Drug addiction is probably one of the most deceptive mental disorders we are dealing with today. You would think that will provide all the advancement in science and medicine; we would be able to break its mechanism and come up with a definitive solution to a millennia-old problem. And, while we do know much about how it functions, we still haven’t figured a way to cure it for good. At America’s Rehab Campuses, we are continually trying to push the limits of knowledge at least one step further.
Every Phoenix treatment center, as well as every other drug rehabilitation institution around the globe, has to confront the same problem over and over again: the drug relapse. This is what will prevent people from remaining sober for too long, and it is because of the relapse mechanism that the modern rehabilitation programs have been drastically improved over time.
Nowadays, a top-tier rehabilitation treatment has to include:
– A detoxification stage, where aggressive medication is used to control withdrawal side-effects and minimize the drug craving behavior
– Dealing with the emotional traumas that may have triggered the drug abuse behavior
– Co-occurring disorder treatments, where the goal is to address the patient’s mental disorders, provided there are any, on top of the drug problem
– Behavioral and emotional support therapies, including individual and group sessions, where addicts can share their experience, bond with the others and gain mental and emotional strength
– Relapse prevention strategies, mainly focusing on helping the patient develop coping mechanisms and adopt a more solid state of mind
Despite adopting these mechanisms, no Phoenix treatment center will deliver 100% results. That’s because, at one point or another, people will relapse and that’s because humans are not robots. We are susceptible to temptations, and our delicate nature will break if we fail to exert sufficient control and determination.
Identifying the relapse tendencies in time
One thing must be kept in mind at all times, and that’s the fact that relapse is the norm, not the exception. Over 85% of the addicts will relapse soon after completing the rehabilitation treatment. This means that it is imperative to identify the signs of relapse in time, whether you are on the line or a family member or a friend.
These include:
– Becoming more socially isolated, without any apparent reason
– Developing poor eating habits and manifesting insomnia
– The subject will ignore his own physical or mental state
– Talking about the past drug use in romanticized terms
– Minimizing the consequences
– Lying about the drug cravings, even when they become obvious
– Claiming that, nowadays, controlling the drug will be a lot easier
– Talking about potentially try it one more time, just once
These are clear signs that relapse is about to happen and it will. Every Phoenix treatment center, America’s Rehab Campuses included, deals with patients who have relapsed shortly after the treatment has been completed, or even during the program. In the end, beating addiction is a matter of making sure relapse never happens. And that’s one goal we’re trying to reach by using every resource at our disposal.
