Drug Alcohol Rehab Facilities

What are rehab facilities?

Rehab facilities are considered any place where rehab is done. However, for our purposes here we will consider a rehab facility a place where a patient stays, full-time, while in treatment rehab for drug or alcohol abuse. The term rehab facility is synonymous with rehab center or rehab program and are used here interchangeably.

Alcoholism, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency is treated in specialized rehabs called a rehab center. Rehab facilities is a generic term meaning any of the possible places where treatment for alcohol abuse, alcoholism and alcohol dependence is done. The term means staying inside a facility for some period of full time treatment and therapy for alcoholism. It is a little like going to school.

Rehab facilities specialize in alcohol treatment and the beginning of the process of alcohol recovery. Rehab for alcohol abuse, alcoholism and alcohol dependency is an educational, therapeutic process. Because alcoholism is considered a disease, a rehab facility has a medical component. The first and primary medical component in rehab facility is what is known as alcohol detox.

So, why go into an alcohol rehab facility?

Overcoming the disease of alcoholism is not easy. Most people cannot do it without help. The best way to obtain and maintain recovery from alcoholism is to start by going to a rehab center. There is no question the process of learning about staying sober and the disease of alcoholism improves one's chances of long term recovery. By going to a rehab center, a person gains the knowledge, tools and assistance to help them be successful. Few people ever even consider going into a rehab center unless or until they have suffered some serious consequences as a result of their alcohol abuse. Consequences usually include legal, martial, emotional, job, financial and/or physical. The most difficult period of becoming abstinent from alcohol is the first few days and weeks. Most people trying to stay sober end up getting drunk in the first 30 days. By going into an alcohol rehab center for 30 days, the person will have 30 days clean and sober and well on there way.

How does someone pick a rehab facility?

Deciding which alcohol rehab facility to go to is a very important choice. Although they all have the same basic goal, no two are alike. These are the key areas to keep in mind:

1. Financial - if there is ANY type of health insurance, it should be checked and verified for alcohol rehab benefits. The benefit may or may not have an out of network component. If it does not have any out of network benefit, the person will have to go to a facility in the providers' network to use the benefit. If it does have an out of network benefit, the person can use some of or all of the benefit at a facility of their choosing.
   


2. Going away vs. staying close to home - there are pros and cons to both options. Staying close to home makes it east for family to attend family programs and visit. It also makes it easy for the person to walk out as no person is locked up in alcohol rehab. In general, going away is better.
   


3. Staff - the staff can make a big difference to the person's experience in a rehab center
   


4. Special programs - some alcohol rehabs have special programs for things like depression, trauma, young adults, exercise, spirituality, etc.
   

Staff to patient ratio - in general the lower this number the better. There is no substitute for one to one counseling and therapy while in a rehab center.

History of the a rehab facility

Over the years, a rehab center has evolved into places of intense therapy and education.

Although people have been abusing alcohol since alcohol was discovered, treating the disease of alcoholism really unofficially began when Swedish physician Magnus Huss first coined the term "alcoholism" in 1848. Medical doctors, psychiatrists, counselors, family members and friends have been doing their best to treat people with alcoholism for a long time. The real breakthrough, however, came when Bill G. Wilson met Dr. Bob Smith met in Akron Ohio in 1939 and together founded Alcoholics Anonymous.

The rehab center industry has grown dramatically in the past 50 years. In the United States, there are more than 10,000 rehab centers. As far back as the early 1800's, cases of alcoholism are well documented. But it wasn't until the late 1920's when alcoholism was actually diagnosed and better understood as a medical rather than moral issue. Many people have made great contributions to the rehab center industry. For example, a gentleman by the name of "Curly" Ferron made an instrumental contribution when he become the test case for whether alcoholism was a treatable disease that could be cured by putting it into remission. Curly was a low bottom drunk in Minnesota. By practicing the principles learned in a rehab center and AA, Curly was able to be successful in turning his life completely around and establishing the precedent for the medical industry to support the rehab process.

Rehab Center Statistics

The number of persons who reported that the most recent treatment they received in the past year was for alcohol was 2,462,000.

Of the 2.4 million people aged 12 or older who received rehab in 2007, only 952,000 received rehab for alcohol use.

