In 2021, drug use was prevalent in the United States, but this does not tell the whole story. The fact is that 46.3 million people aged 12 and over met the DSM-5’s criteria for having a substance use disorder. We can break this group down even further by saying that 24 million of them had a substance use disorder while 29.5 million had an alcohol use disorder. The age group with the highest numbers in this population was the 18-25-year age group.

The story is still incomplete. We also have many people experiencing substance use disorders along with mental health disorders at the same time. These are known as “co-occurring disorders,” and 13.5% of young people aged 18-25 have been diagnosed with both a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder in the past year. Unfortunately, 94% of this population did not seek help at professional drug rehab centers.

Why Is Drug Addiction Treatment Necessary?

Drug addiction treatment is necessary because drug addiction is a brain disease, and it is chronic, meaning that it cannot be cured or that it recurs. That is because the brain changes that drugs cause can persist for years after you first begin to ingest the drug. This is why drug addiction is a relapsing disease. It is very common for people to relapse and return to their substance use even if they have been abstinent for several years.

Science Behind Drug Addiction

When a person takes drugs, these drugs work on the brain’s reward circuit, and they cause this area to become flooded with dopamine. This is a process that happens naturally as you engage in positive behaviors. For example, when you are hungry and eat a meal, this is a behavior that the body needs you to repeat, so your reward circuit motivates you to do so.

Unfortunately, the same thing happens when you ingest drugs. The act of taking a drug is pleasurable, so the reward circuit motivates you to perform this action again for this reason.

As drug use increases, the brain goes through changes again. It reduces your cells’ ability to react to the surge of dopamine. This happens because the brain is adapting to the drug use, and when this occurs, you are becoming tolerant of the drug. Therefore, the amount of substance that you were ingesting does not result in the same high you experienced when you first tried it. The lack of results leads you to take more of the drug so that you can experience the previous high again. As this occurs, you lose your ability to enjoy the things that you took pleasure in before you began ingesting substances.

Types of Drug Rehabilitation Programs

Every drug addiction is different and may require a different approach to treatment.

Liberty Bay Recovery offers the following addiction rehabilitation services:

• Alcohol Rehab Portland
• Cocaine Rehab Center
• Crack Cocaine Rehab Center
• Crystal Meth Rehab Center
• Heroin Addiction Treatment Center
• Marijuana Rehab Center
• Synthetic Drug Addiction Rehab Program
• Prescription Drug Rehab Center
• DUI Rehab Programs

Residential Inpatient Program

A residential inpatient treatment program is one in which you remain at the drug treatment center while your therapy is ongoing. You may need to go through the drug detoxification process to make sure that you are ready to take part in the programs that the center offers. These include individual therapy, group therapy, and peer support groups.

This option requires you to remain at the facility for several weeks. You will need to make other arrangements if you are caring for children at home because you cannot leave the facility. You will also not be able to go to work.

Partial Hospitalization Program

The partial hospitalization program is for those who need a more intensive program after they leave a residential program. It is ideal for you if you have a co-occurring disorder or other medical issues that require additional medical support. You receive the individual and group therapies that you received in the inpatient program, and you also obtain medical care in the PHP.

The partial hospitalization program generally lasts for 30 days. However, if you require a longer stay, we can accommodate you at Liberty Bay Recovery Center.

Intensive Outpatient Program

If you do not believe that the outpatient program has enough structure and support, you may choose the intensive outpatient program. It is also a good choice for those in a residential treatment program who are looking for their next step. Partial hospitalization requires you to attend 30 hours of group counseling sessions, but the intensive outpatient program only requires 15 hours. It is the next step after you finish your PHP.

The intensive outpatient program lasts for two to three months, but how long it lasts depends on the time it takes you to complete the requirements that your therapist gives you.

Outpatient Program

An outpatient program gives you much more freedom than you have in a residential treatment program because you live at home and spend less time at the treatment center. You may enter outpatient rehab if you have been in one of the higher options listed above, but you may also enter directly after you complete the drug detoxification process. We would not recommend that you do this if your drug addiction is very severe. If you are very likely to relapse, you would do better in a residential program as well.

The outpatient program gives you a great deal of flexibility. For example, you can schedule your sessions at any time of the day, including on the weekends and at night. This option also gives your family members and friends the chance to take part in your drug recovery programs. They will have the chance to learn about the best ways of supporting you throughout your recovery.

Importance of Seeking Professional Help

You must seek professional help when you are ready to undergo the drug detoxification process. Detoxing at home is not recommended by professionals in the substance treatment industry. That is because detox requires that a professional remains with you throughout so that you can be safely guided through the process. Also, when you are in a medical detox program at Liberty Bay Recovery Center, the staff will be able to offer you 24-hour supervision as well as medication that relieves the withdrawal symptoms.

