The
umbrella term "drug rehabilitation",
also referred to as "drug rehab", is
a complex of therapeutic measures and procedures (pharmaceutical,
psychotherapeutic, medical, etc.) to help an individual get rid
of his or her drug dependency, including psychological and physical
types of dependency on various psychoactive agents, such as "street
drugs" (amphetamine, crystal meth, heroin, cocaine, etc.),
alcohol, prescription drugs, and so on. Various measures of drug
rehabilitation are intended to enable the drug user to quit taking
drugs and, therefore, to avoid numerous negative consequences
and implications of substance abuse - legal, physical, physiological,
social, and financial.
For
successful drug rehabilitation, the applied therapeutic measures
should address all sides of drug dependency, including its physical
and physiological aspects. Physical dependency on drugs develops
quickly, sometimes, already after the first attempt to try a substance,
especially in case of hard synthetic drugs. With repeated use,
the brain and the nervous system gradually adapt to the substance
and start needing it on a regular basis. In some time, in order
to achieve the desired narcotic "high" from taking alcohol,
nicotine, cocaine, and other drugs, the user gradually requires
more and more of the substance. Any attempt for the abrupt quitting
of the agent of dependency leads to developing numerous symptoms
of withdrawal, which can be very strong and even hardly tolerable
and can last for a long time - for weeks or even months. Withdrawal
symptoms can manifest as anxiety, depression, drug cravings, suicidal
thoughts and even attempts, seizures, delirium tremens, hypertension,
psychoses, and other highly unpleasant and potentially dangerous
forms. Sudden withdrawal from taking some hard drugs and even
prescription medication, such as beta blockers, antidepressants,
corticosteroids and anticonvulsants, could be extremely harmful
for both the body and the brain and could even lead to fatality.
In view of all that, successful drug rehabilitation requires applying
various therapeutic measures to cope with physical dependency
on the agent, which are known under the term "drug
detoxification", or "drug detox".
Psychological
dependency on drugs sometimes is even harder to cope with. It
is addressed in drug rehabilitation centers alongside with physical
dependency. Generally, patients are encouraged to learn how to
interact with their own world without applying to drugs and how
to change their habits, a social circle, and sometimes their entire
lifestyle to make it a drug-free environment. Some of the examples
of successfully applied programs of both physiological and psychological
drug rehab are a Twelve-step program in Alcoholic Anonymous and
other support groups, in-patient and out-patient residential treatments,
"sober houses", and various types of care centers. It
has to be noted that the psychological aspect of drug rehabilitation
is absolutely crucial if the person wants to quit using addictive
substances for good.
Pharmaceutical
therapy is an important part of drug rehabilitation treatments.
Patients, who are "hooked" on drugs like morphine or
heroin, get significant help by taking medication of the opioid
group, such as methadone and the newer drug buprenorphine, which
efficiently work to reduce physical dependency and restore the
balance of opioid neurotransmitters in the nervous system of the
user. They can be used successfully in both short-term and long-term
types of treatment. Another promising medication, which is still
in its experimental stage, is ibogaine. It is claimed that ibogaine
can help in reducing both physiological and psychological aspects
of drug dependency related to a whole range of addictive substances.
One more class of pharmaceutical agents, which is efficiently
applied to treat mild to moderate drug addictions, is antidepressants,
especially those of the last generation. Traditional types of
drug rehabilitation mostly favour counselling, which could be
very effective to cope with psychological aspects of drug addiction.
Some
narcotics are harder to eliminate from the system than others,
and especially it is true about new, highly dangerous and addictive
substances, also known as street drugs. A modern form of drug
abuse includes usage of such agents as brake cleansers, cold medication,
acetone, and different chemical household products, which are
enhailed, swallowed, smoked, or injected. These drugs produce
a long-lasting euphoric effect and can make users behave in a
compulsive way and go for days without sleep. Long-term consequences
of taking street drugs include loss of teeth, rapid aging, developing
of facial sores and ulcers, suicidal depression, and steady deterioration
of the brain and other parts of the nervous system. Quitting any
drug addiction is very hard, but withdrawal from street drugs
and particularly meth is much more severe. Recovery takes longer
and users have to be placed in a structured environment in order
to get a chance to succeed in their drug rehabilitation. For addicts
of cocaine and crack, about four months of expensive and intense
therapy are needed, with subsequent out-patient treatment, but
still with no guarantees of complete cure.
Modern
rehab centers apply different methods, both scientific and traditional,
pharmaceutical and even spiritual, in order to help their patient
beat off their potentially deadly drug addictions. Some of current
detoxifications techniques, which are particularly worth mentioning,
are the Waismann Rapid Detoxification Method and the rehab method
developed by L. Ron Hubbard.
The
Waismann Rapid Detoxification Method was invented in Israel by
doctor Waismann 14 years ago. It is applied in his clinic in Israel
and also by Dr. Bernstein, who was personally trained by Waismann,
at Garden Grove Hospital in the USA. The Waismann Method is claimed
to be very efficient when patients require fast detoxification
from opiates, painkillers, such as OxyContin, and heroin. It allows
to quickly eliminate opiate addiction without unpleasant withdrawal
symptoms, such as nausea, shaking, and sweating. The procedure
is performed under local anaesthesia and costs about $15,000.
The patient undergoes a special detox operation, during which
the opiates are flushed out of the system and drugs to shut down
the brain euphoria receptors are applied. Although the method
remains controversial, it promises a pain-free chance to get rid
of opiates' dependency and, therefore, attracts many addicts who
do not trust traditional rehab methods that use methadone and
intensive therapy. However, in 2005, the Journal of the American
Medical Association published an article against using the Waismann
Method. The article states that the method offers little benefit,
can bear uncertain risks, and can even be life-threatening.
The
detox program, developed by doctor Hubbard, addresses chemical
resides of such narcotics as LSD, cocaine, phencyclidine, diazepam,
and marijuana, which can be stored in adipose tissue of the patients.
This innovative method promises a long-lasting detoxification
from undesirable substances and seems to be rather effective,
because it alleviates the predisposition for future drug usage.
The components of this complex rehabilitation program include
6 useful aspects:
1)
aerobic type of exercise, with an emphasis on stimulation of circulation;
2) sauna to enhance sweating;
3) special regimen of dietary supplements, such as minerals, vitamins,
and essential fatty acids, with increasing doses of niacin to
effect the turnover of fats;
4) increased liquids in the diet;
5) nutritious regimen emphasising fresh veggies and fruits; and
6) healthy daily schedule with plenty of sleep.
Another
promising drug rehabilitation program with a high success rate
is called a "real-life rehab". It is offered in Florida,
at the Steppingstone Center, and it puts emphasis on creating
a therapeutic environment similar to that of "real life".
The recovery program offers drug addicts a chance to make a steady
transition to a drug-free life. The holistic approach to treatment
is applied and patients are rehabilitated in a comfortable housing
environment.
In
contrast, many drug rehabilitation centers in the USA are a part
of the criminal justice system, within which drug users can be
"sentenced" to compulsory drug rehabilitation of a penitentiary
type instead of, or alongside with, going to a prison. Logically,
this system is not much effective in curing drug users, and its
efficiency is debated by many medical specialists and human rights
activists. Even voluntary drug rehab programs show a questionable
rate of success, as, in accordance with the statistics, about
80 percent of drug addicts who have undergone some form of drug
rehabilitation, soon return to their addiction.
2007
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