In 2007, the number of persons aged 12 or older needing treatment for an alcohol use problem was 19.3 million (7.8 percent of the population aged 12 or older). Of these, 1.6 million (0.6 percent of the total population and 8.1 percent of the people who needed treatment for an alcohol use problem) received alcohol use treatment at a specialty facility. Thus, there were 17.7 million people who needed treatment but did not receive treatment at a specialty facility for an alcohol use problem. None of these estimates changed significantly between 2006 and 2007 and between 2002 and 2007.

Among the 17.7 million people aged 12 or older who needed but did not receive treatment for an alcohol use problem in 2007, there were 859,000 (4.8 percent) who felt they needed treatment for their alcohol use problem. The number and the percentage were higher than those reported in 2006 (541,000 persons and 3.0 percent, respectively), but were similar to those reported in 2002 (761,000 persons and 4.5 percent, respectively). Of these, 619,000 (72.1 percent) did not make an effort to get treatment, and 240,000 (27.9 percent) made an effort but were unable to get treatment in 2007.

In 2007, there were 1.4 million youths (5.5 percent) aged 12 to 17 who needed treatment for an alcohol use problem. Of this group, only 82,000 received treatment at a specialty facility.

The goal of a rehab center

One of the goals is to educate the alcohol abuser to the facts about alcoholism. Another is to teach the person about the changes needed to live an alcohol-free lifestyle. A variety of therapy is included in a given rehab center. Much of what happens in a rehab center is to make the client aware of their alcohol using behavior and the effect it has on their lives.

Most alcoholics are in some stage of denial. Denying the amount of alcohol they are consuming and the effect it is having on themselves and others. The next goal of a rehab center is getting the client to see they have suffered consequences as a direct result of their alcohol use.

Today, most rehab centers do extensive evaluation and assessments to help determine as much about the personality of the client as well as any mental problems that might exist. The ultimate objective of alcohol rehab is to help the client see the changes they will need to make in their lives in order to be successful in abstaining from alcohol.

Therapy in a rehab center

There are a wide variety of models and philosophies in the alcohol rehab industry. Most programs provide counseling, behavioral therapy, lectures, group therapy, discussion groups and other types of services to persons with alcohol use disorders. Many various behavioral models of change and awareness have been shown to help rehab center patients achieve and maintain prolonged abstinence. One frequently used treatment is cognitive behavioral and relapse prevention. In an alcohol rehab centers, patients are taught new ways of acting and thinking that will help them stay off alcohol. For example, patients in a rehab center are urged to avoid situations that lead to alcohol abuse and to practice alcohol refusal skills. In a rehab center, they are taught to think of a relapse as a "slip" rather than as a failure. Cognitive behavioral and relapse prevention has proven to be a useful and lasting therapy. Specific approaches are associated with the particular setting.

The 12-step model in a rehab center

Very few people would argue that the emergence of Alcoholics Anonymous has had a profound impact on the rehab center industry. The whole AA philosophy and 12-steps seem to address much of what the alcoholic is suffering from. Most alcohol rehabs support AA. In part, because once a person completes rehab, they can go to AA meetings, for free and get the much needed support and fellowship to help them not drink. There are several good alternative alcohol rehab programs that are not 12-step based. These use a more self-help, behavioral model. It is these alternative models exist for those who have tried the 12-steps, unsuccessfully. There are those too, who resist the spiritual angle of the 12-steps and have other types of rehabs available.

Success rates of a rehab center

The success rate is a difficult thing to measure for a variety of reasons. It is somewhat of a mystery why some people "make it" and others do not. Outcome studies seem to indicate an individual's success will be determined primarily by their willingness to incorporate new concepts and ideas into their lives and change their reactions to patterns of behavior, reacting and thinking. Many clients relapse at least once before they manage to find long lasting recovery. Research seems to confirm, people who attend rehab center, are more likely to succeed because the most difficult part of recovery is the first 30, 60 and 90 days. Once someone stays sober for some period of time, they see the benefits of not drinking and it gradually becomes easier to maintain.

Levels of care in a rehab center

Most alcohol rehab centers are residential programs and based on the "Minnesota Model" of treatment. These programs involve a 2 to 6 weeks of full-time inpatient rehab followed by extended outpatient therapy and participation in a 12-step program, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

Length of stay in a rehab center

The length of stay in alcohol rehab varies based upon a variety of factors. It can be anywhere from a few days to 90 days. In general, the more time spent in alcohol rehab center, the better the chances the client will be successful.

How is a rehab center different from a drug rehab?

Alcohol is a drug. And since the disease of drug addiction is the same as alcoholism, rehab for alcohol is virtually the same as rehab for drug abuse or any other chemical dependency.