It takes a certain level of conviction to decide that it’s time for treatment. But residential or inpatient treatment is one of the most effective methods for creating a foundation for recovery. Here’s what you or a loved one can plan for at an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment center.
Why the Term “Inpatient” Matters
Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for people to forget that addiction is a brain disorder. The official terminology is substance use disorder (SUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) defines addiction as a “chronic but treatable condition,” and many studies continue to reinforce how addiction alters the brain and why treatment needs to be designed to address not only these changes, but also the root causes of it including, but not limited to, the following risk factors:
- Genetics
- Environment and social network
- Co-occurring mental and emotional health conditions
So, approaching addiction from a medical perspective, rather than as a moral failing or personality flaw (as previous stereotypes once did), is the primary goal of a rehabilitation facility. A unified team of physicians, nurses, therapeutic experts, and other professionals of addiction science create a customized treatment plan for each patient, which might include detoxification, to address their health needs. This is no different than being a patient with some other chronic illness.
For example, the Centers for Disease Control indicate there are seven primary chronic health illnesses—including heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes—that often can’t be cured, but certainly managed effectively with proper treatment.
So, if someone is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, this is a genetic condition that requires insulin regulation, lifestyle and dietary changes, regular checkups, and so on. However, they’ll have this condition for their lifetime. If someone is diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, it still requires medical management for a period of time, but certain dedicated applications may encourage a period of remission—recovery—as long as the individual adheres to the care plan.
Undergoing residential treatment or inpatient care for addiction rehabilitation helps a person receive the initial comprehensive physical, emotional, and mental therapeutic care to progress to long-lasting recovery.
Behavioral Modification to Reinforce Wellness
When someone has SUD and AUD, their brain chemistry is altered considerably. According to the NIDA, addiction changes their:
- Impulse control
- Pleasure and reward responses
- Stress response
But to overlook how addiction may have started—whether the condition was prompted by factors that are behavioral, biological, economical, psychological, societal and so on—isn’t effective treatment. So in addition to a medical assessment, a rehab team will evaluate all contributing causes based on an individual’s unique experiences. After all, residential treatment is for someone struggling with alcoholism because of a history of PTSD and being abandoned by their family should differ from that of a person who grew up in poverty and used and sold drugs to get by.
Medically, there’s a need to recalibrate the brain’s chemical reactions. But behavior modification techniques are the tools to help an individual understand what led to this point and learn techniques to not only cope with their past, but also develop better coping skills to continue to heal from within and build a better life.
Cultivating Methods for Rewarding Recovery
Detoxification and 30-, 60-, or 90-day residential treatment are critical first steps to enduring wellness. But the techniques and connections you make during your stay are the backbone to reinforcing your recovery.
Whether through 12-Step programs and group therapy or more comprehensive individual counseling and exercise and diet modifications, many people learn new methods during residential treatment (or inpatient rehab) for managing stress, handling triggers and cravings, and building more meaningful relationships—often essential life skills they didn’t have access to in previous phases of life.
Instead of looking through a fractured lens of “I’m broke and need to be fixed,” individuals recognize through treatment that they now have access to growth opportunities and techniques for better living. This approach helps create a foundation of sobriety that’s full of hope, promise, and deliberate health, and helps people become enhanced versions of their true selves.
Whole-Person Wellness at Fair Oaks
Substance use disorder and alcohol use disorder can be managed effectively with comprehensive and focused individual care. There’s not a “one size fits all” approach to these conditions—you deserve better than that.
You have the right to rely on board-certified professionals to customize treatment not only to address current symptoms, but also taking into consideration your background, environment, and influences. At our center in Sacramento, we design treatment plans to enhance the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. Only through whole-person care like this can you get to the root of your condition and adapt to new methods for better wellness.
Learn more about our philosophy and treatment approach, and how our care team helps you create a promising life of long-lasting recovery.
