Drug Addiction and Rehab in Richmond, VA
Drug addiction and rehab centers deal with all aspects of detoxification and recovery, not just helping people to stop using drugs but also giving them the skills and support they need to turn their life around. People get addicted to a wide range of problematic substances, including legal drugs like alcohol, prescription medications such as morphine and oxycodone, and illicit street drugs like cocaine and heroin.
Drug addiction and rehab centers in Richmond have the experience and expertise to deal with a wide array of problems, including secondary issues such as mental health disorders and behavioral addictions.
What is Addiction?
An addiction is defined as the compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite the existence of negative consequences. While it is possible to get addicted to certain behaviors such as sex and gambling, most drug addiction and rehab centers specialize in psychoactive substance addictions. All addictions are learned behaviors that become normalized over time, with regular exposure to certain drugs and alcohol creating brain changes that lead to tolerance and dependence. While addiction is closely related to the concept of dependence, it is possible for someone to be physically dependent on certain drugs without having the drug cravings and psychological issues associated with addiction.
Widely Abused Drugs
People develop problems with a wide spectrum of psychoactive substances, all of which affect the body and brain in different ways. Drugs are often classified as either central nervous system (CNS) depressants or CNS stimulants, with a third class of drugs known as hallucinogens. CNS depressants include alcohol, opiates such as morphine and heroin, sedatives such as Valium and Xanax, and marijuana among others. CNS stimulants include cocaine, methamphetamine, speed, and prescription stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin among others. While these drugs are all capable of causing problems, CNS depressants are more likely to require medical intervention due to the existence of a physical-somatic withdrawal syndrome.
Inpatient vs. Outpatient Rehab
Multiple levels of treatment are required to tackle drug and alcohol problems, including crisis intervention, medical detox, rehabilitation, and relapse prevention. Rehab centers offer a range of options, including outpatient rehab, partial hospitalization, and intensive residential programs. While outpatient rehab involves periodic visits to a treatment center, inpatient programs offer a more intensive live-in arrangement for the duration of treatment. Inpatient rehab programs are typically recommended for anyone who is deemed to be a threat to themselves or others, along with people with an extensive history of drug abuse and addiction.
Aftercare
Drug treatment programs need to be applied over an extended time period, from the early days of detox through to the later stages of rehab and aftercare support. While detox helps people to stop using drugs and rehab addresses the psychological issues surrounding addiction, further measures are also needed to ensure successful recovery. Relapse prevention and other aftercare programs are vital in the weeks and months following rehab, including 12-step support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and SMART Recovery.
Let Richmond Drug Treatment Centers be your ultimate guide to recovery. Just give our recovery advocates a call today at (804) 510-0877 to begin your journey.