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At times, rehab is critical to those in the lowest levels of active addiction because detoxing can be dangerous. There are also alternatives that provide a different view, many get clean, get sober without rehab. Many are introduced to the 12 step recovery in rehab and some attend after after treatment or rehab.
Alcohol and Drug addiction is a serious problem for many people. Everybody has their own view on what addiction means but self care is important. There are guides to help people determine if they have developed a substance addiction to alcohol or another drug. Once a person has questions or cares to view their possible addiction issues in a new light the decision may come to seek help in a 12 step recovery program or to seek treatment or rehab.
Each individual has their own levels of what is acceptable. Having people who care about your health can be an important first step in recovery or you may find on your own through education that your health is suffering from untreated addiction (active addiction).
Sometimes our levels of awareness affect our view and it can be difficult to see how much others care or if we care for ourselves; self care is as important as how others care about us. Regardless of the levels of concern that brought the problem into view, once you decide to care for your health and seek help, where that help comes from is the next step in the recovery process from addiction.
Unfortunately, some individuals no longer view recovery as an option and no longer care about their fate. The lowest levels of addiction are populated with complete hopelessness.
For some individuals addiction has dominated their lives to the point where they find themselves in a facility or with a professional, some by choice, some by law or other circumstance. In such a place, they may be introduced to a 12 step program.
Across the US, in America, and around the world there are centers specializing in addiction services with many levels of care available. Once we view treatment or rehab as an option, the individual needs to proceed with care. Some may choose to go to;
Some programs view treatment of addictions with the idea of anonymity being critical. An anonymous fellowship benefits the individual because they can attend and know that other members care about their right to privacy. On many levels, as we view our addiction in a new way and even try new methods of living, everyone can benefit. The anonymous program also benefits from anonymity by not being identified by the opinions or behaviors of other members. The public view matters to those in the program who care about perception if the goal is to attract newcomers. Newcomers is a term used for people new to a 12 step meeting and with new recovery under their belt.
Each step in the twelve step process is designed to build on the results of the previous steps. Many of our ideas are so entrenched that they are like granite in our minds and the steps are although they may be introduced in a meeting or a treatment center, are owned by the fellowship and originated in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). There really is no school for how to change ourselves but the steps offer an alternative approach. Rather than saying ‘You have a problem with drugs, do this’, each step is designed to give you a new view on one aspect of the disease of addiction. We define our own treatment on the success of other members’ experiences and determine our own levels of recovery. This is different from a treatment facility or drug rehab where everyone generally follows a prescribed model, delivered under clinical guidance.
Across America, and around the world, members of 12 step programs are living each day, progressing through the steps and having a new view on life without drugs or alcohol. The twelve steps are offered as a part of recovery programs. For many advocates of treatment for addiction, the steps become a way of life, not treatment.
Addiction treatment across the US has unfortunately been separated from the health care system because it was seen as a social or criminal issue and not a health issue. This view is no longer popular and treatment options are evolving rapidly. Even mental health has been isolated to some extent from regular health care but that view is also changing. Treating a disease or broken bone was perceived as different than the appearance of depression, anxiety disorders or individuals who experienced a substance abuse disorder(addiction). Society is changing and addiction is now classified as a mental health disorder within many countries but levels of support vary.
Diagnosis can also be difficult as some do not view their lifestyle as a problem. A professional may have a vision that is different than your own, and suggest you need to consider care for your health and to look at your substance use. Once a person begins to view things in a different way, with increasing levels of awareness, then the door is open to change.
Rehab can become a revolving door for some who are caught in addiction. Drug rehab may offer a short term solution, but not meet all the requirements for a successful treatment.
Treatment has many different levels of intervention depending on the needs of the individual. Rehab may be a necessary option if physical dependence or addiction to certain drugs is evident. Withdrawal can have an adverse effect on health on so many levels and even cause death when use of the substance is terminated. A common view of professionals is that rehab is critical in cases where physical dependence is evident. Sometimes the levels of care available depends on funding or the individuals financial ability to pay if the facility is private.
Education often plays an important part in a drug rehab center or other treatment programs where someone suffering from addiction might find people who care about them for the first time.
How we view ourselves and how others view us can benefit those in treatment or rehab centers. Sometimes a professional view is required to assist with ridding the body of the alcohol or drugs and restoring physical health. We may need to look at treatment as more than physical care, but also mental health care and even spiritual care for some. Each view can have different levels.
