April 14th, 2008 by jgold454

For the most part, drug rehabilitation (or drug rehab, or just rehab) has been relegated to meaning the process which an individual becomes involved in for either physiological or psychological reasons, in order to alleviate their dependency on prescription or “street drugs. Since the consequences of prolonged abuse are usually financial, legal, physical, psychological, or social, the intent of a rehab program is to assist the patient in ceasing the abuse and/or dependency.

The drug rehabilitation process addresses the addiction/dependency as both physical and psychological in nature. In order to cope with the withdrawal symptoms that result from the chronic use of a drug, the detoxification process is necessary in order to help the person return to a normal life. It may take the body weeks or even months to return to its normal function, depending on the severity of the abuse and the type of drug that has been ingested.

With the physical aspects of drug addiction there is a tolerance that builds up during the period of abuse. In order to achieve the desired effect, one must consume increasingly larger amounts of the drug the longer they expose their bodies to it. Interestingly enough, despite being under the influence of the drug, some people appear to be functioning normally and consequently, their behavior does not arouse any suspicion.

From the psychological standpoint of dependency, the goal is to teach the person how to function living in a drug-free environment. In fact, they are usually admonished to end friendships that they have had with people involved in consuming addictive substances. The various 12 Step Programs encourage this along with teaching the person how to learn the habits of drug addiction and how to change them. Most of these programs also teach the individual that rehab is an ongoing process that never culminates.