Drug addiction is an epidemic that affects more and more Americans and their families each year. When the realization that help is needed, when rehabilitation is the next step, it is important to know what you or your family member is heading toward. Any path to recovery over drug addiction takes work, but knowledge truly is power and keeping these phases of drug rehab in mind will help as you or your family member progresses through treatment.
Early Addiction Recovery Phase

The earliest phase of drug rehab is one of the most tenuous when it comes to the patient’s recovery. Commitments to rehab are constantly tested and questioned, as the desire to use substances is usually at its strongest. The belief that they can return to recreational use after treatment may also be a persistent thought during this early phase of treatment. The sign of a good drug rehab center is one that will help identify active and passive resistance from patients, the latter of which being far more difficult to properly identify as the patient will appear cooperative on the outside to relieve the external pressure of recovery. Someone just entering a drug addiction recovery program should expect to gain and experience a few of the following aspects of recovery from the center/program of their choice:

• An Increase in Hope
• Peer Education
• An Increase in Self Esteem
• An Increase in Social Awareness
• Interpersonal Learning and more

These aspects, when combined with therapeutic direction, help a patient know what they need to do to get through a day without depending on chemicals.

Middle Recovery Phase

During this phase of drug rehab subjects may experience a deficit in their thought processes depending on the substance they were using. If cocaine and methamphetamine were the substances used, one might see impaired decision making and impulse control issues such as concentrating, learning new material and remember things they’ve heard recently. This phase an hit at about the 3-6 month mark but it is worth noting that this is also the phase that the subject experiences a return to normal cognitive capacity. Some patients may remember just how their substance addiction made them feel without remember how bad their situation and life really may have been during that time. It is important to stay connected in your rehab in this phase and push forward to recovery.

Recovery Maintenance Phase

This later phase of drug rehab sees patients on a path to recovery with a foundation built for progress to remain clean. This phase, however, is also the phase that the patient needs to be their strongest, avoiding relapse and temptation to revisit the substance of their addiction. The patient during this phase of drug rehab will become more self-aware as they distance themselves emotionally and physically from their addiction. This may lead to other underlying issues including self-image issues, relationship problems and more. Continued treatment and strengthening through therapy can help one continue on their path to recovery.

This information hopefully gives you a high level idea of what the different possible phases of drug rehab can involve. It’s always important to remember that no treatment is the exact same as individual needs and recovery paths are essential to rehab. If you or a loved one are struggling with drug addiction, please reach out for help.