Drug rehabilitation centers that offer cookie cutter, one-program-fits-all approaches to drug rehabilitation does not provide promising results of total recovery. Every addict is an individual person. Every addict has a different reason why they began using drugs or alcohol. A treatment designed to help one addict may be far less successful for someone who has different reasons for using, is addicted to different substances, and has different medical, mental, social, familial, legal and occupational needs. This is where personalized holistic drug rehab can help.
Drug abuse is not just a person who over indulges in legal or illegal drugs. It is a brain disorder that causes the individual to relapse and compulsively take their drug of choice even when they mentally yearn to stop using.
Total Recovery
Total recovery can only be achieved for the addiction when the needs of the whole person are addressed. To help someone overcome the disease known as drug addiction the treatment must be custom created for that person’s lifestyle, drug of choice, mental and social needs. Holistic drug rehabilitation is a one-of-a-kind approach to the problem rather than just treating the symptoms of using.
When a person has access to the holistic approach for recovery the takes a look at the individual not just at the disease. The person, their personality, their life, their situations, their mental and physical health are all evaluated so the treatment programs used can nurture and support the recovery process.
Addiction is a Disease
Every person who has diabetes cannot be treated with the same dose of insulin, the same type of insulin, or even the same dietary plan. The doctors must look closely at the diabetic, their lifestyle, and how their body uses and reacts to insulin before they can custom fit a plan of treatment. Holistic drug rehab services approach drug addiction treatment like a doctor would approach treatment for any other disease.
The holistic approach to recovery will more than likely incorporate some of the traditional recovery therapies that are used in most rehabilitation services. They will also add other therapies and program strategies depending on the person’s needs.
Some of the additional services found in holistic programs include:
- Individualized therapy plans and meetings with a counsellor or therapist to work on one-on-one recovery
- Group therapy services where the individual can be with other people who have similar backgrounds, use the same type of drugs, have some of the same health issues, and more
- Cognitive therapy services that teach the individual how their thoughts, feelings and behaviors are all inter-connected and how a certain way of thinking or feeling may set them up for failure or relapse. During this therapy people are taught how to recognize the feelings or thoughts that can be problematic, and how to change their behaviors or thoughts so that the feelings are changed.
- Family services that can help the person connect with family, find resolutions to problems like living quarters, rental assistance, and more.
- Dietary counselling that helps the individual custom their diet to include healthier alternatives. Keeping the body fueled with healthy food choices improves the physical and mental well being of the person. Diet changes that are designed to be lifetime dietary choices have to be made and learned.
- Motivational therapy where the needs of the person are identified and the counsellor or therapist can create motivational rewards that drive the individual to striving harder for success. Support groups are a big part of motivational therapy. A person needs to have people around them that understand the difficult situation they are in and helps them to see the positive changes they are making, helps them to know they are not alone, and helps them to understand that just because they have a relapse, or something negative occurs in their life it does not mean they have failed.
- Aftercare planning is a huge part of holistic recovery services. The individual has to be prepared for what they will do when they are no longer taking the drug. Their behaviors have to change in order for the new behaviors to become realities in their life. During aftercare planning the individual will need to face their triggers and learn how to avoid those triggers as much as possible. They also learn what to do if they find themselves in a situation where they feel they are about to relapse. They design a plan of how to react, who to call for support and guidance, and how to get out of the situation. Aftercare is the most crucial part of the recovery program because the individual has to change old life patterns, learn to make better choices for their life, and it may mean walking away from people and places that the person loves.
Rehabilitation is forever
Holistic drug rehabilitation approaches this disease knowing that an addict will always be recovering because recovery lasts forever. Once you are addicted to a drug, alcohol, or anything else, you will always be addicted. If you are sober for 50 years that does not mean the addiction is gone, it means that you have been sober 50 years and are doing the best for your life.
Addicts, their friends and their families have to realize that recovery is an ongoing lifelong process. Like any other chronic medical condition or disease, drug addiction cannot be cured. It can be treated, the symptoms and reactions to the disease can be addressed, but the actually disease will go with the individual for the rest of their life.
Holistic drug rehabilitation helps the person dealing with the disease learn the techniques they need to apply to their lives so they can live the best life possible. Drug addiction is not a reason to be ashamed, it is not something you should hide, it is something the person needs to learn to accept that they suffer from, and learn how to avoid reoccurring complications from the chronic condition.
Holistic approaches give each person a life plan for success. You are not alone, and you CAN recover, with a little help and positive reinforcement.
