Addiction to drugs and other substances like alcohol has become one of the defining issues of our time.
With the advent of more and more addictive prescription drugs being introduced into the market and old classics like alcohol, heroin, and cocaine being more common and affordable (and often more deadly) than ever before, it is no wonder why as a society and as individuals we are struggling with the effects of drugs and drug addiction like never before.
So what can be done about it?
Much is being done about the issue on the grand scale to reduce addiction in the future, but it is almost always purely up to the individual who is suffering or their friends, family, and loved ones to find help for their addiction on their own.
This can be a very daunting task especially for those who don’t know anything about the field of addiction recovery and are now looking at it for the first time to help a loved one who they have learned is struggling with an addiction.
It can be similarly daunting, however, for someone who does know something about the ways of addiction rehab and is just looking at a sea of options without knowing which one might be the best, or what kind of rehab would be right for them.
One thing that can help narrow down the field is drug rehab referrals, recommendations, and reviews.
A referral would be when someone you know such as a doctor or someone who has already successfully gone through rehab gives you a recommendation for where you can look to for help or service.
This can be similar to reviews which are when you look at what people who have been through a particular rehab say about their experiences there and hopefully can attest to how that program helped them.
What referrals and reviews can do for you is first, to narrow the field of potential rehab options, and second, they can give you a good idea of the quality of service and chance of successful treatment that you can expect from a given rehab.
In addition to addiction rehab referrals, it can be helpful to know what sort of different addiction rehabs are out there so you can understand and think with the information you are given in rehab referrals.
There are a great many types of drug addiction rehab that you may encounter in referrals or reviews but they most often fall into a few basic categories.
The basic categories of addiction rehab are as follows.
Short-term inpatient rehab.
This is one of the most common forms of modern addiction rehab. It entails the individual relocating to a treatment center and living there for a period of time usually around 1-2 months in length. During their stay, they detox from the drugs in their system and are supervised through the hardships of withdrawal symptoms. Then they start a program of counseling and treatment designed to help them break free from their addiction and live a new life drug-free. The methods of treatment can differ from rehab to rehab from a twelve-step style program, to a holistic approach promoting an overall healthy lifestyle as part of recovery, to many other forms of treatment.
This is typically the most common method for the treatment of highly addictive or dangerous to detox from drugs and substances.
Outpatient rehab.
This is a very common (and often more affordable than inpatient rehab) treatment method wherein the individual does not relocate, and can continue to live their life and uphold responsibilities such as work, school, or supporting a family.
The individual attends therapy for their addiction in group and/or private sessions and is helped through their recovery.
Individual/group counseling.
Often a major part of other types of rehabs, counseling helps to address not just an addiction but the effect on the person’s life, and any potential underlying reasons or conditions that contributed to their addiction.
There are many other methods of addiction treatment available, but these represent the most common rehabs you will find.
Not all rehabs are alike and no matter what kind of rehab you are looking at it is important to learn as much as you can about it to make sure you agree with their methods and ensure that you think it will help you or your loved one.
So, to get back to the original question, can addiction rehab referrals and reviews help you find the best addiction treatment?
The answer is: yes, they certainly can.
Referrals and reviews provide valuable information which can help you to make the best decision in what can often be one of the hardest times in a person or family’s life.
They can help you narrow the field and decide which options to look at, and help you ensure the high quality and high rate of success of a given rehab.