The other reason that detoxing at home is not the best plan is because, in most cases, people do not continue with drug rehab after they detox at home. Detoxification is only the first step in treatment, so if you do not enter a drug treatment program like the ones listed above, you will be more likely to relapse and return to using substances. When this occurs, you return to using the same amount of the drug you used before you went through the detoxification process. At that time, your body is no longer used to this amount of drugs. When you return to using the same amount you used before detox, you are very likely to overdose.

What Are the Benefits of Drug Rehab?

First, drug rehab will help you curtail your use of substances. This is the main objective that most people have when they enter drug rehab facilities, and you can achieve this objective during each of our programs. One thing that you need to do during this process is learn about your substance use disorder, and we will provide this education in your program as well.

We also invite your family members and friends to join you in your treatment sessions. This gives you the chance to rebuild your relationships and helps your friends and family members understand what is going on in your addiction. You also learn coping skills that prevent you from falling into your old patterns of seeking drugs in the long term.

Most importantly, the National Institute on Drug Abuse or NIDA has data that shows that mental health disorders, such as anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, and bipolar and antisocial personality disorders co-occur with substance use disorders. The dual diagnosis treatment program at Liberty Bay Recovery Center is a major benefit that we offer. If you are experiencing an undiagnosed mental health disorder, we can evaluate you for it and diagnose it so that we can treat both disorders at the same time.

Understanding the Drug Detoxification Process

The first thing that we must do is remove your substance of choice from your body, and we do this by placing you in detox. This is necessary because, as you stop ingesting your drug of choice, withdrawal symptoms begin to appear. These withdrawal symptoms make it extremely difficult for you to refrain from searching for your drug of choice.

For example, if you are addicted to heroin, we will administer Subutex. Subutex eases the withdrawal symptoms so that your body can remove all of the drugs from its system. The second step is to administer suboxone so that you can maintain your sobriety without experiencing any cravings for the drug.

Subutex and suboxone are invaluable in helping you maintain your sobriety, so medical detox is highly beneficial when you are seeking a way to become free of substances.

What Are the Common Withdrawal Symptoms?

The withdrawal symptoms you experience during the detoxification process will depend on the type of drug you are taking. For example, some of the withdrawal symptoms of cocaine include:

• Slower actions, such as slower psychomotor actions
• Unpleasant and vivid dreams
• Increased appetite
• A general feeling of discomfort
• Fatigue
• Depressed mood
• Restless behavior and agitation

Although several of these withdrawal symptoms are common between types of substances, there can be slight differences for each drug and each person.

Choosing the Right Drug Rehab

Choosing the right drug rehab requires that you look for two very specific things. First, the drug rehab must offer treatments that have been backed by science. These are known as “evidence-based” treatments, and they include medication-assisted treatments or MAT, motivational interviewing, dialectical behavioral therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Second, the treatment center must be licensed and accredited. The license must be to treat the abuse of alcohol or drugs. It must also be accredited, which means that a separate agency ensures that the facility and the staff have the education and the training required to treat substance use disorders.

In addition to the above, we offer individualized treatment plans for all of our clients at Liberty Bay Recovery Center.

Therapeutic Approaches in Drug Rehab

The therapeutic modalities used in drug treatment have been shown to work well for this population. They include the following:

Motivational Interviewing

This is a counseling method that helps clients find the motivation to change their behavior from drug seekers to abstainers. It does so by resolving insecurities and ambivalent feelings that you may have.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical behavioral therapy helps you control strong emotions that may have led you to use substances in the past.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

You learn to identify negative thoughts that may have led to drug use and how to change them into something positive.

Holistic Healing in Drug Rehab

At Liberty Bay Recovery Center, you have the option of participating in yoga. It is a holistic approach to treating substance use disorders as it relieves anxiety and stress and improves your mental and physical health.

Aftercare and Continued Support

After leaving drug rehab, it can be difficult to put what you have learned into practice so that you can remain sober. That is why you need to graduate from the rehabilitation programs listed above and move into the aftercare program. You will not be in a controlled environment when you go home, and you may be returning to the place where you used substances, so there is a risk of relapse.

You can receive ongoing therapy in the support groups at Liberty Bay Recovery Center to avoid relapse. You may also join your local Narcotics Anonymous group. These support groups will be instrumental in keeping you from relapsing as you gradually return to your life.

Empowering Recovery

The importance of drug rehab means the difference between success and failure. That is because drug rehab is the best way of achieving and maintaining sobriety. The first part of the rehab process is so difficult that many people fail if they try to undergo the withdrawal process on their own. After failing this first step, they do not take the chance to continue with drug treatment with behavioral therapies.

This does not have to be the way that the story ends for you or a loved one. You can enter a drug treatment program at Liberty Bay Recovery Center where professionals will help you take the steps you need to take to get yourself back to the happy person you used to be. If you are seeking help for a loved one or you need help with a substance use disorder, contact us at Liberty Bay Recovery Center so that you can take charge of your health now.