Top 10 Misconceptions About Drug Rehab

The top 10 misconceptions about Drug Rehab are not, in fact, true. Misconceptions are numerous. Knowledge and awareness about rehab centers are increasing as the acceptance of addiction as a disease spreads. Discovery Place, in Burns Tennessee, believes stongly in the dignity of the individual. Our one on one, attention is extraordinarily effective. Here are some of the most common misconceptions about rehabilitation facilities:

1. Rehab is a fix to addiction:

Many believe that if you go through treatment you will come out the other side fixed and cured of their addiction. Some even believe that after treatment they will be able to drink normally. This is not the case; addiction is a life-long illness, currently, with no cure except an on-going lifelong recovery plan.

2. Rehab is hell:

Many misconceive rehab as a lonely and depressing place. That may sometimes be the case depending on the place and the person’s perceptions. As a whole though drug rehabs have a strong community where people can gain support and create strong friendships throughout their time in the facility. Many even make life-long friends while in treatment.

3. Rehab is prison:

Some see rehab as a ‘one way dead end’ where once you go in you are trapped there and never come out. This is not true; people are free to come and go as they please, assuming there are no legal judicial circumstances involved. Rehab may often be restricting but in the end it is only as restricting as you need it to be. Structure and restrictions are often required for successful treatment. In the end one must remember that rehab is the start of a new direction in life and not the end of your life.

4. If you are forced there it won’t work:

Many believe that you have to be voluntary and choose to go to rehab for it to be successful. There is some element of truth to it in the way that if you are ready and willing then treatment is more effective quicker. However one does not need to be voluntary; in the end they still receive the same education on addiction as does everyone else. Most people who don’t go into treatment willing often come out the other side wanting sobriety in the end.

5. Rehab is a waste of time and money:

A common belief is that rehab and treatment is a waste of time and simply quitting drugs or alcohol is enough. A recent study shows that drug treatment reduces drug use by 40% – 60% and significantly decreases criminal activity. The fact is statistics show that those who have been to rehab stay sober longer than those who don’t. Not to say that you can’t get sober without treatment. Another factor is dual diagnosis; many addicts and alcoholics have a mental disorder that needs to be treated alongside the addiction itself. Rehab can do both.

6. One treatment is the same as any other:

Some have the view that, when choosing treatment, any will do. It doesn’t matter where you go; ‘treatment is treatment.’ This is far from true as people respond dramatically differently from different treatment approaches and not one facility is the same. The best drug rehabs tailor their programs to each individual while others will have a broad-spectrum program for every patient.

7. Needing treatment makes you a failure:

Many believe that needing professional help is an admission of failure and worthlessness. This is not the case at all. In fact many don’t realize how many people they know have received therapy, prescription drugs or have a substance abuse problem. It is more common than anyone believes. Going to treatment if anything takes courage and very successful people have been through rehabs. Needing treatment is no indicator of your worth or success; addiction is an illness that many are born with.

8. The more expensive the rehab, the better the recovery:

This is not entirely true as the main determinant of success in rehab is the individual’s commitment to recovery and the work they do to gain it. Some elements of truth reside in this misconception in the way that more expensive centers may employ better therapeutic staff and will probably have a more therapeutic environment. In the end though with true commitment you can recover equally as well in the cheapest of treatment centers.

9. All rehabs and 12 step programs push religion:

There are some religious based rehabilitation facilities but there are even more that are non-denominational. There is often a misconception in the distinction between religion and spirituality. Rehabs and 12 step programs often strongly endorse spirituality as part of recovery however they do not push one to believe in God in a religious sense.

10. Rehabs brain wash their patients:

Many see rehab treatment as brain washing facilities as they re-program the way patients think and act. They do not realize that substance abuse does in fact change and impair the brain’s ability to process and make decisions. All rehab does is teach the patients how to make healthy decisions in life and cope without the need for mind-altering substances.