Drug Treatment in Alaska
The main purpose of a drug and alcohol treatment facility in Alaska is to help addicted individuals to quit using drugs, discover and handle underlying issues, learn new coping tactics, learn necessary life skills and create a strategy for a new life that doesn’t include drug and/or alcohol abuse. Before an addicted individual can receive the many benefits of going to a drug and alcohol rehab facility in Alaska they first need to acknowledge the fact that they have a drug or alcohol abuse problem that has grow to be out of control and professional assistance is necessary. This doesn’t mean that they must hit rock bottom, just that they need to recognize that their situation is beyond their ability to control. While agreement to receive treatment is ideal there are scenarios where individuals who did not want to attend rehab were able to receive great benefit from enrolling and completing a rehabilitation program.
Once a drug or alcohol rehab facility in Alaska has been chosen the next step is going through the detox and withdrawal process. Because the detox process varies in intensity depending on the type of drug that is being abused it is important that it be carried out by trained specialists and not at home before enrolling in treatment. Many drug rehab centers have detoxification services located on site to help their clients through this challenging process. Depending on the substance the individual is abusing, medical supervision and medications might be necessary. This procedure of medically assisted detox is typically carried out in a hospital or similar setting where medical staff ranging from doctors to nurses are on hand to supervise the person through their withdrawal process. Substances that do not require medically assisted detoxification can be dealt with privately in most drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers using trained withdrawal staff, nutritional supplements and therapeutic withdrawal methods to ease the client’s withdrawal symptoms.
When the detoxification process is complete it is now time for the educational and psychological portion of the treatment process to begin. Until the client’s withdrawal process is complete, trying to have the addict take in new information is unproductive because they are still suffering from withdrawal symptoms and are unable to truly focus on any other areas of their recovery. The educational portion of the Alaska rehabilitation facility will vary on which rehabilitation program the person attends. Generally speaking though, this portion of the recovery process includes working with staff members and counselors on locating and resolving the issues that drove the individual to use drugs or alcohol as an answer to the problems that where going on in their life. While uncovering and resolving these problems the person in recovery learns new ways to deal with these problems as well as others when they come up again in the future without resorting to drug or alcohol abuse.
Clients enrolled in an Alaska drug or alcohol rehabilitation facility will learn and apply new life skills that they can apply in the “real world” when they finish rehab. These new life skills consist of improved communication skills, learning to stay in the present moment, how to identify positive vs. negative people, accepting responsibility for their past indecisions and understanding that the future is up to them to decide and how to plan out their lives as a sober and productive person. Attending a drug or alcohol rehabilitation center in Alaska is more than just quitting drugs and alcohol; it is conquering one’s addiction issues and discovering how to live a productive, happy life as a sober member of one’s family and community.