Residential Treatment does it work?

Does residential treatment for alcohol and drug abuse work? Many would say yes, absolutely! Many others would offer a resounding no!! Still others would say sometimes yes and sometimes no. Most residential treatment centers operate on the twelve step program or some variant thereof. Other treatment centers operate on the straightforward skills counseling premise, which focuses on the tools employed for coping with daily life. Regardless of the core philosophy, the answer, based upon all available data, seems to indicate that the effectiveness of treatment in all instances is dependent upon the extent of commitment and participation by the person being treated, as well as the ability of that person to retain and exercise what they have learned.
Just as in any other area of learning and training a person could embark upon, you would see that individuals have different capacities for retention and execution of knowledge or skills learned. Exactly why you see, for example athletes who excel one above another with similar training, education, practice regiment, physical condition etc. In the world of substance abuse treatment the primary determining factor for success or failure begins with the individual receiving treatment.

Here is where the core philosophy of the type of treatment enters in. In far too many twelve step programs, if not all of them, the treatment recipient is indoctrinated with the premise they are suffering from a disease. The problem with this is, besides being scientifically unsubstantiated, it is generally accompanied by the prognosis that although treatable the disease is incurable. This erroneous assertion can cause the treatment recipient to develop an unhealthy self image and begin to identify themselves in all aspects of their personhood by the label, rather than basing their self image on who they really are and their core values. The worst part about this is they are indoctrinated to believing that this is an immutable, unchangeable, fact of their existence and they have no hope of ever being truly normal.

The other side of the street would argue that the addiction behavior displayed is symptomatic and to change the undesirable behavior, one has to address the underlying causative issues. These will vary from case to case but in all cases will display areas of commonality. In this philosophy incorrect thinking, perceptions and decision making skills are dissected and analyzed by the treatment professional and corrected thinking and behavior patterns are established with the ultimate goal being the individual reaching a level of societal normalcy.

While I personally lean towards the latter based upon my own research, personal experience and success in dealing with substance abuse and recovery, I do know people who have been successful from both schools of thought. So I believe the correct answer to the question of residential treatment is yes it can work, yes it has worked, but is it necessary or perhaps the best method to treat addiction, probably not on the scale it is being touted in the United States. Residential treatment centers are the fastest growing segment of the healthcare industry in the country. Because of the enormous revenue generated, many unscrupulous centers have come into existence, so it is a case of buyer beware. First I would consider getting an evaluation from at least three different professionals to help you determine if you are: first of all, in need of residential treatment based upon your actual history and severity of abuse, as well as the manifestations into your relational, working and legal areas of your life. Even long term abusers may not require residential treatment, so it’s best to check it out. There is a great treatment center directory provided by Alcoholic Ape llc. containing over eleven thousand centers in it from all over the country. Many of them provide screening services, and all of them have met federal criteria for being legitimate treatment facilities. If you are looking to get help with substance abuse issues that is a good place to start. I wish you all good health and much success in the future.

Article Source: http://www.109b.com/artdash

Brian is the Director of Recovery Resources for Alcoholic Ape llc. He has over twenty five years experience in the areas of alcohol, substance abuse, and recovery. You may find more info @ www.alcoholicape.net

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