What Is Inpatient Drug Rehab?
Studies of addiction treatment usually have classified programs into several general types. Approaches to treatment and individual programs for addiction continue to evolve and branch out. As a result, many drug rehab programs today don’t fit into traditional addiction treatment categories.
People sometimes call inpatient treatment, residential treatment. Inpatient drug rehab provides patients with medically supervised care 24 hours a day, usually in non-hospital settings.
Long-Term Residential Treatment
The best-known residential treatment design is the therapeutic community (TC). The duration of this treatment model is usually between 6 and 12 months. The goal of a TC is the “resocialization” of the person. It uses the program’s whole community, including other residents and the staff as active parts of the treatment.
Addiction is seen in the framework of a person’s social and psychological deficiencies. So treatment focuses on developing personal responsibility and accountability along with socially productive lives. Because long-term residential treatment is highly structured, it can be confrontational at times.
There are activities meant to help residents examine their harmful beliefs about themselves and their destructive patterns of behavior. As a result, such residents can adopt more peaceful and constructive ways to interact with others.
Research has shown that TCs can be changed to treat people with special needs including:
- Women
- Homeless people
- Adolescents
- People with serious mental disorders
- People in the criminal justice system
Short-Term Residential Treatment
A short-term treatment program generally provides intensive but comparatively brief treatment based on a 12-step approach. Originally meant to treat alcohol addiction, many rehab facilities began to treat other addictions during the cocaine epidemic of the mid-1980s. The original residential treatment model was a 3- to 6-week hospital-based inpatient treatment phase followed by continued outpatient therapy and participation in self-help groups like AA (Alcoholics Anonymous).
After completing treatment in residential programs, it’s important for individuals to continue taking part in outpatient treatment programs and aftercare programs. Doing this helps to reduce the risk of relapse after the person leaves the residential setting.
Common Treatment Methods
After detox, there are several treatment approaches that may be used to address the psychological effects of alcohol or drug addiction.
Behavioral Therapies
Behavioral therapies are evidence-based and proven to be effective treatment tools because they can be used for many types of addiction. Some common behavioral therapies are:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is based on the theory that the way a person perceives a situation is more closely associated with his or her reaction than the situation itself. CBT helps people recognize their thoughts and evaluate how realistic they are. When they learn to think more realistically, they feel better and can cope better. This way, they can identify triggers and develop coping skills.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy is a type of CBT but its main goals are to help people learn how to:
- live in the moment
- develop healthy ways to deal with stress
- regulate emotions
- improve relationships
DBT teaches people to accept and tolerate the situations that they’re in while also building their coping skills and making positive changes in their lives.
Psychotherapy (Talk Therapy)
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy is a close collaboration between the patient and their therapist. During these one-on-one sessions, the individual builds trust with the therapist and discusses any underlying issues that he or she may have. Many times, people can discover co-occurring disorders during individual therapy sessions.
Group Therapy
Group therapy typically involves a group of 5 to 15 participants with 2 or more therapists. Peers challenge and support one another during group therapy sessions while in rehab.
Family Therapy
When one member of a family has an addiction, it affects and transforms the entire family. For treatment to be successful, strong relationships with family and friends are necessary. Counseling approaches include spouses and other family members.
Research has shown that family therapy results in lower rates of relapse, increased family happiness, and helps children of addicted parents manage their situations.
Medications
Medications are especially important in addiction recovery when combined with behavioral and other therapies. Some medications during addiction treatment can be used to:
- Reduce cravings
- Improve mood
- Reduce addictive behaviors
Lofexidine reduces cravings and helps people manage their withdrawal symptoms while in treatment for opioid addiction. Acamprosate is a medication that helps reduce drinking behavior.
