Dual Diagnosis of Drug and Alcohol Addiction – the role of the drug and alcohol rehab center

The drug and alcohol rehab center combination delivers a range of services and expertise required all too often as a consequence of the dual diagnosis of alcoholism and drug addiction presented by patients. Failure to recognize a dual diagnosis, frequently leads to one addiction taking over from the other. In some instances, where the nature of the addictions is such that the compulsive behaviors formed actually lead to relapse after an otherwise successful treatment regime. A drug and alcohol rehab center tends to be the de facto mode of operation for most centers around the country due to the prevalence of dual addiction however much more could and should be done to integrate these two addiction treatment providers far more than they currently are.

When a user first approaches a center for advice, guidance or indeed treatment, the initial assessment needs to take into account not just what the patient is presenting as there complaint. It is also a key point that as soon as an addict asks for treatment, that it should be delivered as quickly as possible. Even a slight delay in arranging a referral to a sister organization may lead to the window of opportunity to treat the patient being lost.

Frequently, one addiction hides the other or the successful treatment of one addiction leads to the patient seeking an outlet for their addictive compulsive behavior by becoming addicted to another substance. Where a patient presents this profile, the drug and alcohol rehab center combination becomes invaluable. Cross over experience between drug and alcohol treatment practitioners help to spread the experience in recognizing addictions that are not otherwise readily apparent. The ability to diagnose correctly is crucial to finding a successful outcome for the patient.

Since the first serious efforts to treat alcohol abuse with Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1930’s, it has become apparent to addiction treatment practitioners that the success of the 12 Steps Model actually applied to a whole range of addictive and compulsive disorders and not just alcohol abuse. The origins of the 12 Steps philosophy rest in the Oxford Group and it’s adherence to treating the whole man, the so called holistic approach and a methodology that has found its way into all forms of medical practice today. The holistic approach taken by the drug and alcohol rehab center combination simply reflects this in the field of addiction treatment.

The Department of Justice has provided grants to assist in the mandated treatment of dual diagnosed criminals by the use of the drug and alcohol rehab center combination in detention facilities. Here federal funding is available in an effort to break the cycle of alcohol and substance addiction, given the high degree of correlation between drug and alcohol misuse and crime. Violent crime in particular is perpetrated by a majority of criminals who in fact are addicted to the dual combination of alcohol and drugs. Tackling this with the drug and alcohol rehab center situated in a prison environment where treatment regimes can be strictly controlled and patients supervised has produced results in terms of recovery, as good as those in long term care medical facilities. There is of course the additional benefit to society in the reduction of crime that results from dual diagnosed addicts returning to their addictions and embarking on criminal activity to fund it.

Within the community, the drug and alcohol rehab center combination acts as an ideal platform for education programs and outreach services to those who may be exposed to drugs and alcohol on the streets or in the home. They also act as the first line of support for those seeking help, in many cases not for themselves, but for a loved one whose addictions and behavioral issues are causing concern. The ability to deliver appropriate advice and guidance on how to tackle drugs and alcohol under one roof is invaluable.

Community based drug and alcohol rehab center combination also provides the opportunity to ensure that resources are most effectively deployed by sharing facilities and staff. Given the scale of drug and alcohol abuse in the community, all resources are already stretched very thinly on the ground.

The drug and alcohol rehab center combination probably displays its’ greatest patient effect in the long term residential care form. The treatment of patients with a dual diagnosis of drug and alcohol dependency, requires expert management to avoid complication and contra indications from the medication and treatment regimes that are used. This is particularly the case where detoxification of the patient suffering from dual dependency is performed. Detoxification is at the best of times, a procedure that requires a great deal of care and medical monitoring. The risk to health is great for many patients, and the patient is most at risk when being detoxified for both drugs and alcohol. The trauma for some patients undergoing detoxification is high and fatalities can occur. The drug and alcohol rehab center combination of skill sets may be able to plot a course of selective detoxification to minimize the risk to health and life.

Whatever the form of the drug and alcohol rehab center combination, there is no doubt that it forms a far more effective tool in advancing the treatment regime of patients. Dual diagnosed patients are at greater risk of relapse given the wider range of their addiction and compulsive disorder, and this requires experience and skill from both areas of addiction treatment.

Successful outcomes for patients treated by the drug and alcohol rehab center combination tend to be markedly higher than those treated by stand alone facilities. Though there has been a natural dove tailing of independent facilities, with units operating in close cooperation with each other, the integrated drug and alcohol rehab center provides a far more effective delivery of treatment services at a lower cost to the taxpayer. This is a development that should be encouraged given the benefits to patients and the taxpayer that is footing the bill.