What Happens at Prescription Drug Rehab?

When a person goes into prescription drug rehab, he typically receives a combination of treatments intended to help him overcome his addiction. The treatment plan offered may depend on the rehab center a person chooses, and some may offer unique forms of treatment. In most cases, however, a person can expect to go through detox and some type of therapy. In many cases, prescription drug rehab centers also offer sobriety training and activities in which an individual can participate for entertainment or therapeutic purposes.

Many prescription drug rehab centers include prescription drug detox as part of the process of fighting addiction. When a person undergoes drug detox, he stops taking drugs and works to cleanse his body of them. This can be a challenging process, as the withdrawal symptoms a person may face can be severe. In some cases, however, a person is given medications to help ease withdrawal symptoms as he goes through the detox process. When medications are given as part of drug detox, the process is called medical detox and is usually supervised by a doctor or another type of trained health care professional.

Counseling is typically part of prescription drug rehab as well. In many cases, a person will have both individual and group therapy while he’s in rehab; family members of a rehab patient may sometimes participate in therapy sessions as well. The purpose of these sessions is to help the addicted individual figure out why he is addicted to drugs, identify issues that make him want to do drugs, and learn effective ways of dealing with problems without turning to drug use. For example, a rehab patient may examine his troubled relationships in therapy and learn new coping skills.

In some cases, drug rehab may also include patient activities. For example, a person in prescription drug rehab may participate in art therapy or even enjoy scheduled activities that are purely for entertainment. Sometimes rehab centers also arrange community outings in which patients can participate. Additionally, some rehab centers have fitness centers, recreation rooms, and other amenities patients can enjoy during unscheduled time.

Often, prescription drug rehab also includes training that helps addicted individuals better their chances of staying sober. Rehab centers usually help addicts develop behavioral skills for dealing with situations that might lead to drug use. Likewise, rehab may also help a person improve his decision-making skills and make healthy choices that are unlikely to stimulate a relapse.