Drug Rehab Programs in Maryland
January 5, 2008
Drug rehab programs in Maryland are geared toward the rehabilitation of persons who are trying to overcome their drug addiction. There are many types of drug rehab programs in Maryland with some being of short duration, some are residential addiction treatment centers and others are long term addiction treatment programs.
Maryland drug rehab programs are designed to address the physical aspects of drug addiction and the psychological aspects of integrating back into society. Some drug rehab programs are residential, especially for persons with serious drug addiction and may be covered by private or public insurance to some extent. There are also chemical dependency units where there is about a 3-6 week period of inpatient addiction treatment care where withdrawal from drugs is done in a medically safe fashion. It has been shown that plain replacement of opiate craving with methadone, while helpful is not as effective as a more comprehensive program with counseling and medical care.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment and Substance Abuse
January 2, 2008
The term “dual diagnosis” may be new to your life and vocabulary or it may be something you are familiar with and have heard about before today. While not particularly well-known, dual diagnosis is more common than you might imagine. According to a report published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), “Thirty seven percent of people who suffer from alcohol abuse and fifty-three percent of people who suffer from drug abuse also have at least one serious mental illness, which creates a dual diagnosis. Of all people diagnosed as mentally ill, 29 percent abuse either alcohol or drugs (NMHA, 2005). “Dual diagnosis” is defined as an individual who has two separate but very interrelated diagnoses. For the purpose of this article, dual diagnosis means a person has both:
1. A psychiatric diagnosis
2. A substance abuse diagnosis which may include drug addiction or alcohol addiction
A dual diagnosis occurs when an individual is affected by both chemical dependency and an emotional or psychiatric illness. Both illnesses may affect an individual physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually. Each illness has symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to function effectively and relate to themselves and others. Not only is the individual affected by two separate illnesses, both illnesses interact with one another. The illnesses may exacerbate each other and at times the symptoms can overlap and even mask each other making diagnosis and dual diagnosis treatment more difficult.
Is Drug Addiction Treatable?
December 30, 2007
Drug addiction and alcoholism are treatable conditions. The first goal of addiction treatment is abstinence. The chemically dependent person must stop using alcohol or drugs. This sometimes requires a period of medical detox, which should be done within an addiction treatment program.
Once alcohol and/or drug use is stopped, individuals may honestly feel that they have the desire and ability to remain sober. This period can last days, weeks or months before cravings (the obsessive pressure to use) return. To reduce the risk of a relapse, the person must address personal problems and life issues related to the drug addiction. Some of those issues are addressed in group therapy, individual counseling sessions, educational lectures, and discussion groups in chemical dependency treatment. The therapy process helps chemically dependent individuals obtain the insight and skills needed to understand and deal with problems associated with their alcohol and drug use. They learn to deal with their problems from a psychological, emotional, and spiritual perspective as well as from a physical perspective. After addiction treatment, personal problems and other major life issues can be handled at a higher level of functioning.
Most Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Program Services are Ineffective for the GLBT Population
December 19, 2007
Why Most Drug Rehab and /Alcohol Treatment Program Services are Ineffective for the GLBT Population
Most drug rehab services, including alcohol treatment programs, are geared towards serving a white, heterosexual, male, clientel. Unless great effort has been put into awareness training, developing knowledge about the experiences and circumstances of minority groups, and the establishment of programmes to deal with the special needs of different groups of oppressed people, services will simply perpetuate institutional discrimination. U.S. researchers Lohrenz et al (1978) found that 37% of homosexuals experienced discrimination from alcohol treatment program staff while Fifield, De Crescenzo & Latham (1975) discovered that 75% of homosexuals who are recovering from alcoholism believe that mainstream drug rehab and alcohol rehab program are not geared to treating homosexuals and do not provide an accepting and supportive environment.
Because of discrimination homosexuals are less likely to attend alcohol treatment program and drug addiction treatment programs unless, that is, they are ‘passing.’ In this case, if the worker does not bring up the subject, one of the major causes of their problems will be ignored. Rofes (1989) says:
By ignoring the special problems that a lesbian alcoholic, for example, presents, an alcohol treatment program will be doing a service to no one. Their alcoholism treatment of the individual will be less than adequate and may tend to intensify the woman’s feelings of isolation and ‘difference.’ Only by bringing the issue into the open and addressing the woman’s lesbianism as an aspect of her life which she needs to feel positively about, will the program be truly effective.
