertaking with a low chance of success. Families might struggle for a long time with an addicted loved one, but there is another solution to getting rehab started for a person in need: an intervention. While there are steps that can be taken on the part of the family to stage an intervention themselves, it is best to hire a trained professional. An interventionist is a type of therapist whose specialty is creating a warm, compassionate environment for an addicted person’s family and friends to convince them to try to go to rehab. This process should, ideally, be led by the trained interventionist, but every case and every person is different. A successful intervention could mean a more successful stay in rehab, which is an essential to lifelong sobriety.
It is possible, of course, that a professional intervention won’t work; while interventionists have a strong success rate, there are individuals for whom this process doesn’t work, and require a different approach. Whatever the best route for your loved one, the first step is and will always remain the most important step to recovery.
Social Workers
Social workers are important figures in the fight against addiction. Their job is typically to assess the type and severity of the additions of each addicted person in a rehab center, maintain a record of treatments given and by whom, work closely with the doctors and psychiatrists to develop a plan for treatment, and try to assist the person with job seeking and transitioning back to daily life. As much as they do, they aren’t responsible for administering medication, but they are responsible for ensuring that there is progress with treatment for each patient to whom they’re assigned. Social workers also set realistic goals for their patients, and try to help them stay on track for a successful stay in rehab. Social workers also will often share duties with therapists, offering guidance and a listening ear for families struggling with a loved one’s addictions.
Therapists
Whatever drives a person to become addicted to drugs and alcohol, the entire journey is very deeply scarring and difficult. While social workers are an excellent resource for anyone living with addiction to drugs and alcohol, part of rehab is regularly attending sessions with a therapist. Psychiatrists may also need to evaluate and diagnose an incoming patient, making sure that a person’s conditions have all been addressed. Sometimes, a person living with addiction may be unaware of how past or childhood trauma may be affecting them. Many people living with addiction are also living with undiagnosed mental illness; for this, among other reasons, therapists and psychiatrists are invaluable staff members that are part of treating the root causes of addiction.
Doctors
Medical detox is an unavoidable step in the majority of drug and alcohol addiction cases in any rehabilitation center. Unbeknownst to most people, there are dozens of prescriptions drugs on the market that, when used within their directions, can help with safely cleansing a body and detaching it from addiction. Doctors prescribe medicine for patient treatment plans, monitor patients receiving therapy, and also recommend medicine for withdrawal symptoms, if necessary.
Usually, nurses are also employed by rehab centers, and share a variety of medical duties, including administering medication, and monitoring patients as they recover from addiction. Without medical staff at rehab facilities, it might be impossible for any drug and alcohol addiction treatment program to successfully treat people recovering from addiction. Having medical staff available for treatment and for emergencies is not only central in the fight against addiction, it offers anyone entering a program a comforting reassurance that their health and safety is a priority.
Fellow Recovering People
Of everyone that a recovering person will encounter in rehab, fellow patients are among the most important. Part of the reason that fellow attendees are so important has to do with camaraderie: getting through a difficult time is hard without or without an understanding family, but even with support from friends and family, there is nothing that can compare to spending time with a group of people having a very similar experience. Having someone who is truy empathetic to the journey an addicted person has had is invaluable. Support from friends and family is always valuable, but without understanding the difficulty of living with dependence, everything may not be something that they understand.
The greater value of befriending people while completing a rehab program is the in-person social network that is created in a rehab facility. Having someone to talk to or to turn to after rehab is essential to staying sober. Staying in touch with friends made during rehab can help a person stay on track, reminded of the enormous accomplishment of completing rehab, and staying sober. It’s also important for a formerly addicted person to consider joining sober meetups, and getting in touch with sober living facilities, and getting involved in a sober community.
Whenever you or a loved one is living with addiction, the choices are never easy, but no one has to go through it alone. Contacting a reputable rehab facility is the first step to a better tomorrow.
