subject: A Brief Overview Of Drug And Alcohol Rehab Centers [print this page] There is an alarming increase in the number of drug and alcohol problems diagnosed in the United States by the physicians. Recent studies showed that drug and alcohol abuse increased by about seventy percent between 2001 and 2009. This increase is largely driven by a surge in the painkiller abuse. The study was conducted by using information derived from two national surveys of physicians visits who estimated that the number of those visits involving drug or alcohol abuse or addiction increased from 10.6 million from 2001 to 2003 to 18 million during 2007 to 2009. There is also a six-fold increase in the abuse of opioid painkiller and those addicted to it increased from 772,000 to 4.4 million users during the same time span.
In the United States, it is estimated that about 22.5 million people are dependent on the alcohol or drugs and therefore the role of drug and alcohol rehab treatment centers in reducing the negative impact of drug and alcohol abuse is more relevant than it was before. The first and foremost thing that a person addicted to drug or alcohol addiction to do is to attend a drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs to break free from addiction. There are wide varieties or types of programs available for people of all age groups. Majority of drug and alcohol rehab programs are customized to the specific needs of the addicted person.
The various drug and rehab facilities or centers are offering both outpatients as well as inpatient treatment methods for people addicted to drugs/alcohol. An outpatient treatment is for those people who want to continue with their daily lives/jobs or routine while still undergoing the therapy. This method of treatment is also preferred in case, addiction is not life threatening. Inpatient treatment is recommended for those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction that may threaten the lives of the concerned patient or addict.
The first step in the recovery process according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse or NIDA is to undergo detoxification treatment by the concerned addict. Recovering addicts usually go in for inpatient treatment during detoxification and then modulate to outpatient therapy programs. It is recommended that a person undergoing outpatient treatment get in touch or stay in close contact with clinic or rehab centers medical staff especially where there is risk of withdrawal symptoms.
