Inpatient Treatment

There are a number of residential or inpatient drug detox treatment centers for addicts who would like a place to go to get off the streets, out of their lives and away from the dealers and influences that keep them using. A drug detox center allows them the space they need to heal physically as they detox from their drug of choice. It also provides the safety to explore therapy and counseling to figure out why they used in the first place and to develop a strategy to stay clean when they return home.

Abuse detox programs vary from hospital settings to religion-based organizations like the Salvation Army to resorts specializing in recreation and rest. All are structured and monitor patients to ensure that relapses do not occur during their stay.

Short-Term Treatment

Short-term inpatient residential treatment generally last for about a month, 28 or 30 days. These programs tend to focus on rehabilitation and the user's physical stabilization once it is complete with as much exploration of lifestyle change as possible. Counseling, therapy and physical activities are usually the focus of a highly structured daily schedule. Most use the 12-step treatment plan as their model.

Long-Term Treatment

Long-term inpatient residential treatment programs generally lasts for a minimum of six months to a year and sometimes longer. A highly structured daily schedule that centers on the development of responsibility and managed care after the initial detox is most commonly known as TC or the therapeutic community model. Residents are encouraged to build relationships that focus on honesty and drug-free activities that are built to last and provide a support system that the resident can depend on after the treatment is over.

Residents spend a great deal of time in group therapy, 12-step meetings and social events with other individuals in recovery . Their moral make-up is examined as is their motivation to use with the ultimate goal of a strong support system and a new way of looking at life signaling their exit from the program when they're ready.