tylorwellington

Thanks Bella. One of the things I've heard mentioned a couple times was life skills training. Can you tell me more what that's like?

But I'm in the dark even on the counseling. How does it work? If that's too personal a question, I understand, and no hard feelings if you can't give me more info on that.

LaFemme

Hi Tyler.

I think some of the confusion stems from your understanding of what goes into rehab. Most rehabs arent actually treatments but more personal work (12 steps). I have heard of rehabs that approach the process from a more biomedical angle but they are harder to find and very costly.

I did not go to rehab myself and from my observations here many people don't go to rehabbit get well by doing the work themselvesbe it in AA, SMART or something else.

Good luck to your friend. I wish I had someone to help me when I was ill bit I don't know that it would have helped.

LaFemme

Tyler...when I got so er I had to do a lot of work on myself so that I wouldn't go back to the self destruction of drinking. I used a life coach to work through personal issues but mostly to identify negative factors in my life and come up with a plan for overcoming them.
The problem is that most of us have different reasons for drinking which means different problems to address...that's why there isn't one course of treatment and why there is so much debate about the best way to address the disease.

tylorwellington

hmm, I don't think I was asking for "medical advice" in the negative irresponsible meaning of the term per se, and I don't think my example sounded like an irresponsible answer. So, we'll have to agree to disagree.

You and I probably don't have much to discuss then, but thanks for the well intentioned input. I do understand you're trying to help.

T.

Crow3000

Hi Taylor

I can recommend to you one extremely well written account of a rehab found in the book 'Dry' by Augustan boroughs. It's pretty funny.

As you are no doubt finding out, addiction 'treatment' is very complicated. Here on Sober Recovery, we love arguing about who's treatment works the best (it's mine btw). You will also no doubt find a broad range of options and opinions in the area of rehabilitation. Take a look at the thread provided by Anna above. Pick a Program that might suit the person you are trying to help and then search around for places that employ the approach you have chosen. If that approach does not work, try another, rinse and repeat. At least in my case, even if the rehab had specialized in throwing dead cats at its patients, I would have been better off than if i had continued drinking.

LaFemme

Dead cats...lol. which is sort of one of the treatments I emploeyed...negative association. For example:

Alcohol = vomit

Now the thought of alcohol makes me want to vomit so I don't want alcohol.

Prettey effective for me

EmeraldRose

Welcome T...I did an outpatient rehab. It was book work and group discussion. We didn't always stay on topic.
Some folks were there because they wanted to be (ei. me) others were there because they were losing custody, court appointed, etc. The degree of addiction could matter in what is offered. I was fine with what I got and have not drank in 4 months. Others in my group have gone back to where they were. Obviously they need a more 'powerful' rehab.
It all stems from your family members' willingness and determination of what he or she will get out of it. By you 'researching' what is involved he or she will never know if it will work until they step foot through the doors.
Most rehabs are counseling and group sessions and further counseling after rehab is over. I don't know exactly what you expect to hear but every facility follows its own methods. The time you are taking to research facilitities could undermine his or her desire to even go. He or she may say, Well, that doesn't sound fun...that doesn't sound like a cure...that doesn't sound productive...best thing to do is find a reasonable facility and get his or her butt inside.
The first step to my rehab was an evaluation to even see if I "qualified". Once you are there they can better answer questions of what they do. Rehab is 10% structure and 90% will power.
Wishing you peace and luck.

bellakeller

Life skills. Some of us lose the basics to our addiction; paying bills, taking care of ourselves (like proper eating, sleep, exercise), how to approach situations like getting a job, going back to school or finding housing, setting goals and priorities, etc.. Some of us need a refresher.

Counseling - basically for me it was learning how I got to where I got and why. How to help myself not to get in that bad place again. Planning for aftercare if needed. E.g., maybe marital counseling or psychiatric care if dually diagnosed in some cases.

Latte

I'm a 12 stepper. I went to a rehab that was/is based on the 12 steps but I had been going to AA for some time and knew that it did work and wanted to continue on that path even though I had gone back out. For me it was the promise of support after the program through the 12 steps that was the reason I chose that program. Sure the fact that my insurance covered that rehab helped my decision along and that the courts were breathing down my neck, I'm not going to lie but the track record of 12 step programs has been proven over and over again (I am not knocking other programs, just reinforcing that AA/NA worked for me) to work.