Health care systems may require different levels of treatment with drug rehab being critical for the care of those in the worst stages. Each will have a process that they follow and many new centers open with a new idea on how to help the individual. For some, treatment is an option but for them treatment eventually comes to an end. Some may return to treatment repeatedly either by identifying old patterns of behavior or a return to drug or alcohol use. Each time, an individual has the opportunity to achieve new levels of awareness. Treatment may have laid the foundation of a new view on life but for others they see continued support is needed.
Leaving the rehab center and returning to your house might require ongoing care and different levels of support as we progress through your life. One option is outpatient treatment. Outpatient is available in many communities and gives the individual the ability to live at home, perhaps return to work, but still maintain contact with a professional involved in their treatment. Some view sober living houses as a treatment option between active addiction and a return to normal life. All of these treatment options and rehab choices provide a view on what recovery can look like. There are so many different levels of recovery to consider but personal care should be important in any treatment plan.
The 12 step community is a wonderful place to live life with like minded people. Understanding the recovery process and talking with people who understand exactly where you have been, what you feel, and have maintained success offers the feeling of community.
Facing alcoholism and addiction takes courage and there are many approaches one can choose, however, the largest group remains the 12 steppers of AA, NA, CA, and CMA.
many family members have learned how to live with their recovering person or still using person by applying the 12 steps to their lives. Attending AlAnon is very helpful.
For those who lived in alcoholic homes growing up there is also a wonderful recovery group called ACA – Adult Children of Alcoholics.
All 12 step programs are modelled off the original 12 step process developed to treat alcoholism in Alcoholics Anonymous(AA).
Alcoholics Anonymous published a book called The Big Book of AA and it contained the original version of the steps that has become the base for other programs. 12 Steps of AA.
“Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”
Every program that has adapted the original model developed by AA adheres to the idea that as a group they try to help others who identify. Often participants view themselves as a fellowship who care about each other and care about the suffering members who have not found recovery. They do not require professionals and are peer-based which is different from what a treatment center or rehab might prescribe. The steps are an education in learning a new way of enjoying life by practising spiritual principles.
Originally developed in America, the AA concept of treatment spread to other countries and allowed other individuals to adapt the program to new methods. By following the twelve step process, members learn about spiritual principles.
12 step recovery is almost like an outpatient program where members show up to meetings on a regular basis to support each other and strive to carry the message to new members. The difference would be that an outpatient often has access to professionals. Some members never care to attend treatment or participate in rehab. There are so many different levels of care available in these fellowships depending on where you are. Each member has a unique view and experiences care differently.
Here is a list of anonymous programs designed to specifically treat drug or alcohol addiction, that do not require treatment or rehab and you are not an outpatient. These groups depend on the application of the twelve traditions to maintain unity within the Fellowship; Treatment or rehab do not adhere to the twelve traditions but might adopt the twelve steps in their modality.
Narcotics Anonymous (NA), founded in 1953 in the US, describes itself as a “nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem”. Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied substance use disorders and is the second-largest 12-step organization. NA is an abstinence based program but members are only required to have a desire to stop using. NA is not a treatment or rehab and members attend support meetings regularly. By participating we are able to experience a different view from people who care and have hope.
Al-Anon Family Groups, founded in 1951, is a “worldwide fellowship that offers a program of recovery for the families and friends of alcoholics, whether or not the alcoholic recognizes the existence of a drinking problem or seeks help.” Alateen “is part of the Al-Anon fellowship designed for the younger relatives and friends of alcoholics through the teen years”.
Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA) is a California-based US non-profit, public-benefit corporation founded in 1994 working as a twelve-step program of recovered and recovering crystal meth addicts. Participants in local groups meet in order to help others recover from methamphetamine addiction. CMA is not a treatment program or rehab, but instead offers peer-based support. CMA advocates complete abstinence from methamphetamine, alcohol, inhalants, and all other psychoactive drugs not taken as prescribed.
Moderation Management (MM) is a secular non-profit organization providing peer-run support groups for anyone who would like to reduce their alcohol consumption. MM was founded in 1994 to create an alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous and similar addiction recovery groups for non-dependent problem drinkers who do not necessarily want to stop drinking, but moderate their amount of alcohol consumed to reduce its detrimental consequences.
SMART Recovery is an international non-profit organization that provides assistance to individuals seeking abstinence from addiction. SMART stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training. The SMART approach is secular and science-based, using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and non-confrontational motivational methods.
