Why would anyone need an Inpatient Substance abuse Program?

If you’re suffering from a serious addiction, you may have to go through an inpatient substance abuse program. This is a part of rehabilitation which removes the addicted individual away from his/her old environment. A lot of experts feel that an inpatient substance abuse program is necessary during the first phases of rehab because the addicted person needs to be in a controlled environment, away from all the elements that may trigger his/her addiction. Also, an inpatient substance abuse program allows counselors and medical practitioners to observe the patient closely and find out the real problems behind the addiction.



What happens here?



There are two basic phases of any inpatient substance abuse program. It always starts with detoxification or "detox". This is the physical weaning of the substance from the addict’s body, and while it may sound simple, it’s not. During this phase of the inpatient substance abuse program, medicines may be introduced to the patient’s body to "mimic" the effects of the addictive drug. This is needed because withdrawal symptoms can be pretty harsh, and if the detox phase isn’t carried out gradually, the body can suffer from serious trauma. Is detox necessary? Yes it is because the substances actually change how the brain perceived things, and unless its gradually removed from the body, the patient will still crave for more.



What happens after detox?



The next stage of any inpatient substance abuse program is counseling. As soon as detox is completed the patient should be lucid enough to perceive the world he’s moving in more realistically. Now is the best time to counsel him, try to find out what the real problems is, and to make him love life again. During this phase of the inpatient substance abuse program, some recreational activities are also introduced. Some patients are encouraged to express their passions through writing, art, or pottery. These things actually help remind them why their body is worth saving, and why they need to fix their lives once the inpatient substance abuse program is over.