To Rehab or Not To Rehab
Compulsive behaviors fall into two categories:
Substances, or things that are used like alcohol and other drugs; or processes, which are activities someone participates in like gambling, spending money or pornography.
Both types are used for the same reason for the person struggling with them ---
To help the person escape feelings that are uncomfortable or the experiences that produce those feelings.
To help the person numb themselves to feelings they can't escape or the experiences that produce those feelings.
To help the person not care about feelings they can no longer escape or numb or the experiences that produce those feelings.
In short, to "alter" their mood.
To overcome one, admission to a rehabilitative facility for 30 days or more may be necessary, but that is not always the case.
If you or someone you love has been able to go for a few weeks or longer without "using" or participating in a compulsive behavior, checking into a rehab facility may not be necessary. I have been successful in helping many individuals during my years in practice to refrain from these compulsions without those individuals ever having been admitted to a rehab facility.
And frankly, most rehabs are not particularly successful in stopping the compulsive process. A simple GOOGLE search into the ineffectiveness of rehabs will lead the reader to a host of articles and research about the problems with the rehab model. Some of these articles are from the National Institutes of Health, the Recovery Research Institute, and others.
Here’s some information included in that research to consider:
What does all this mean?
It means simply this:
If you place someone in a residential facility where they are isolated from all their stresses and triggers for 30 days or longer, you're basically insulating them from the very stresses and triggers they need to learn to cope with. Once discharged, they almost immediately encounter those stresses, and without sufficient resources or the time to form new habits incorporating them as coping strategies in real-life situations, they fail. The person goes right back to the thing they have learned works best for dealing with those stresses before entering rehab - the compulsive behavior! This pattern is what leads to the "revolving door" phenomena most people have become familiar with when seeking help for themselves or someone they love.
Again, if you or someone you know has not ever maintained a sustained length of abstinence from a compulsive behavior for more than a couple of weeks, then a rehab center is probably the necessary next step. But if you or they can accomplish a small measure of success in daily routines without it, than recovery without a lengthy or expensive rehab stay may be entirely possible.
Relapse is not due to the failure of the person working at their recovery or their "program".
Relapse often indicates that a one-size-fits-all approach has been used, mostly in a group setting, and that sufficient effort has not been dedicated to work with someone on an individual basis and in the areas which have led to the compulsion. Nor has exploring the various stresses that trigger it, which are often of a traumatic nature in origin.
Studies show that the most important ingredient for maintaining long term abstinence from a compulsive behavior is the length of time a person is engaged in the therapeutic process. Short-term, intensive approaches like the ones used in rehab facilities during the initial stages of treatment are largely ineffective because they do not allow for lifestyle, habit-forming repetition and changer to occur.
There are better ways of helping a person handle the stress-filled events they encounter in their day-to-day lives and the uncomfortable feelings that accompany those events which consequently trigger their desire to use or act out. Many are not employed by the vast majority of rehab centers. Furthermore, there are many rehab facilities that charge hefty fees for relying mostly on a 12-step program in their treatment planning when public 12-step programs are free to attand.
Neurological hardwiring must occur. New habits formed. Lifestyle change needs to happen. These take time and repeated effort.
Please contact me so that we can discuss your individual circumstances and decide the best plan of action for you or your loved one.
Substances, or things that are used like alcohol and other drugs; or processes, which are activities someone participates in like gambling, spending money or pornography.
Both types are used for the same reason for the person struggling with them ---
To help the person escape feelings that are uncomfortable or the experiences that produce those feelings.
To help the person numb themselves to feelings they can't escape or the experiences that produce those feelings.
To help the person not care about feelings they can no longer escape or numb or the experiences that produce those feelings.
In short, to "alter" their mood.
To overcome one, admission to a rehabilitative facility for 30 days or more may be necessary, but that is not always the case.
If you or someone you love has been able to go for a few weeks or longer without "using" or participating in a compulsive behavior, checking into a rehab facility may not be necessary. I have been successful in helping many individuals during my years in practice to refrain from these compulsions without those individuals ever having been admitted to a rehab facility.
And frankly, most rehabs are not particularly successful in stopping the compulsive process. A simple GOOGLE search into the ineffectiveness of rehabs will lead the reader to a host of articles and research about the problems with the rehab model. Some of these articles are from the National Institutes of Health, the Recovery Research Institute, and others.
Here’s some information included in that research to consider:
- Rehab facilities often claim success rates as high as 90%. But according to independent research, success rates are often closer to 17%.
- This same research also shows that 62% of patients leaving a rehab facility relapse within the first 48 hours of discharge.
- Peer-reviewed studies indicate 12-step programs are only about 5% effective with most success stories being primarily anecdotal in nature, though hard data is hard to obtain due to the anonymous approach of the 12-step model.
- For those who enter rehab centers as part of their recovery efforts, it takes an average of 6 rehab stays before treatment works.
- The average cost for a rehab stay is estimated to be around $15,000 to $23,000 for a one month stay before co-pays, and more exclusive or prestigious rehab centers can cost far more but without achieving greater success.
What does all this mean?
It means simply this:
If you place someone in a residential facility where they are isolated from all their stresses and triggers for 30 days or longer, you're basically insulating them from the very stresses and triggers they need to learn to cope with. Once discharged, they almost immediately encounter those stresses, and without sufficient resources or the time to form new habits incorporating them as coping strategies in real-life situations, they fail. The person goes right back to the thing they have learned works best for dealing with those stresses before entering rehab - the compulsive behavior! This pattern is what leads to the "revolving door" phenomena most people have become familiar with when seeking help for themselves or someone they love.
Again, if you or someone you know has not ever maintained a sustained length of abstinence from a compulsive behavior for more than a couple of weeks, then a rehab center is probably the necessary next step. But if you or they can accomplish a small measure of success in daily routines without it, than recovery without a lengthy or expensive rehab stay may be entirely possible.
Relapse is not due to the failure of the person working at their recovery or their "program".
Relapse often indicates that a one-size-fits-all approach has been used, mostly in a group setting, and that sufficient effort has not been dedicated to work with someone on an individual basis and in the areas which have led to the compulsion. Nor has exploring the various stresses that trigger it, which are often of a traumatic nature in origin.
Studies show that the most important ingredient for maintaining long term abstinence from a compulsive behavior is the length of time a person is engaged in the therapeutic process. Short-term, intensive approaches like the ones used in rehab facilities during the initial stages of treatment are largely ineffective because they do not allow for lifestyle, habit-forming repetition and changer to occur.
There are better ways of helping a person handle the stress-filled events they encounter in their day-to-day lives and the uncomfortable feelings that accompany those events which consequently trigger their desire to use or act out. Many are not employed by the vast majority of rehab centers. Furthermore, there are many rehab facilities that charge hefty fees for relying mostly on a 12-step program in their treatment planning when public 12-step programs are free to attand.
Neurological hardwiring must occur. New habits formed. Lifestyle change needs to happen. These take time and repeated effort.
Please contact me so that we can discuss your individual circumstances and decide the best plan of action for you or your loved one.
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LOCATION:
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PHONE:
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