OxyContin Rehabilitation Process

In order for an individual to overcome their OxyContin addiction, they must take part in a professional drug rehab program. These programs are best suited to address both the physical and psychological addiction to OxyContin – one of the most powerfully addictive prescription painkillers in the world.

What follows is a brief overview of the OxyContin rehab process. Although treatment centers may differ in their approach to treatment, the processes listed below can be found at almost all of them.

Detox and OxyContin Rehab

The first, and some say most important, step in the OxyContin addiction rehabilitation process is detoxification. Drug detox is a chance for individuals to cease the intake of the drug so that the body has a chance to cleanse itself of harmful opiate toxins. With opiates such as OxyContin, this can be a highly challenging process – with a number of significant withdrawal symptoms that accompany it.

There are two major types of OxyContin drug detox: natural and medical. With natural detox, the individual stops using the drug “cold turkey” while in the care of medical professionals. This type of detox may carry with it more withdrawal symptoms, but many believe it is the fastest, most long-lasting way to accomplish getting clean.

Medical detox for opiate OxyContin addiction has the individual taking a synthetic opiate (such as methadone) in gradually smaller and smaller doses until the physical addiction to the drug is gone. This process carries with it fewer withdrawal symptoms, but can also lead to an addiction to the synthetic drug itself.

OxyContin detox is so important that many drug rehab programs do not allow the remainder of treatment to continue until it is complete.

OxyContin Addiction Treatment Counseling

Once OxyContin rehab is complete, the individual is free to begin counseling. Counseling and therapy represent the “heart” of treatment as they help the individual overcome the psychological addiction to the drug. There are three primary types of counseling for OxyContin addiction: individual, group and family.

Individual counseling has the recovering addict meet one-on-one in private with a drug treatment counselor or therapist. These sessions are a chance to explore the root causes of the problem and help the individual understand the “triggers” in their life that brings about the behavior. Once the triggers have been identified, therapist and patient can work together to develop healthier ways to respond to them (that do not include the abuse of OxyContin).

Group counseling often creates breakthroughs for individuals who have never spoken openly and honestly about their addiction. By meeting with other recovering addicts in the program, the individual is able to form a support network that greatly enhances the recovery process. Family counseling is a chance for loved ones to voice their concerns and feelings about what has occurred during the individual’s drug addiction. Through family counseling, relationships are rebuilt and trust is reborn.

Aftercare and OxyContin Addiction Treatment

OxyContin addiction can take a mighty toll on the life of the individual. For years, the addict thinks of nothing else except obtaining more and more of the drug in question. When that person reenters society as a newly minted recovering addict, the transition can be difficult. Aftercare helps the individual deal with the daily challenges that many addicts face – include temptation, stress and distraction. Most helpful to recovering OxyContin addicts are 12-step groups such as Narcotics Anonymous, follow-up support groups and counseling sessions at the treatment center, and sober living homes that help people get back on their feet in the weeks and months after treatment.