One of the most common types of drug and alcohol rehabs involve those making use of the 12 steps from alcoholics anonomous. The basis of the 12 steps involve an admission of one’s powerlessness over drugs or alcohol. By then asking assistance from a Higher Power, ( God, the Universe, Budda, or whatever your belief system is) you go through a process involving the other steps to rebuild your life.

Tweleve Step programs have a couple of advantages that are apparent no matter what style of program it is. One is that they are 12 step meetings all over the world. When you leave the rehab treatment center, you will always be able to find a meeting to attend if you want to connect.

These programs are usually somewhat cheaper to run, so they may be less expensive. All the materials for the 12 steps are readily available at a reasonable cost. Because 12 steps involve a lot of self-help or group help type meetings again they are simpler and easier to run.

These Steps and Traditions have been around for over 50 years so there is a lot of history and it certainly has a long established track record. The success rate for 12 step drug and alcohol rehabs obviously varies from place to place. The data does seem to show that 12 step rehabs work better with male alcoholics over 45, than other types of clients.

There are also a few common dislikes or drawbacks if you wish to treatment programs following the 12 Steps. The involvement of a “higher power” creates a problem or roadblock for some clients. Some people balk at this as well as the requirement of an admission of powerlessness. I am not saying these steps are wrong, but that if someone has a large block against them, most of a 28 day program may be wasted fighting over their validity to someone who is dead set against them. This wastes the clients money and time as well as that of the rehab.

The other concern is that of attending AA style meetings where the group is not homogeneously sober. Most 12 Step meetings have people actively using, some struggling to stop, and others of varying degrees of sobriety. When you are struggling to stop using drugs or alcohol, sometimes sitting besides someone who is actively using is too much temptation. So being able to attend meetings after you leave rehab may not be such a great advantage as first hoped for.

The last concern expressed by clients who found 12 step not for them is the feeling that 12 step programs are the “only” way to long term sobriety. They felt that if they didn’t live the 12 steps they were doomed to failure. While I do not doubt these rehabs conviction, the data shows there are several ways to long term sobriety, 12 steps just being one of them.

Drug addiction is different in different people. So having a myriad of choices in treatment centers is a good thing….right? Like most things in life the answer is yes….and no. The number of choices and types of rehabs available means the most certainly is a style and mode of treatment available to match your needs and personality. This is good. However, there is no true all encompassing, objective and fair evaluation group regularly checking and describing all the different rehabs out there. So you have to become an educated consumer all on your own. This may or may not be so good. Obviously families are going through a lot of tension and stress internally at the same time as trying to figure out all the differences and what they may mean in the different drug and alcohol rehab centers. The crisis nature of the situation means that you may have to learn this information quickly and hit the ground, running so to speak. Most drug treatment centers are not free, so mistakes in choosing a rehab can be an expensive lesson you will want to avoid. Over the next few days, I will be going over some of these different types, as well as some possible advantages and disadvantages of each. Hopefully this will help in turning all the choices in rehabs into an advantage for you.

When you go to drug or alcohol rehab, one of the main things most clients are looking for is good, competant counseling. It can really form one of the core elements of your addiction treatment. Obviously what you should be looking for are people with formal training in psycolology, as well experience in dealing with addictions or compulsive behavior. Assuming you have some individuals that meet those criterion, let’s look at the steps that you can take to get the most out of your sessions.

1) Come with an open mind- Even if some of the suggestions don’t seem directly related to your concerns, be flexible and try them. After all, you own best thoughts and efforts in the past din’t change your behavior. Maybe something different will.

2) Come prepared- If you were to try some homework exercises, or do some reading….. do them. If you have concerns you wish to cover, write them down clearly before your appointment.

3) Be totally honest. If you can’t discuss something with total honesty simply tell your counselor you are not ready to answer that question yet. Above all do not lie about something you are uncomfortable about. This simply puts the process in reverse, and slows your drug rehab process.

4) Decide on your goals in counseling- Then try to breakdown a timeframe that seems resonable and honest to get that done. You cannot change your whole life in 3 one hour visits.

Drug addicition treatment in any rehab is a two way street. The more effort you are prepared to give, the more clarity you will receive.

With thousands of drug and alcohol rehabs out there, how can you find a safe, good program for you?

Recommendations of friends is still one of the best sources. Ask in you extended social circle. Drug addiction and treatment is far more common than you might think. When you find someone who has had a positive experience at a rehab center, ask them what was good about the program, and then ask them what they thought could be improved. This information will help you ask meaningful questions of any rehabs you might want to consider.

If you are seeing a therapist, ask for their advice. Again ask for their input on any treatment program questions you could ask.

Go see your physician, or community health program and ask for their assistance in finding a rehab that will match your needs.

Most drug and alcohol rehab programs are quite expensive. Go and visit your top 2 or 3 choices. This may end up saving you a lot of stress down the road. Talk to clients already in the programs and ask them what is good about the center, and what they would change.

Follow you instinct. If the claims of miraculous levels of treatment success seem unrealistic, don’t believe them and find a rehab that doesn’t promise pie in the sky results. Drug and alcohol addiction treatment is hard work and difficult. Promises of 70 and 80% success are probably unrealistic.

If you look at the numbers of drug and alcohol rehab facilities in United States the numbers are staggering. There are over 15,000 facilities of various types to treat drug and alcohol addiciton. That leaves a bewildering number of choices for someone considering rehab. Even if you know what type of facility you are looking for and what type of treatment program that might suit you best, you are still faced with the location of the facility.

