Drug rehab is basically the process of psychotherapeutic or medical treatment for addiction to psychostimulants, alcohol, stimulants or other addictive substances like cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine. The treatment is undertaken to treat the symptoms of withdrawal and to help the patient overcome his or her addiction. However, in most cases, the process is followed by treatment to remove the drug completely from the body or at least control its effect to a certain extent. This is called detoxification. The process of drug detoxification involves giving the patient medicines that help the body eliminate toxins that the body has accumulated over time and the patient has used in order to combat the withdrawal symptoms.
There are different types of detoxification depending on the type of substance used. The most common detox is to detoxify from cocaine or heroin. In this process, the patient undergoes rigorous detoxification and after several days or weeks is sent for detoxification again. The other process of detoxification for alcohol addiction is detoxification from benzodiazepines, tranquilizers or sedatives. However, it is important for the patient to have no previous history of substance abuse or alcoholism before undergoing detoxification treatment. The patient has to undergo detoxification and have counselling and support as well in order to help him or her recover.
As mentioned earlier, there are many ways to get involved in drug rehabilitation and one of them is outpatient drug rehab. These rehabs can be done in outpatient clinics or in hospitals. The outpatient type of rehab is for shorter duration and only requires you to come for treatment at your convenience; whereas in the hospital type of rehab, you are required to stay in the hospital for the period of treatment, which varies according to your condition and the requirements of the health care team.
