Pros and Cons of Drug Therapy in Inpatient Drug Rehab

Many issues come up when you decide on drug treatment. Choosing the right treatment option for you is often difficult. With everything that is going on in life, trying to figure out which rehab is best might be a hard decision. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, inpatient treatment is extremely beneficial to those who want to stop abusing drugs. It is because of this that you need to consider it as a viable alternative to “cold turkey” quitting or continued use. As with any drug treatment, there are pros and cons to this type of drug therapy.

What is Inpatient Drug Rehab

Inpatient drug rehab is a form of drug addiction treatment that requires you to be in a treatment facility or hospital 24 / 7. You stay at the treatment center and receive services such as medication management and counseling. Most of the stays are between 28 and 90 days but some last considerably longer depending on the type of treatment you need and your progress.

Pros of Inpatient Rehab

Inpatient drug rehab offers peer support to patients.

Like any treatment program, there are benefits to utilizing it. The benefits are often subtle things that help the most.

Triggers

A benefit of drug therapy is that you are away from your triggers. Triggers are things that remind you of using or prompt you to use. These triggers might be anything from a place to an object. When you are in an inpatient facility, you are away from everything that you know and everything that causes or contributes to your drug use. This is a good way to identify and learn to avoid the things that harm you the most.

Drug Therapy

Doctors work for many treatment facilities. They prescribe medications as drug replacements as well as for those who need treatment for other illnesses. Some of these illnesses are the root of your drug problem. Many times when a person gets the drug under control, they discover mental illnesses that started the drug addiction. Once these illnesses are treated the need for the drug disappears.

Detox Treatment

When you are in an inpatient facility, doctors help you detox from the drugs. Although not all drug withdrawal is deadly, most of it is extremely unpleasant. When things are unpleasant, many people return to using. This causes relapse. If you are detoxing in a treatment center doctors can treat the detox symptoms to make you more comfortable.

Counseling

Counseling is readily available to those in inpatient rehab. Since most addictions have mental components, counseling is an important part of addiction therapy. It also helps those who have an underlying mental illness that started the addiction in the first place.

Controlled Environment

When you are in a controlled environment, you are not exposed to the outside world. You can concentrate on your recovery and care plan. The controlled environment is structured and structure helps you set up a routine.

Peer Support

Inpatient rehab offers the help of others who are in the same situation as you. Many people suffer the same problems and have similar stories. As part of inpatient treatment, you will talk with others and form bonds with them. This gives you a support network both inside and outside of the rehab facility. This support network can further your recovery later on.

Cons of Inpatient Rehab

Of course as with many, other types of treatment there are negatives as well. Each type of treatment carries its own negatives. With inpatient treatment, most of the negatives have to do with the overall environment.

Restrictive environment

In many cases inpatient treatment involves you remaining at the facility the entire time you are in recovery. If you leave, the process and time often start over. This means that if you stay for 10 days, relapse, and return you will have to start the program all over. The restriction proves too much for some people.

Friend and Family Support

When you are in an inpatient facility, you do not have access to your family or friends on a regular basis for support. Although family visits and family counseling are often a part of therapy, even it is relatively restricted. If you are very emotionally dependent on your family and friends for support, this may be difficult.

Work and School

Inpatient rehab takes anywhere from two weeks to a few months. This is a long time to miss school or work. If you have a job or go to school this is sometimes a problem. If work or school is not understanding about your situation, you could lose your job or have to withdraw from school. Each situation is different but it is important to remember that you cannot leave to go to school or work while in inpatient treatment.

Isolated Environment

Inpatient care can isolate you. When you are away from your normal life it is sometimes beneficial but can also leave you out of touch and feeling disconnected. This isolation proves difficult. Some people have issues with reentering society after being enclosed in a rehab center. This is why many rehab programs have sober houses or other methods of easing this transition.

According to the National Library of Medicine, inpatient rehab gives people a chance at recovery without relapse. The hard part of stopping any addiction is realizing you have an addiction. Inpatient rehab can help you break the endless cycle. For more information about the pros and cons of drug therapy in inpatient rehab call 800-430-1407Who Answers?.