Drug Rehab Montgomery AL

For purposes of this article, "drug" refers to any addictive chemical substance. Drugs may be illegal (e.g., heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines) or legal (prescription narcotic pain medication, Valium, alcohol). Although some people use problem behaviors such as addictive gambling or shoplifting the way other people use drugs (e.g., to get a "high," to numb feelings, etc.), these behaviors require different treatment approaches and will not be considered drugs in this article. The drug rehab referred to here will be for addictive drugs, and the different types of rehab methods.

Rehab, also commonly referred to as rehabilitation, refers to the re-establishment of an ill or injured person to ability to care for themselves. Thus, the role of drug rehab is to help a person whose addiction to drugs has interfered with his or her life to become a fully functioning member of society. Drug rehab focuses on the whole person and how to make him or her healthy again, just as if this person had a disease such as cancer. Some programs see themselves as successful only if the person in treatment stops using addictive substances. Others claim success if the person is able to moderate his or her use so that it is no longer interfering with his or her life.

Drug rehab can take place in an inpatient or an outpatient setting. It may be supervised by professionals such as doctors, psychotherapists, social workers, etc., or it may be offered by concerned lay people such as former addicts. Many drug rehab centers will use both medical professionals and former addicts who have become counselors, since this type of approach can be a broader way of helping people. Some people realize they have a drug problem and enter drug rehab of their own accord; others enter drug treatment programs because they have been ordered to do so by the courts, or because a loved one has given them an ultimatum. There are several current theories of drug rehab, ranging from the traditional 12-step meetings to stages of change models to harm reduction efforts.

The financing for drug rehab programs may come from many different sources. Some programs, like peer-led support groups, don't cost participants anything. Other programs operate on a sliding scale--in other words, the program evaluates the patient's income and expenses and charges what the program deems to be a fair rate. Some patients pay nothing at all. These programs are usually funded by private donations or tax dollars.

Still other drug rehab programs may be covered by an individual's health insurance plan. More and more, health insurance companies are seeing the need to cover drug rehab expenses, at least in part, because it can often prevent other serious health problems later on down the road. Depending on the plan, individuals may be required to seek treatment with certain individuals or through certain agencies. The plan may also place a cap on how much it will pay for substance abuse treatment in a given year. Many plans, for instance, cover a maximum of 28 days of inpatient treatment and may stop paying for individual therapy after ten or twelve sessions. This can be a difficult problem for someone who requires additional help to kick his or her habit.

Medicare A, the hospital health insurance plan used by the vast majority of senior citizens in this country, pays for a lifetime total of 190 days in a certified psychiatric facility. Medicare B, the medical health insurance plan covers outpatient visits with doctors, psychiatrists, licensed therapists, etc. It is important for someone who is planning to use their Medicare benefit to pay for treatment to be certain that the provider is Medicare certified.

Finally, the cost of some drug rehab programs must be paid out of pocket. These tend to be privately run programs that encourage longer stays. Some of these programs fail to follow acceptable medical practice and therefore are not eligible to be covered by medical insurance. Despite the fact that some of these drug rehab centers tend to use unconventional methods, some have proven to be very successful, and with closer scrutiny, may in the future be covered by medical insurance.

Some private pay substance abuse treatment programs will allow patients to make payment arrangements, others demand a substantial portion of the money--if not all of it--up front.

The Twelve Steps, developed in 1938 by recovering alcoholic and co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Bill W., start with the premise that the alcoholic's life has become unmanageable due to his or her use of alcohol. The alcoholic is then encouraged to turn his or her life over to God (or some understanding of a higher power).

Next, the alcohol abuser is asked to make a "fearless moral inventory" and to admit to the higher power as well as at least one other human being the wrongs they have done.

The next steps (six and seven) are more controversial, and involve asking one's higher power to remove one's shortcomings. These steps have traditionally led atheists, agnostics, and others who do not believe in a personal god to shy away from Twelve Step programs. Steps eight, nine, and ten involve listing the people one has harmed and, if possible, making amends. Steps eleven and twelve are again problematic for the nonreligious, as they focus on becoming closer to one's higher power, undergoing a spiritual awakening, and spreading the word to other alcoholics. Twelve-step drug rehab programs have been helping people kick their habits for a very long time, and have proved their worthiness in the number of successful recovering addicts.

Individual AA groups differ on how closely they follow the steps and how insistent they are that their members identify and reach out to a higher power. Nevertheless, in 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an atheist who found the religious content in AA objectionable could not be court mandated to attend AA meetings.