March 17th, 2008 by jgold454

The overall process of addiction treatment has three stages. These are medical detox, rehabilitation, and aftercare. Each stage is an important part of the recovery process.

Detox
Unfortunately, many addicts go through detox from drugs and alcohol and think they’re finished with addiction treatment. In reality, this should only be the very beginning of a path to recovery. The goal of detox is to rid the body of the substances and toxins left from substance abuse. Medications and/or alternative medicines are usually used to help make the patient comfortable. After the first few days, the focus in on rebuilding the body’s health through a nutritional diet and sometimes exercise. Treatments such as massage, saunas, and herbal remedies are said to speed up the process.

Rehabilitation
This is a necessary step in order for the patient to achieve long-term recovery. Without counseling and education, there is little to stop an individual from returning to alcoholism or drug addiction. In a rehab facility, the addict should learn tools to help change old behaviors. They should be taught skills for avoiding relapse by staying away from high risk situations, avoiding triggers, and managing cravings. Many varieties of counseling and psychological methods are used.

Aftercare
Not all treatment facilities offer aftercare services, though they have been shown to be very beneficial in helping an individual in addiction recovery. Aftercare is continuing support which is offered to the patient in the form of things like phone calls and further counseling sessions to check up on them after they have left the addiction treatment center. It can be more difficult to keep up the behavior changes that have been made when the individual returns home. A good aftercare program should continue to the person as necessary and notice if a relapse is likely to occur. If the patient does return to alcoholism or drug addiction, they should be able to return to treatment.