Obviously with such a large choice of rehabs to pick one there will inevitably be something close to home. Is this a good decision? Would something on the other side of the country be better? The advantages of being close to home are obvious. Less cost for airfare. Visits from Family or friends, if the facility allows it. The “comfort” of knowing the area won’t be foreign to you.

Most times the seeming advantages are actually disadvantages. Going to a drug rehab close to home would make it easier to leave during the hard stretches. A car ride home is far easier to arrange than a plane ride. Some of you friends may still be using and seeing them during the early stages of drug addiciton treatment may be detrimental too you. Even seeing family may lead to increased stress during treatment. By the time someone enters drug rehab most family relationships are strained to say the least. To stay relapse free you must change you social circle and build new structure in your life. This process is started with much less effort by going to a alcohol or drug rehab far away from home.

So at least one of the decisions about picking a rehab is easy and clear cut. Go to a rehab facility far away from home. Your chances of success will be better for it.

One of the easiest things to lose while in a drug or alcohol addiction is your respect. As drug use escalates boundaries and personal ethics go down hill. Over time often someone finds themselves doing behaviors that a short while before they never would have considered. Once you lose respect for for boundaries and what is legal and what is not, losing your personal self respect follows very quickly. Again as the drug or alcohol addiction progresses lying and other unwanted behaviors drive away friends and family. Usually by the time one enters a drug or alcohol rehab for treatment there is no self respect left.

If time is’nt taken to rebuild and improve what has been lost the risk of relapse is great. Not liking and respecting oneself will lead to a lot of stress in one’s life. It leads to a feeling of “fraud” about one’s self and a wondering if “people only knew the truth about me”. Respect however is one of those strange commodities, like love, that can only be obtained by giving it away. While you are in a drug rehab program you can achieve this by giving respect to everything you encounter. Other clients and the staff at the rehab center are obvious but there are many smaller ways to show respect. How clean and organized you keep you room is a sign of respect. How you handle the program materials given to you in a rehab is about respect. Do you read the materials and underline the important parts to go over and study later, or do you doodle and deface them? Do you respect the resources available to you? Do you leave common areas neater then you found them? Acts of these types will build disipline. Disipline over time leads to self respect. A large degree of self repect will lead to a more organized and less stressful life. This leads to sobriety and the life you desired when you entered a drug rehab program.

Most drug and alcohol rehab facilities have rules against establishing intimate relationships during rehab. Many clients find this very frustrating and confusing as they feel for the first time in a long time they have found someone who they connect with and they feel understands them, as well as knows the whole truth. However there are some very good reasons why most drug rehabs go to great lengths to prevent this. One is that while you are coming off of heavy drug useage, your sexual feelings are awaking for the first time in a long while. Many of the common illicit drugs dull one’s sex drive. During this awaking period your judgment about the real reasons for establishing a relationship may be clouded.

Another reason is that the main purpose of drug rehab treatment to to honestly evaluate yourself and your traits so you may work on and improve many of your life skills. Many times in the beginning of a relationship a great deal of time is spent making oneself look good so the other person will be attracted and stay interested in you. This contantly spending time “putting one’s best foot forward” would be a great waste of time and effort in a period that requires great honesty and introspection. Also with a large percentage of clients having abused i.v. drugs in the past there is a greater risk of sexually transmitted diseases.

The last reason is one that show statistically, the chances of a long term relationship forming and lasting in rehab is very very low. The best advice is to work on what you went to drug or alcohol rehab for…..treatment and education. Once you are sober and centered you stand a much greater chance of relationship success.

Two things lead to safety in a drug or alcohol rehab program. One are the rules to insure boundaries and their enforcement. The other is the structure of the addiction program. The greater the structure and organization, the greater the level of safety. In other words, the more organized activities and seminars daily, that are required and monitored, the safer the drug rehab program and the safer the rehab. Correspondingly, the relapse rate will drop and the success rate will rise will increased safety and stucture. They go hand in hand. So if you are in a drug or alcohol rehab program, do the activities, it is good for you and everyone else there.

Why is personal safety so critical to the success of a drug rehab program? Why are the rules of conduct so strict in a rehab setting? If people feel either physically or verbally threathened is there any real chance at change? Many times I hear that the rules in a drug or alcohol rehab are too strict, or unfair. People often want to make allowances for bad behavior as somebody is dealing with their addiction and is so wound up that it should be expected for them to “blow” once in a while. I disagree with this totally. If people are to change their behavior they need to feel safe. The number one cause of relapse and return to old addictive behaviors is stress. A major cause of stress is not feeling safe in an enviroment. Therefore any drug or alcohol rehab program that doesn’t take any physical or verbal abuse extremely seriously adds to their clients stress level. Which in turn leads to a higher relapse rate. Rules in a drug rehab program must be clear and enforced. There is no other choice.

Just about everyone has an opinion about this book. Was it fabrication? Was it indicative of a real drug rehab experience? After reading this book, I hope for the sake of all of us that it is not a “typical” experience at a drug rehab. The stucture at this program, at least from the book seemed to be very thin. The threats of violence and lack of personal safety, would it seem make it very difficult to address the issues of drug and alcohol addiction. The brutality of the dental appointment was riduculous, as when was the last time you heard of someone addicted to local anesthetic? When I read this book, I didn’t find it uplifting. I find it a guide for people for what to NOT look for in a drug or alcohol rehab program. Whether this book is true or not may not matter, what matters is that drug and alcohol addiction treatment hopefully is not very much like what was decribed in this book