Does advice feed our self-knowledge and ignite our inner fires to heal ourselves?  Well, let’s see. Advice comes from the outside. And while we often get advice from our parents and well-meaning friends–people who often have our best interests at heart–it is based on the assumption that someone else knows us better than we know ourselves. A non 12-step rehab program is different because it’s not about advice.

The truth is it doesn’t matter who the advice comes from as it mostly just pisses us off.  We want control over our own decisions and to follow our own beliefs and values. We crave living our own lives. We think that if someone has to tell us what to do, we must need to be fixed. If we need to be fixed, then we must be no good. Non 12-step rehab doesn’t waste time going down this road because shame feeds addiction.

It’s too painful, too much. I can’t take it.  I’ve got to do something to release the stress. Drugs, alcohol, cutting, eating, not eating, buying?  Whatever gets us through another day and away from all that advice. Why would we want to pursue recovery that is scripted with all the “answers” ready and waiting?  Isn’t that just more of the same?

Non 12-step rehab is customized and focuses on your natural brilliance, even if you can’t yet see it for yourself.  It supports you while you find your answers. It is not a one-size-fits-all approach to overcoming destructive addictive behaviors and does not assume to know what’s right for you.

So what is non 12-step rehab?

• It’s based on the premise that you are innately brilliant.
• It assumes that you did the best you could with the beliefs and coping skills you had in the past and that now you’re ready to live the life you really want.
• It’s all about supporting that life—the dream of feeling deeply good, balanced and whole.
• It’s based on self-inquiry.  Non 12-step rehab respects you as a unique person with unique struggles and strengths.  Who knows you better than you do when you are ready to know yourself? When you enter non 12-step rehab, you enter a customized program that is focused on processes for recovery and self-discovery that vary from person to person.

Aaron and Elizabeth have been admitted to a program with non 12-step rehab a few days apart.  Each has entered non 12-step rehab with a similar mix of substance abuse, an eating disorder, and excessive buying. They are surprised to discover that non 12-step rehab isn’t a cookie cutter approach. In their non 12-step rehab sessions, Aaron and Elizabeth find themselves being honored and respected in the most meaningful ways they’ve ever experienced.  Their individual non 12-step programs are surprisingly different.  When they compare notes about their treatment team goals they find a breadth of differences because they are different people!  And this empowering non 12-step rehab environment feeds their self respect and enthusiasm for their lives and teaches them to listen to their own individual core values. Non 12-step rehab supports each of them in expressing their joys, pain, fears, triumphs, and goals but it doesn’t do that by following a scripted list of steps.

Non 12-step rehab is about living lives of congruency, integrity and authentic joy. The journey is one of self discovery that goes way beyond sobriety. It’s about living a life of passion and clarity for the rest of our lives.

This article was contributed by The Exclusive Hawaii Addiction Treatment Center, a treatment facility that specializes in non 12-step rehab.

When you are looking for help with a substance abuse problem, your choices for help may seem overwhelming. There are several different kinds of treatment and several different levels of care that vary in intensity. It can be a challenge to determine what level of care is appropriate for you. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) has established a set of criteria for determining the most appropriate level of care for individuals seeking treatment for substance abuse. A skilled substance abuse counselor will be able to help you make this determination and guide you to the level of care that best fits your needs.

Early intervention treatment is the least restrictive and least intense level of care. In early intervention treatment, people who are considered to be at a high risk for abusing substances are able to learn more about drugs and alcohol and identify high risk behaviors. Individuals that are appropriate for this level of care do not currently meet criteria for a substance abuse disorder, but are still able to benefit from some sort of treatment.

Outpatient treatment is the next level of care that is provided for substance abuse treatment. Individuals receiving outpatient services are seen by a counselor according to patient need, although this must be less than nine hours a week. Generally, an individual will carry a substance abuse diagnosis at this level of care, but the symptoms the individual displays are not serious enough to interfere with daily activities of living to a point that a higher level of care would be necessary.

Intensive outpatient treatment is very similar to traditional outpatient treatment. The main difference between these two levels of care is that the individual must spend a minimum of nine hours a week in services. Intensive outpatient treatment does not require the individual to live at the facility where treatment is being provided, but does offer the individual the opportunity to work through issues related to substances on an intense level. Individuals in this level of care are experiencing a decline in the ability to handle their daily activities of living and, therefore, meet criteria for receiving services at a higher level of care than those in traditional outpatient settings.

Residential treatment takes place when the individual lives at the facility, and the majority of the individual’s time is spent focusing on recovery. Residential treatment is gender specific in terms of living quarters, although treatment oriented activities such as group may contain members of both sexes. Residential treatment facilities have staff members on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are able to provide constant support for individuals receiving treatment. Residential treatment is recommended for individuals who cannot abstain from using substances in a less intense level of care, and/or cannot keep up with activities of daily living. These programs are traditionally 28 days in length, but can vary depending on the needs of the individual.

Medically managed treatment is the most intense level of care available. This setting has the same components that of a residential treatment, but also requires a doctor to see the individual on a daily basis. This level of care is appropriate for individuals who have severe biomedical complications due to their substance use, such as a person requiring a medically monitored detox. This level of care tends to be brief in nature due to the intensity of the services provided, but is often followed up by traditional residential treatment.

Jessica Parks is a certified alcohol and drug counselor in the state of Illinois and has her M.A. in art therapy counseling.

Substance abuse rehab is a place you can go when your drug addiction has gotten the best of you. When you’ve hit rock bottom, you need to know that you need medical help to get through this. Rehab will help you get the drug out of your system and begin a new, non-dependant life…free of drugs or alcohol. We often think of substance abuse treatment as something for people who addictions to crack or other street drugs, but it is in fact for everyone suffering an addiction to any substance, whether illegal or even prescribed.

Substance abuse rehab will make sure the drugs exit your body in a safe manner. Our bodies often become dependent on drugs, and without them, our bodies will throw a fit. We can be sleepless, irritable and even run the risk for seizures when the drug is removed from our systems. Medical supervision at a drug abuse rehab clinic will make sure we’re going the healthy route to recovery. Withdrawal symptoms can, in the worst case, end in death.

Understanding Substance Abuse Rehab

If you or a loved one need to gain information about substance abuse rehab, check the internet for facilities that will suit your needs. Remember that not all clinics are created equally, so find a substance abuse rehab center that has experience with your type of drug addiction. Speaking with a medical professional can help you understand the best path of treatment you should take. Don’t attempt to detox alone, it can be very dangerous. Get help and find a reputable substance abuse clinic to help you along your journey.