20 Feb 2015

When choosing a drug rehab facility, many factors need to be considered. After all, you want the best possible rehab care for yourself, or a loved one, and to be successful in beating addiction.

The difference between full recovery and a relapse can come down to the training of rehab staff, the service a rehab center provides, or even the philosophy behind a facility as it cares for people.

Ask the right questions and choose your rehab facility wisely.

A Question For You

What are your expectations? Whether it be for you or for a loved one, having unrealistic expectations can spell failure for rehab before it begins. It might be easy to say that you want an end to drug addiction for you or your loved one, but talk to the facility’s team about what is achievable and how.

The Rehab Facility Itself

Is the rehab facility licensed by the State of Florida and is it accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of

State of Florida License - Suncoast Rehab Center
Health Care Organizations (JCAHO)? You need to know it is legit, reputable and that it is visited at least every three years by the US’s overseeing body.

Is the facility clean, up-to-date, appealing and functional? Is there proper and safe access both indoors and out? You need the best and you need safety and security.

Does it have a high? There’s no point going to a place that looks great but doesn’t get results. Quality of care is essential.

Does it seem too good to be true or offer huge promises? Refer to the other questions above.

Staff and Attendants

Are certified medical staff close at hand? Drug addiction rehab is serious and requires proper training, knowledge and supervision.

Who develops the plan for a patient’s rehab? Ideally, a program needs to be tailored to a patient’s needs and there needs to be adequate consultation and communication involving the patient, the staff and the patient’s caregivers.

Rehab Programs

Most important is the rehabilitation program, itself. There are a wide variety of approaches to drug or alcohol addiction. You need to determine for yourself whether the program at a particular center is likely to achieve the results you want for yourself or for an addicted friend, family member or loved one. Making such a determination is not a mystery or a matter of listening to promises. It involves asking the right questions and carefully examining the answers you get back.

Some programs seek only to “dry out” the person from the drugs he or she is currently using and then connect the person up to a support network in the hope that social support will keep the person from re-starting drug or alcohol use. Most 12 step programs fall into this category. In fact, it is common to find that 12 step programs consider addiction to be an incurable disease which the person will need to struggle against for the rest of his or her life.

Other programs simply seek to transfer the addiction from one drug, such as heroin, to another, such as methadone. This type of program seeks to put the addict onto a chemical which can (hopefully) be more readily controlled and will enable the person to live a life free from the degradation of a continued, desperate search for the next fix. But the person remains an addict.

Many 30 day programs simply withdraw the person from the drugs they came in on, provide a brief bit of counseling and then release the person back to the society when the time period is up.

The Narconon program, as delivered by Suncoast, provides a drug-free withdrawal; a special detoxification step, called the New Life Detoxification, to address residuals from past drug use that, remaining in the body, apparently generate cravings which drive people back to drug or alcohol use; and Life Skill courses designed to help the individual regain his or her integrity and self-respect, gain insight into the factors which led to addiction in the first place and learn skills for improved decision making.

So look carefully at what the rehab program offers. Decide for yourself if its program is likely to accomplish the rehabilitation you want for yourself or a loved one.

Finding a successful drug rehab is not simply about getting answers, but about asking the right questions. When choosing a rehab facility, ask these questions and take a big step closer to a life of sobriety and greater happiness.

Creative Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety
with credit to Suncoast Rehabilitation Center and a clickable link back to this page.

NARCONON SUNCOAST

EDUCACIÓN Y REHABILITACIÓN DE DROGAS