Clinical services in a rehabilitation center

What to expect when entering a rehabilitation center and what kind of clinical services will be provided is a common question among people who are considering this option. Usually there are also some misconceptions and doubts regarding this topic. For example, the judicial system can send you to a rehabilitation clinic against your will, but contrary to popular belief they cannot actually make you stay there. In other words, a patient cannot be held behind locked doors in a rehabilitation program.

If the patient decides to stay, the first step is usually medically assisted detoxification. Clinical services at this stage focus on treating withdrawal symptoms, which can be emotional and physical. It is better if the patient knows in advance at least to some extent what to expect about these symptoms upon arrival at the rehab clinic. Some usual emotional symptoms include anxiety, irritability, insomnia, depression, and poor concentration. The most usual physical symptoms include sweating, palpitations, muscle tension, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Clinical services are strongly based on education. The key objective is to make the patient perceive his addiction in a realistic manner and change his attitude towards his problem. A high percentage of people that enter drug treatment clinics tend to downsize the relevancy of their addiction and may think that the issue isn't that serious. Education tries to break through that notion and make the abuser realize the actual dimensions and consequences of drug addiction.

Group therapy and constant counseling are also effective tools that are present in the vast majority of rehabilitation clinics. The main point is to make the patient realize that they do not stand alone in their struggle, and that there are others that have effectively defeated drug dependency. Regular family meetings are also scheduled, and previous research has shown that a treatment program that includes this meetings has a substantially higher success rate. Finally, some facilities also offer an aftercare program, which seeks to support the patient once the in-house portion of the clinical services has concluded.