The Lasting Recovery of Alcohol Rehab
December 10, 2007
People suffering from drug addiction and alcohol addiction need both benefits of individualized care and of socialization with others facing the same obstacles. Individualized addiction treatment is essential for enduring sobriety. While symptoms may be common, causes are never completely shared. Being an individual automatically implies that life is experienced uniquely. People require different addiction treatment therapies, and people need adequate time to explore their individual sorrows and stresses in a secure environment. However, the benefits of solidarity should never be overlooked. When rehabilitation centers provide one-on-one individualized addiction treatment, the individual and social components combine to bring faster and healthier healing.
Substance abuse attacks from all angles and progressively weakens a person into sequestered parts. Drug addiction treatment naturally reunites body, mind, and spirit into an enduring whole person again.
A drug rehab program should offer a variety of specified therapy treatments. Incorporated with individual chemical dependency counseling, state-of-the-art methods of psychotherapy and hypnotherapy enable people to heal from anxiety and memories which often cause the self-medicating substance abuse. Family counseling repairs the relationships contributing to and brought on by addiction. Life purpose and spiritual counseling enable people to embrace their true identities and to move positively forward.
Drug Rehab; A Catch all Phrase
December 1, 2007
Drug rehab, or rehab is “industry slang” for drug rehabilitation. It is the “catch-all” term used for any treatment of chemical dependency, including alcoholism, cocaine, heroin, “manufactured” drugs, such as methamphetamine (also referred to crystal meth or meth), MDMA (Ecstasy), and prescription pills.
Rehab may also be used for treatment of nicotine addiction (smoking). A drug rehab center is the facility where groups of people are treated for chemical dependency or substance abuse.
Most drug rehabs attempt to treat not only physical substance dependency, but also include addiction treatment, or drug rehab, for psychological substance dependency.
What is Dual Diagnosis?
December 1, 2007
Dual diagnosis occurs when an individual is affected by both drug addiction, alcoholism and a psychiatric or emotional illness. These illnesses can both affect a person physically, socially and psychologically. And both illnesses have symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to function effectively. The dual disorders may affect each other, and each disorder predisposes relapse in the other disease. At times the symptoms can overlap and even mask each other, making treatment and diagnosis difficult. To fully recover, a person needs to treat both disorders equally-and at the same time.
Other names for this illness are:
co-morbid disorders
co-occurring disorders
concurrent disorders
co-morbidity
dual disorders
Addiction and Alcoholism: Willpower or a Disease of the Brain ?
October 12, 2007
A core concept evolving over the past decade is that drug addiction is a disease of the brain that develops over time as a result of abusing drugs and alcohol.
Some of the consequences that a person experiences is a virtually uncontrollable craving for drugs and alcohol, the seeking and use of drugs and alcohol that interferes with an individual’s functioning within the family and society. In most cases, an illness such as this usually requires inpatient chemical dependency treatment.
Drug Rehab or Addiction Treatment- Is there a Difference?
October 12, 2007
Recently a topic of conversation centered on whether there is a difference between a drug rehab and an addiction treatment center. As surprised as people were at the question, it made all of us realize those individuals without knowledge of the addiction treatment business or who have not been in addiction treatment themselves, might be easily confused.
There really is no difference between the two as far as the terminology. When a person mentions drug rehab, they are really referring to a drug rehabilitation program, which is the same as an addiction treatment program, alcohol treatment program or chemical dependency program. All the above, are designed to treat drug addiction and alcoholism, with the only difference resting in the actual services provided, population treated and the philosophy of the program.
Addiction and Alcoholism: Willpower or a Disease of the Brain ?
October 12, 2007
A core concept evolving over the past decade is that drug addiction is a disease of the brain that develops over time as a result of abusing drugs and alcohol.
Some of the consequences that a person experiences is a virtually uncontrollable craving for drugs and alcohol, the seeking and use of drugs and alcohol that interferes with an individual’s functioning within the family and society. In most cases, an illness such as this usually requires inpatient chemical dependency treatment.
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