Addiction is a disease that can be costly to its sufferers. Not only can those addicted to drugs and alcohol go into debt from their disease but they can also lose their jobs, lose their friends and the support of their family and also experience trouble with the legal system. The consequences that addicts can face when they are a slave to their addiction as well as the support of family and friends can sometimes be just the push they need to attend a drug alcohol rehab program.
According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases that can come from both genetic susceptibility and personal behavior. Since some of the behavior may have been genetically inherited, an addict may need to learn different ways to live life without the constant struggle of addiction. In order to prepare for a drug alcohol rehab program, a potential patient should be able to take on the mind frame that he or she needs to learn a different way of living. The addict should be willing to attend counseling sessions and truly examine the way life is being lived and what needs to be changed to be healthier.
For those who have never been addicted to drugs or alcohol, addiction to these substances may be a foreign concept. According to Henry R. Kranzler, M.D., addiction can be compared to an intense craving for a substance. The craving is so powerful that the addict feels dependent on that substance and his or her life revolves around getting more of it. Since the addiction can be so severe for abusers, addiction specialists and counselors may be the only professionals with enough education in the field to help.
Going away to an inpatient rehab may be the best and most successful way for an addict to make life changes. A drug alcohol rehab program offers resources such as counselors, group therapy and addiction treatment. An inpatient clinic can be the most helpful because it takes the patient away from his or her damaging environment. It also helps the addict to see what the addiction was doing to him or her as a person and what a “normal” life should look like without the addiction. The 24-hour care that is offered by an inpatient drug alcohol program is also useful for those addicts dealing with withdrawal symptoms. Most rehab facilities have a nurse on-hand throughout the night for those who may need medication to deal with their withdrawals.
The disease of addiction can often get out of hand for drug and alcohol abusers. A drug alcohol rehab program may help them to get back on track and take their lives back from the addiction. The knowledge and experience that counselors and therapists at a rehab center possess is just what most addicts need to recover.