Drug and Alcohol Rehab: A Positive Experience

Nobody wants addiction to take over their life and many addicts refuse treatment initially. The reason for this is simple; the addict’s life revolves around the addictive substance whether that is drugs, alcohol or both. Knowing that they will have to go without drugs and alcohol scares addicts and makes them afraid of treatment—almost as if treatment is punishment. This is a common misunderstanding and it is important to reassure the addict that treatment is far from punishment and is something that should actually be looked forward to as the first step in building a healthy life without drugs and alcohol.

If an addict understands what life in rehab is like, he or she is more likely to visualize it as a positive place. Many people think of a sterile, cold institution as rehab. But rehab at Gatehouse Academy is far from institutionalized. Residents live in houses that don’t have bars on the window. They have access to the “regular” world and even things like workout facilities and a swimming pool. Getting the addict to understand what the program is like can prove to be an important motivator when trying to get your loved one into treatment.

Rehab helps the addict to understand the complexity of addiction; it is much more than just using drugs too much. They learn that addiction is beyond their control and they have little choice in the matter of continuing to use. Gatehouse Academy’s drug and alcohol rehab program makes sure that each and every client learns the cognitive and behavioral skills necessary to gain control back from the addiction. The skills learned help make life outside of treatment easier to cope with, without the use of drugs or alcohol. Gatehouse Academy makes sure that the addict knows the necessary skills to not use addictive substances.

It is important for the addict to understand that drugs affect the brain’s reward system. Drugs and alcohol make the brain produce an excess of dopamine, which is a pleasure chemical in the brain that tells humans to seek whatever it was that caused the release of dopamine, or more pleasure. It is usually released because of food, exercise and sex—all things humans need to survive and keep the human race going. Drugs cause the brain to become flooded with dopamine, which produces the “high” feeling that makes people want to use the substance more. The human body will begin to require more and more dopamine just to feel normal, which creates an urge to use the substance again and again. This urge quickly turns into a need and thus the addiction is active and willpower alone cannot stop the cravings.

Drug and alcohol addiction is an illness. It is a disease. Rehabilitation is the only way to recover from the depths of addiction. It is not a punishment. Rehab is a positive experience that will help the addict change his or her life and learn how to live without drugs and alcohol.

It is scary to think about leaving your home and spending a year in treatment. But it is necessary. Many times the things that cause the craving in a particular individual cannot be avoided without being away from home. And for many people, if they did not have the financial support of family, they would be homeless. Being in a new and different environment can give the addict the space away from family and friends needed to gain and maintain sobriety. The triggers have to be discovered by the individual and being around those triggers will not help the addict to stop using. Deep personal reflection is needed and discovering the psychology built into relationships and memories of places is needed in order to learn how to avoid those triggers after treatment. The addict must learn the coping skills necessary and gain the clarity of mind and confidence needed to not give in to cravings and triggers. If the addict does not take a step away from his or her comfort zone, the places and things that cause the addict to crave, he or she will not have the willpower and skills to avoid them once back into mainstream society.

The drug and alcohol rehab program that Gatehouse Academy offers is world class for all of the reason stated above. Gatehouse Academy educates its clients about addiction and why staying sober is so difficult. And it is not institutionalized. The main campus holds many of its activities outdoors and the choice in therapies is second to none.

Gatehouse Academy offers dual diagnosis testing and treatment, individual, group and family therapy. They also offer Equine Therapy, Yoga, Karate, Tai Chi and even Art Therapy. These are just a few of the activities that their clients participate in to help in the recovery process. In addition to all of this, Gatehouse Academy’s clientele are between the ages of 17 and 25. This age group has specific educational needs, from finishing high school to beginning college. Gatehouse Academy helps each client reach his or her personal educational needs as well as their physical and psychological needs.

After the addict agrees that he or she needs help, explaining all of the positive things the program has to offer can and will encourage the addict as well as calm the fears that scare him or her. Gatehouse Academy’s drug and alcohol rehab program is tailored to meet each and every need that each individual client has. By meeting these needs with an in-depth and thorough program, the addict will have a higher success rate after treatment and will understand him or herself in such a deep and meaningful way that the addict will want to stay sober and avoid the triggers.

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