Drug Rehab in Altoona, PA

Addiction is best understood as a mental disorder. As with many other mental disorders, patients are often convinced that since the problem is in their heads, all they need to do is to put their minds to it, and change. When the mind isn't healthy, however, it can be impossible to gain control over it. In the case of addiction, the effect of drugs on specific parts of the brain ensures that the patient is never able to resolve to stop; drugs are insidious, and corrode the determination from within. Drug rehab is the only truly reasonable, scientifically sound approach to escaping addiction. This center for drug rehab in Altoona, PA, offers advanced, medically sound treatment. Before you consider accepting treatment, however, you should understand what drug rehab is all about.

How Do You Find a Good Drug Rehab?

Look for a well-designed program run by qualified people: It isn't unusual to see drug and alcohol rehab centers employ personnel with minimal qualifications. In many cases, rehabs running programs for different kinds of addiction will not retain experts in each separate addiction type; rather, they have one kind of expert serve in different capacities. No two addictions are the same, however. You should ask to make sure the drug and alcohol rehab possesses specific qualifications and experience with the kind of addiction that you suffer from.

Look for treatment for mental disorders: It should come as no surprise that most addictions contain a mental health component. In other words, if many have trouble finding the personal discipline and resolve to quit, the reason is usually a conventional mental disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar underneath it all. Addressing the underlying mental disorder is fundamental to addressing the addiction. It's important to look for rehab that possesses thorough expertise in the treatment of concurrent mental disorders.

Look for compassion: In far too many cases, addiction rehab centers are run on obsolete ideas about forceful discipline. Patients are often treated with coldness, and a lack of understanding. Emotional support is a very important part of treatment for addiction, however. If the patient has family actively involved, for instance, it greatly improves their chances. In the absence of such support, the rehab's personnel are meant to fill in. Compassion every step of the way is very good indicator of quality in a rehab.

Look for science: A large number of rehabs, to this day, run on the 12-step program. While it has limited areas of application, it isn't, by any stretch of the imagination, the gold standard in drug rehab. It is an unproven system that works in a narrow subset of cases, alone. While 12-step programs may be somewhat helpful in a limited sense, it's important to make sure that you aren't charged for them.

Finally, look for accreditation. Certification by the Joint Commission or by CARF is an important indicator of quality.

What Happens in Drug Rehab in Altoona?

Drug addiction being a complex condition, requires a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. When you sign up for drug rehab, a team of specialists evaluates you for mental and physical health, and gauges the depth of your addiction. A unique, individual plan is then drawn up, and treatment programs in Altoona commence.

Detoxification is the first step of rehab: When you quit an addiction, your brain reacts with severe withdrawal symptoms. Extreme mood disruptions, pain, and physical symptoms such heart disturbances and seizures occur. At a qualified detox center, the patient is asked to check in, and the medical team ensures that medications are used quickly and effectively to intervene and suppress each one of these symptoms. A painless detox experience is vital both to patient engagement and long-term health.

It's usually a good idea to perform detox in an inpatient environment. If chosen with care, inpatient detox can be far more effective than outpatient detox.

Medical detox in Altoona is followed by therapy: Detox is merely a symptomatic treatment approach to help address the brain's disruptions as it adjusts to life without drugs. When a month-long detox program successfully concludes, it only delivers the patient freedom from withdrawal symptoms. The cravings still exist, however. It is vital in every kind of addiction to follow detox up with therapy.

Therapy is a long-term affair whose aim is to help the brain psychologically as it adjusts to life without drugs. With cognitive-behavioral therapy, patients learn important psychological skills such as emotional control, self-control and an ability to delay gratification. In most cases of addiction, it is the lack of natural skill in these areas that leads to substance abuse in the first place.

Taking Rehab Seriously

Rehab may not always succeed; in most cases, however, lack of success can be traced to either a poor choice of rehab or an inability to engage. Both problems can be addressed simply through working hard choosing the right rehab. It takes considerable homework and research, but when you find the right rehab, things can begin to happen very quickly. At this center for drug rehab in Altoona, PA, experts work very hard with patients, truly investing in their success. A talk with these experts can help. All you need to do is call (877) 804-1531.