I wanted a program that had a Psychiatrist, and counselors with addiction experience. My location made that a little easier (a lot of drug and alcohol problems in that area). I was looking for spiritual and medical support put together and was guided to a program that had that. Can your loved one ask their regular physician for recommendations? I'm just asking, because that is what I did, along with talking to the mental health professionals through the other state agencies that were asking me to go to treatment.

tylorwellington

I thank those of you who've answered my question. It seems from the lack of answers (and the deflection of the question by some) though, that it may be very unclear what goes on in treatment, even with people who've undergone it. For me, this makes choosing a treatment program nearly impossible.

Is there anyone else who can speak from experience about specific treatment methods they've undergone in rehab? I hope so. I guess maybe it's a possibility that there aren't a lot of people on this board who've been to rehab - this seems odd to me for a popular recovery forum, but if that's the case, can anyone recommend another forum in which to ask the question?

P.S. - I don't need to be told to ask treatment centers, because I'm already doing that, and they're not giving me answers.

laurie6781

Okay, lets see if I can break it down for you.

Treatment rehabs can and do vary. However, many of them have RULES. Those rules can be NO OUTSIDE contact for X amount of time, and based on 'progress' the A 'earns' different privileges, ie getting to call family, etc. One may be they are not taken to outside meetings until X amount of time has passed. Some don't allow cell phones, some do, and on and on and on. Rehabs usually have a lot of education give to the A, group counseling and one on one counseling.

Treatment rehabs, as well as various programs, such as AA, SMART, etc are INTENSE if the A is truly wanting recovery.

Consequently the A is going through some very intense feelings, looking at things they have buried for years. Those that make it through and continue on the 'outside' afterward, staying in recovery, may not be willing to share their '[exact' experience. It can be a very 'painful', 'emotion filled' experience that they do not feel comfortable share in cyber space and only share with a 'sponsor' or counselor on the outside.

I still believe it is up to your 'A friend' to talk to different rehabs personally. They will be more inclined to reveal what the A will be going through in their rehab after they see how serious the A is.

You can ask 10 people that have gone to the same rehab and each ones experience will be different.. Rehabs do try to 'tailor' their method to the individual A based on their interviews with that A.

I do not believe that a definitive answer is possible. The saying 'different strokes for different folks' certainly applies to Rehabs.

J M H O

Love and hugs,

WritingFromLife

It's my understanding that Laurie is correct as far as the treatment being tailor made to the individual. I believe the reason you aren't getting answers from the treatment centers is there is no black and white answer, unfortunately. It's not something that has an across the board procedure, like a medical condition. Until the individual is evaluated and even responded to certain things there at the treatment center, there are too many variables. Maybe compare it to calling a contractor and asking how much it would cost to remodel your house--and he hasn't seen it yet. (sorry for the horribly simplistic analogy, take it for what it's worth)

I can see your dilemma--best bet is to go with your gut and whatever reviews you can find on the place. And I also have to agree with the folks that have said if there person wants to change, nothing, including "bad" treatment, will stop them.

Best of luck to you!

Boleo

First of all, none of them have a greater than 1 in 5 recovery rate (at least not for first timers).

Second of all, spiritual based recovery does not always make sense simply because spirituality in general does not always make sense. It really is in a different realm from the material world.

Third but not least, the individuals commitment and willingness plays a bigger role in recovery than the treatment method or facility. If your friend rally wants to get well, no one can stop him. If your friend really wants to stay sick, no on can stop him.

suki44883

Gotta love the Googles...

How to Choose : Addiction Rehab | Drug Rehabilitation

There are lots more out there if this one doesn't answer all your questions. I'm not sure what else we can do for you since you don't seem to like the answers that have been forthcoming.

