Residential drug treatment facilities (also known as rehab or live-in health facilities) are usually considered the best, and often last, chance for many people who want to get rid of an addiction.
They deliver intensive help to people who have serious emotional or drug problems. But residential treatment isn’t just beneficial for those with serious addictions (sometimes accompanied by mental health issues, known as dual diagnosis) — it’s helpful for all those with a substance use disorder. Because it’s so effective, it’s a prime choice for those who simply want their addiction gone, and for younger people who have gone astray and seen their health decline due to living in a poor environment.
One thing it’s important to get clear; while residential treatment can seem very similar to an inpatient medical facility, there are big differences. For example, holistic residential treatment like that practiced by New Directions for Women applies many therapies which are not found in any medical facility.
Whereas medical facilities are focused on treating only the body, (usually with some psychological support), New Directions focuses equally on body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Of course, residential treatment facilities also have medical staff, though they are usually assigned only if a patient needs specific medical help.
Why Residential Drug Treatment Is Better
Although there’s a lot of speculation about which kind of treatment is better, experts generally agree that residential treatment is the “gold standard” for addiction recovery. For example:
– Residential treatment provides distance from your previous lifestyle.
When patients enroll in residential treatment, they’re taken away off to a place which is (ideally) far from their current home and their current substance-dependent lifestyle. Generally, a good residential facility is located amidst nature and far away from the city. (New Directions is located right next to a nature preserve.)
– Constant monitoring.
Not even the world’s greatest addiction counselor can help patients if they’re only able to meet them once a week. The more contact between staff and patients the better. Even if it seems like an intrusion into privacy at first, the first stages of recovery need constant supervision in case the patient starts to stumble in the first stages of recovery. Plus the constant monitoring makes it easy to track progress and the efforts needed to stay clean.
– Close and intimate support.
Counselors and patients at residential treatment facilities have a close relationship. This factor is one of the key drivers which help the patient achieve the results they want. The conversation and connection between patient and counselor can be so intense that they have effectively no option but to become better people.
– A different approach to counseling.
The counseling staff at a residential drug treatment facility will take a totally different approach. At New Directions, we have 30 years of experience and a unique holistic approach which has won us accolades around the world as one of the most effective womens-only facilities out there — bar none.
While traditional therapists are certainly good at what they do, the residential environment allows our counselors to take a different approach, to reach deeper, and focus more intensely on healing which we find is far more effective in the long run.
