Drug Rehab Is Just the Beginning of Recovery
Posted under Drug Rehab on Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
One of the toughest obstacles to getting a person treatment for drug addiction is denial. You can think of denial as a psychological wall of protection the addict has created. The fundamental motivation behind denial is the fear that they will have to face their addiction, and that might mean stopping the drug use.
As a person develops a drug addiction, their body becomes conditioned to need the drug. The brain and body essentially adapts to the foreign substance, and then becomes dependent on it. The drug addict not only does not feel “normal” without the drug, they feel desperate and experience cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and severe stress.
Drug addiction is far more than a bad habit. It helps to picture the physiological changes that occur after significant drug use over time as basic to the person’s nature. Once those changes have occurred, they are utterly dependent on getting enough of the drug to keep withdrawal symptoms at bay.
Some drugs cause such dramatic changes in the brain, that it can take a year or more for the brain to begin producing sufficiently on its own such neurotransmitters as dopamine and endorphins. The drug basically took control over the production of those brain chemicals that allow a person to feel good. When the drug is removed, the brain has to relearn how it’s basic operating procedures. For this reason, many people who go to drug rehab are shocked to find that when they return home have a 30-day treatment program that they are depressed, sometimes severely, and just can’t feel “good.”
The fact that the brain has to essentially repair itself so that the person can again get normal feedback – feel joy when something great happens, content when they have a nice time with friends – without the drug. This is why it is critical in drug rehab to give the addicted person tools and strategies to continue moving through recovery regardless of these “feelings.” The drug will not solve the problem, just prolong it.
After drug rehab the addict needs to think of recovery from addiction as he or she would recovery from major surgery. You do not get a knee replacement and start jogging the next day. You do not have heart surgery and start taking the stairs at work the next week. Recovery takes time. A top drug rehab will make sure clients are informed about the process of recovery. The drug rehab will help develop an after-care plan that gives the recovering addict support and resources to keep sober regardless while the brain repairs itself.
Drug rehab is not a magic solution. Drug rehab is the first step in a life of recovery. The goal is to give you a dedicated period of time to detox, understand your addiction, and learn the tools and strategies that will help you through the struggles of the early months in recovery.
