 Drug Rehab is a life-saving process whereby a patient is helped to regain their life and dignity as a human being. Rehabilitation from any addiction can be painful, but when compared to the troubles that drug use brings about it is clear that addiction treatment is by far the better option.
Many drug rehab programs will last 28 days, but is this really long enough? American research has shown that having a longer treatment period greatly improves the efficacy of treatment and reduces the change of relapse. People do not become addicted to substances in one day, so surely it can be expected that to recover from the disease of addiction should be a process? Minnesota House offers several rehabilitation programs of varying length. This allows us to cater directly for individual needs.
There are many competing theoretical approaches to drug addiction treatment/rehab. Some use behavioural approaches (where undesirable behaviour is punished and recovery behaviour is rewarded). Other drug rehabs use a purely medical approach, preferring to use a great deal of medication to try and treat the disease of addiction. The most modern, and internationally accepted, approaches to drug rehab use a blend of approaches to address all facets of addiction and recovery. Minnesota House employs this model of treatment (and is even named for it) and our Head of Treatment holds an international accreditation in this model.
Instead of relying on just one treatment method a more holistic approach to treating substance abuse disorders is employed in the world's top rehab centers. They will typically create a treatment team that includes medical doctors, addiction counselors, social workers, and psychologists. These professionals will bring their unique insights and training to create a holistic understanding of the patient. Because of this rich understanding treatment becomes a great deal more effective.
 After a patient has successfully completed their drug "detox" (detoxification) process under medical supervision they will be assessed to make sure that they are physically capable of joining the drug rehab programme. It is important to allow patients adequate time to overcome the physical consequences that their drug abuse may have created.
Once on program patients will wake early the morning. This helps patients to regain a healthy sleeping pattern which is valuable when they leave treatment and need to rejoin society. In many (if not most) rehabilitation centers in South Africa patients will be assigned minor "therapeutic duties" to be completed after breakfast. These duties are typically light cleaning duties and are designed to teach patients basic lifeskills (such as how to clean up after themselves) as well as to encourage patients to take some pride in the environment they live in. By taking pride in the property of the rehab centre the patients will feel more at home as so participate in the program better.
Most drug rehab centers will offer a mixture of therapeutic groups and didactic lectures during the day. Therapeutic groups offer patients the opportunity to express their feelings and explore their recovery. They are facilitated by trained counselors who are able to guide patients in understanding the nature of their illness and to identify practical ways in which they can change their behaviour towards a recovery-orientated lifestyle. Lectures are presented on various themes and topics and are designed to teach patients about topics related to their disease and recovery. Topics may include "how to create effective interpersonal boundaries", "Building Trust", "Neurochemical consequences of substance abuse", and discussions on the 12 steps of Narcotics Anonymous.
After dinner patients may be taken to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings, listen to audio tapes, engage in organized social events (games evenings, karaoke, etc), or be allowed some free time to complete written assignments. Before bed most drug rehabilitation centres in South Africa will ask their patients to write down a brief summary of how they experienced the day. This is closely related to Step 10 of the 12 Step Progamme and encourages patients to review their day and process what they have learned and experienced. Bed time is at at a reasonable our in order to aid the sleeping pattern and allow for adequate rest.
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