IS A DRUG AND ALCOHOL REHAB SOMETHING YOU NEED?
Achieving a sober and healthy life requires commitment and effort on the part of the user. There are innumerable benefits from entering a life of recovery free from drugs and alcohols but addicts and alcoholics need not feel overwhelmed by the leap needed to achieve this, as the journey of a thousand miles begins only with the first step.
WHAT’S INVOLVED IN REHABILITATION FROM DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
Each person’s recovery is different and the approach to treating the issues the person is afflicted with varies also. There are however a number of similar aspects of every addict or alcoholics recovery.
- Each addict must either begin treating themselves (difficult) or seek help from professionals, and this involves acknowledging that they have a problem, and a willingness to find a solution.
- A process of total eradication of drugs and alcohol from the person’s life, is typically necessary.
- A process of therapy, counselling, (in some cases medical detox) is required as part of rehabilitation.
- Ongoing management and recovery, and learning to live a sober life free from substances.
Contact our team to find out more about how to achieve such a life, drug and alcohol free.
BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
Choosing the right approach to recovery is a key step in achieving a long term successful outcome. Many at this stage choose to try to “go it alone”, but over time and through sometimes repeated and long experience they know that this has a high risk of failure, and so speaking to qualified and experience rehabilitation centres about how they can help, gives the user a far higher chance of achieving a life of long term sobriety.
You may need to undertake an assessment for therapists to get a true understanding of your issue, and this could involve medical tests, or even supervised medical detoxification for people at risk through ceasing their use of drugs or alcohol immediately. For heavy drinkers, stopping “cold turkey” can result in Delirium Tremors, a disorder which can result in fitting or even death if not managed correctly, and a number of narcotic drugs involved risks of unmanaged cessation of use. Your assessment is likely also to cover issues such as your behavior when using, any history in your family of substance abuse, your work or financial situation (to to the extent that it affects your ability to enter treatment) or any medical issues to be considered in treatment.
FIND AN ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTRE THAT SUITS YOUR NEEDS
You need to choose a centre that has both qualified and experienced therapists. Typically people with a background in psychology and significant experience working with drug addicts or alcoholics is required, to ensure your chances of success are maximised and you achieve a life of sobriety following treatment.
SOME KEY PRINCIPLES TO CONSIDER
The following are a few important issues to take into account when preparing to enter a rehabilitation and recovery process.
- There are both psychological and medical factors that must be taking into account in treatment.
- Many forms of therapy including CBT (Cognitive Behavoir Therapy), Group Therapy and Individiual one on one therapy may all be involved in your treatment approach.
- Whether you are willing or not to enter drug rehabilitation or alcohol recovery, once you enter a program of treatment, your chances improve considerably and so trying to keep an open mind is key, as is taking the first step and entering a program of addiction treatment.
- The best treatment approach is one that is tailored to your needs specifically.
- The sooner you begin the process of treatment, the greater the chances of success.
- Treatment will involve not just dealing with your immediate using behavoir, but also trying to help you understand the reasons you use, and give you tools to manage these desires in your day to day life.
- It’s important to ensure that an appropriate medical review and diagnosis is undertaken to ensure that there are not other reasons for your issues.
- In treatment, you need to not only learn about your problem, it’s nature and to stop using, but you need to be prepared to re-enter your life after rehab and this preparation is a key part of any effective rehabilitation program.
- One of the most important success criteria involves both a willingness to work for your own recovery and keeping an open mind.
- Aside from physical detox and medical treatment, a process of psychotherapy and psychological counselling will be an important element of building a long term approach to sobriety.
HOW PEOPLE CHOOSE A REHAB
Recent studies and market surveys of people who have achieved recovery via a drug or alcohol rehabilitation program have shown that people view the facilities and activities available to people during rehab as a vital element of their decision regarding which rehab centre to choose. Activities such as meditation, yoga, fitness activities and healthy choices in the menu for clients are all important issues that we focus on here at Bali Beginnings.
Types of rehab offered:
There are a range of options offered to people wanting to enter treatment including:
- Residential Rehab (where the client stays at the Rehab Centre for the duration of their treatment)
- Outpatient Rehab (for clients who visit only to participate in group or individual therapy sessions)
Combinations of the above
The approach taken to working with clients and helping them address their needs, and the process of admission and assessment (including medical assessment or detox requirements) however does not vary and is a mandatory prerequisite for admission to rehab.
RESIDENTIAL REHABILITATION
People often experience difficulty in cessation of their using behavoir when they remain in their current day to day life and work situation. By entering a residential rehab facility, they are able to temporarily remove themselves fromm these temptations, stop socialising in circles of friends that support their using, and have a total mental and physical break from their life. While some say that this removal of temptation is not helpful as it is temporary in nature, we disagree. We believe that in fact such a temporary reprieve from the pressures of day to day life are exactly what a client needs to get clean, to start to manage their addiction and to prepare themselves psychologically and emotionally to then be able to re-enter their life with the best chance of maintaining a sober living approach.
Residential rehab is usually required for those with more serious problems with alcohol or prescription or illicit drugs or medications. It is also commonly required where a client has both a substance abuse issue combined with other mental or psychological disorders (dual diagnosis).
Some people in critical situations or medical emergencies may in fact require hospitalisation prior to entering rehab, and at Bali Beginnings we have close working relationships with local high quality medical facilities and health professionals to manage this process if required.
