Posts Tagged drug rehabilitation failure

Why Drug Rehabilitation Programs Fail

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Rehabilitation on April 29th, 2010

Drug rehabilitation programs are not foolproof. Why does a drug rehabilitation program fail? These are the basic reasons.

1. Not carefully planned rehabilitation programs. Programs must fit the unique needs of every individual seeking treatment. The programs must follow general guidelines that have been tested and proven to work for many past patients, but must also also consider the special needs and circumstances of every new patient.

drug rehab2. Incompetent rehabilitation facility and facilitators. The success of rehabilitation programs heavily rely on how experienced and competent the facilitators and their working tools are. They will guide the patients on the road to recovery and their role is thus very critical.

3. Patient’s weak resolve to undergo treatment. No matter how carefully the program was planned and how competent the program facilitators are, it can fail if the patient himself is not willing to seek help. It is important for the patient to recognize the problem and work towards his full recovery. However, a patient’s willingness to undergo treatment is not a requirement. A drug abuser’s decision-making process may be impaired, and the intervention by family, friends or other groups will be very important.

4. Lack of support from family and friends. In this crucial time, the drug abuser would need all the support he can get. He will not be able to hold strongly to the program if he sees that not all family members or friends find the treatment useful or needed. A support group, composed of family members and friends, united to help the patient overcome drug abuse will be very helpful.

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How to Avoid Relapses During Drug Addiction Treatment

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Rehabilitation on November 22nd, 2009

The whole point of undergoing drug addiction treatment is to escape the cycle of drug use and dependence. Hence, when the patient in question falls back into his old habits, the treatment can be considered a failure, and the chances are that the patient would grow more dependent on the drug than ever.

drug abuse treatmentSo how do we avoid relapses during the course of the drug addiction treatment? To do this, we must first remember that treatment is not a one-time thing. It is a continuous process that goes on for a certain length of time, depending on the length of the patient’s contact with the drug as well as the severity of the damage caused. We may be talking about weeks, months, and in some cases years.

A relapse can happen if the patient falls back into his drug habit, which must be avoided at all costs if a successful treatment is desired. Preventing this highly depends on proper and constant monitoring and testing of the patient, and in some cases direct intervention is required if he shows signs of being dangerously close to suffering a relapse.

Of course, relapses are more likely to happen when the patient has used drugs for a prolonged period of time. The longer they have taken drugs, the higher the possibility of them falling back to their old ways. Positive reinforcement during treatment plays a vital role, since this can encourage the patient’s active participation during treatment, which can increase the likelihood of being completely cured of drug addiction.

The success of treatment depends on the anticipation of relapses, and the intervening measures made during the process. These measures include proper and constant monitoring, direct intervention, and positive reinforcement during treatment. All of these measures are critical to ensure the patient’s independence from drug use.

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