How Does Inpatient Drug Rehab Work?

Question by Janice: How Does Inpatient Drug Rehab Work?
A few questions. Only if you know the answer no guesses please. thank you. this is for somebody that was recently in jail.

Is this in a home that is supervised by a police officer or probation officer?

Is the home both male and female patients?

Is the patient allowed to leave the home whenever they want?

Is it actually effective?

Can the patient have a vehicle and cell phone?

Can the patient have company such as the opposite sex come visit them?

Best answer:

Answer by Tom L
Do you mean rehab or detox? Not trying to be patronizing, it’s just to clarify – some folks seem to think the two are one and the same. I work as a substance misuse practitioner at a drug and alcohol detox facility in England where we assist people to safely withdraw from substances of abuse. Rehab is a substance free environment where people tend to go to prolong their abstinence after detox through structured living.
At the detox facility- we don’t have any police / probation workers (as people that are there go there voluntarily. We accommodate both male and female patients, and allow people of the opposite sex to visit. All patients are allowed to leave the unit to go shopping etc. whenever they want, though we tend to discourage this during the early stages of withdrawal due to the risk of relapse, severe withdrawal symptoms occurring etc. All patients can have mobile phones, though we would dissuade patients from driving due to the medications utilized for withdrawal being sedating, therefore making driving dangerous (it would also invalidate their insurance).
I don’t know if things are any different over in America but I’d be interested to find out.

Answer by raysny
Inpatient drug rehabs are facilities or in hospitals. Usually 30 days, but some can last a year or longer. Halfway houses are in houses.

Both have their own staff, no police or probation officers. Probation officers routinely visit halfway houses. More likely, the person in a halfway house will meet his probation officer at his office.

Rehabs are usually coed, halfway houses single-sexed.

No. In rehabs a person might earn a pass after they have been there awhile. Halfway houses have strict schedules that will include some free time after a probationary period.

Not really. Being on probation is a good motivator though. Almost all rehabs and halfway houses in the US are 12step-based (AA/NA).
What works? A summary of alcohol treatment research:
http://www.behaviortherapy.com/whatworks.htm
12step facilitation (rehabs) is rated #37 out of the 48 treatment methods studied, just above AA.

Rehab, no. Halfway houses, probably not.

In rehabs, people can have visitors during scheduled times (usually weekend hours) and are usually family only. In halfway houses, people can have visitors during certain times. For both they are privileges that must be earned and visiting is confined to common areas and on the grounds.

Been through both. Didn’t help. You can’t force people into getting straight, they have to want to be clean and sober. Halfway houses try to bully people into staying straight. Even if you want to quit, the staff turns it into a “us vs them” mentality, and just about the only way to rebel is to get high. A self-defeating system.

I finally got sober by turning my back on the 12step method and took responsibility for my addiction and my recovery.

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