For those that enter Bali Beginnings’ rehab facilities we have physical and clinical supervision of clients at all times, including live-in recovery coaches who are available around the clock to help clients and support them in recovery, and ensure they are not thinking of leaving, using, or placing themselves or others at risk.
OUTPATIENT REHAB
Outpatient Rehab involves users visiting the Rehab for key sessions of treatment and group therapy but they are able to maintain their current place of residence without living full time in the rehab centre. Bali Beginnings offer this to people staying in Bali, however for clients whose regular place of residence is overseas, we strongly recommend that your treatment with us is based on Residental live-in approach. While Bali is a beautiful island with lots of clean, healthy pursuits, there are also a lot of bars, restaurants and temptations available and so we typically only handle outpatient rehabilitation for expats whose permanent home is in Bali.
This style of program is also suited to people with significant day to day responsibilities at home such as caring for others, children or parents, or other such requirements. Outpatient rehab works well for people who have only mild difficulties with drug or alcohol use or abuse and not those with more serious issues or very long term addiction.
MEDICAL DETOX
Supervised cessation of use of prescription medication, narcotics or alcohol is a way to ensure that the client can reduce or cease using totally in a way that is safe to their health. Many users sometimes see this as a way to avoid the challenges of stopping altogether however our expert team of medical professionals are able to assess the need for this and ensure that it is recommended when appropriate.
The need for medical detox is usually governed by issues such as:
- How long a user has been using
- What sort of drug you are addicted to (alcohol, prescription or other narcotics)
- Is the client addicted to more than one type of drug
- What is the daily usage behavior prior to entering rehab (dosage, frequency of use)
When managed properly, detox can be a safe and sensible process to protect the health and safety of the user. If not managed properly for heavy long term users of certain substances, the risks can be high include serious injury or death.
THE PROCESS OF WITHDRAWAL
Withdrawal symptoms, whether mild or severe are common amongst addicts. These may vary from concentration problems, decreased appetite, fatigure runny nose, insomnia, sweating, headaches, nausea, cravings, irritability, through to more serious symptoms such as high fever, delirium tremors (in the case of alcohol), extreme depression, cramping, diarrhea, trembling or shaking, rapid heart rate, troubled breathing, seizures, stroke, hallucinations, heart attack, fitting or even death. The first stages of detox are the most risky and need careful expert supervision. For serious long term heavy users, simply quitting immediately without medical advice is dangerous and to be avoided.
WHAT DRUGS ARE ADMINISTERED IN A DETOX PROCESS
This varies for each user and is the detoxification approach is typically determined by an experienced Doctor. The assessment by a doctor will dictate the approach taken and the types of drugs used in helping a user reduce and get clean with pharmaceutical assistance.
BEGINNING REHAB AFTER DETOX
Once any medical detoxification process is complete (if it was required), the user may then begin the rehabilitation process with Bali Beginnings. This helps them not only adjust to living without drugs and alcohol but also to start to work on understanding the reasons for their issues, and building the mental and physical tools and approaches to live a life of sobriety and free from substance abuse.
Types of therapy we undertake:
ONE ON ONE INDIVIDUAL TREATMENT
We work with clients to discuss and understand the triggers that cause them to use.
We analyse what any early life issues or stresses are and how they may have contributed or continue to contribute to their using.
We help people develop their interests outside their work life, and reconnect with past hobbies or in fact with totally new ones.
We discuss relapse prevention, and managing difficult situations and help people build plans and tactics to avoid or minimise the risk of relapse.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a critical tool in working with clients to build these mental and behavoiral strategies to help them manage their substance abuse and their lives.
TREATMENT IN A GROUP SETTING
An important part of our rehabilitation program includes group sessions with other cleints. Clients are given the chance to share their experience with others, and listen to the stories of others to develop an appreciation of how they relate to their own situation.
This helps people open up about issue in a safe non-judgemental environment with all involved share a common challenge helping build a sense of community within the group and an effective process for dealing with triggers to using.
FAMILY TREATMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Bali Beginnings offers the ability for up to 3 family members to visit the centre to meet with their loved one in a safe and open environment where they can discuss and share feelings, and understand the impact of their using and the feelings of the client and their family members with careful management of any conflict or issues that arise during these sessions. Often both an understanding of the pain of addiction arises through this process as well as demonstration of the love that family have, and their desire to see the client achieve a clean and happy life.
This process is critical to enable family to be a strong support for the addict when they leave the rehab centre to ensure they have a strong base of support in recovery.
LIFE AFTER REHAB
Bali Beginnings works with clients to checkin regularly and monitor their progress in recovery and sets up processes to ensure clients are both supported, but also monitored to ensure they are on track with their recovery journey. Lifelong support is important and living with the temptations that arise in day to day life are issues we help clients manage, and ensuring they are able to build a productive meaningful existence is vital. We implement follow up plans and checklists and support the client in their life post rehab.
12 STEP RECOVERY GROUPS
During treatment we introduce clients to groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and the support that participation in such groups can offer. We accompany clients to these meetings during their stay at times that work in with their other scheduled sessions in treatment.
While sharing openly about their issues in these sessions is not mandatory, we encourage clients to attend, listen and if comfortable to share about their own journey and challenges. We find most clients, after initial hesitation find Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups to be a fantastic support and a place to meet and socialise with others who are on their own recovery journey and facing similar challenges.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