bellakeller

Some rehab reviews: Rehab Reviews | The Fix

wpainterw

O.K. Here's what seemed to have "worked" for me and what definitely did not "work" for me: Taking the latter first, what didn't "work" for me was one to one counseling over a period of forty years, largely by psychiatrists. Why didn't it work? I'm not sure but I suspect that by doing that I was kidding myself that I was "really doing something" about my drinking, that I "really" wanted to quit, etc. when in fact what was happening was that I was merely perpetuating my denial and using counseling as a "cover" for continued binge drinking. My counselors, who stood to profit financially from the procedure, were in effect enablers of my dependency.
What seemed to have "worked" finally was a 30 day rehab which involved group therapy and attendance at AA meetings. I found these meetings helpful but had a number of issues with some of the AA teachings, yet stuck with it and have so far managed nearly 24 years of sobriety. I confess I never religiously did all the 12 steps in a conventional sense but I think I did absorb some of the accumulated wisdom of the program. AA is, as you may know, not the only type of group support program. The websites which you have been given list others. Some folks say that have attained sobriety on their own, without group support. All i know is what seemed to help me and that was to be part of a group. It helped me get out of the denial I was in when I was kidding myself that I was "doing something about the problem" when all I was doing was spinning my wheels.
Finally I agree with the others who say that the decision of what to do about it- which I submit is the major decision (as opposed to what "causes" it, what it is-
"disease" or something else, etc. ) the decision of what to do about it ("How do I get out of this predicament?") is essentially up to the alcoholic. Sometimes things have to get really bad before a person is willing to do anything- anything, just to be able to stop drinking. Then that person will hopefully be able to leave no stone unturned to find out how to begin recovery. Good luck to you.

W.

wpainterw

Let me add a P.S. to my previous post. There is a lot of talk about "treatment" on this thread. And there is an analogy to a painful ankle. All I can talk about is my own experience and that is that if the word "treatment" implies that a "patient" goes to a doctor and the doctor "treats" the illness so that it gets better, the "patient" being essentially passive and the doctor "treating" her, then I'm convinced that, at least in my case, all this was, as they say, a "dog that won't hunt". That is, alcoholism is not like a broken or painful ankle. It is a complex condition resulting from a multitude of possible factors and recovery from alcoholism seems very doubtful if the "patient" merely submits himself or herself passively to "treatment" by someone else. Recovery is a very strenuous, demanding, and indeed hazardous process, requiring all the guts and determination that a person can muster. Before it can happen that person may have to sink to the very depths of misfortune, be pushed back against the wall and then realize that the only way out is to start up the long, painful path of recovery. I found that to do that I needed the help of others. I couldn't just continue going to some psychiatrist or counselor and say "Treat me! Cure me! I'm the "patient"! I'll sit here and listen while you tell me what I'm to do!"

W.

Quse56

It's all very personalized. I went to 2 different treatment centers: One had medical doctors ($40K for 3 months) and one did not. Both had me do steps 1-8 in treatment with guidance and supervision. Both had both individual and group therapy sessions. the one with docs treated my withdrawl symptoms and depression medically. Some things we focused on:

Grief
Identifying feelings
Appropriate interpersonal relationships
Addiction education sessions
Introduction to spirituality
Art therapy
Meditation
Medical and Legal advocacy for those with licensure issues
Individual therapy to identify and treat any underlying issues of abandonment, etc
Grandiosity
Sexual and romantic issues

Basically its a lot of talking. They assess you by your involvement, level of denial or acceptance about your disease, and willingness to recover using all methods possible.

Addicts have learned to cope in much different ways than normal folks. Intense therapy is typically reccomended to allow the addict to re-learn living and coping skills... to figure out how to cope sober. Life is painful for an unmedicated addict. Treatment teaches an unintoxicated addict to deal with life circumstances without having to numb out.

It's hard for a normal person to understand how very real this pain is... we aren't capable of just "pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps" and carrying on. It takes a delicate hand to gain an addict's trust and help hjeal the severe coping malfunctions in an addict's psyche. Rehab is wonderful foer this, if the addict is willing.

I hope this helps. I rarely come on this board, so please direct message me if you'd like to hear more about my experience.

Good luck.

instant

As I understand it the main factor in determining outcome is not the treatment- it's the person and where they are at and where they want to get to. All "treatment" can do apart from medical management of withdrawal is attempt to add value to what the person is doing for themselves. Each persons needs and what will work for them is different.

If getting over this were easy and treatment effective there would only be one, or two approaches.

CarolD

my treatment plan and it's been sucessful for 22 years....
god...AA and living the AA steps

Why do you think the person needs a treatment center?
Many do not go that route...and have long term contended recovery...