The Recovery Place Wages War on Addiction Rehab Myths

April 01, 2011 (PRLEAP.COM) Health News
Myths about alcohol and drug rehab continue to defeat those who struggle against their addictions. The Recovery Place takes an active stance in taking on these destructive myths in order to get help for those who need it most, the addicts, alcoholics and their families.

Robert Anton Wilson, prolific and profound American author and psychologist once wrote "Most people live in a myth and grow violently angry if anyone dares to tell them the truth about themselves." This is very true for people who have a alcohol and drug addiction problem, but it is often the social myths of rehab that keep them from seeking help.

The Recovery Place seeks to provide ongoing national education on these myths about drug rehab to the general public, as well as to those who are intimately connected with the severe problems of alcohol and drug addiction. No one lives in a vacuum, and the more all citizens are educated, the less these myths will persist. And that means more people will get the help they need, and the negative socio-economic impact of drugs and alcohol will be reduced.

Rehab Myth Number One: "All rehab programs are the same. I failed one, so what is the point in going somewhere else." Wrong. A person may have failed because they didn't go to a comprehensive substance abuse treatment facility that was client-centered and focused fully on the unique nature of the person in rehab.

Rehab Myth Number Two: "I thought if my son went into drug rehab he'd be cured." Relapse is a reality, but with the correct individualized treatment, and intensive aftercare, it can be minimized.

Rehab Myth Number Three: "Medical insurance doesn't cover alcohol and drug treatment." Absolutely wrong. Most insurance policies have at least some form of coverage for both substance abuse and mental health problems.

Rehab Myth Number Four: "If he just had some willpower he could quit." This myth has been one of the most destructive myths. Addiction affects at the brain level, and changes it so drastically that without detox and intensive therapy relapse is assured. No one would destroy their lives by a choice not influenced by some sort of psychological or physiological problem.

Rehab Myth Number Five: "Hitting rock bottom is the only way to have a successful rehab." Absolutely not. Sometimes families intervene successfully, and sometimes the drug addict or alcoholic realizes that without rehab he is in danger of permanently losing his family, job, and even his life.

Rehab Myth Number Six: "I can't make him go to rehab." While this is true in some cases, it is not true for all. Minors can be made to go to rehab, and there is court-mandated rehab for some individuals. Once there, according to the addiction specialists at The Recovery Place, the best rehab is one that devises a care plan around the individual, and doesn't make the addict or alcoholic fit the treatment.

Rehab Myth Number Seven: "Detox is the same as rehab, so a couple of days ought to do it." Untrue. Detox is only the first step, and paves the way for the hard work that leads to recovery.

Rehab Myth Number Eight: "Once you relapse and take a drink or use a drug again you have to start all over." Not at all. You don't go back to square one, because you already have some positive groundwork on which to build, and already have some support in place.

The Recovery Place knows the truth first hand, seeing hundreds of successes: alcohol and drug rehabilitation isn't a myth, it is a reality.

About the Recovery Place:

The Recovery Place drug rehab and alcohol treatment center offers client-centered comprehensive drug and alcohol treatment, interfacing with the national community to provide fact-based education and support.