Drug rehab is the process of psychotherapeutic or medical treatment for addiction to psychoactive substances like alcohol, street drugs like cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine, and synthetic drugs such as marijuana, ecstasy, methamphetamines or steroids. The addict may be suffering from physical dependence or mental dependency on these substances. There are two types of drug rehab – inpatient and outpatient.
Inpatient treatment centers are often set up by a doctor for addicts to receive treatment for their drug addiction. A number of different kinds of drug rehab programs are available. The most popular ones involve long term drug rehabilitation. Inpatient treatment centers are usually managed by doctors and other professionals who deal with the drug addict in a more intimate way. They usually have strict withdrawal procedures so that the patient can be completely abstain from the substance for several weeks. On the other hand, outpatient drug rehabilitation involves a more lenient treatment regime. These facilities are mostly designed for drug addicts who are only undergoing outpatient treatment.
An important thing to note about outpatient treatment programs is that they do not involve any kind of withdrawal. They usually follow an individualized program to help the patient to successfully go through the drug rehab. However, inpatient programs generally involve strict withdrawal procedures. This means that the patients are confined to the center and they cannot leave until the treatment program is completed.