We don't for example say that we rehabilitate diabetes or cancer; instead, we say that we "treat" them.  Nonetheless, the term drug rehab has stuck for the average person, and today at least one million more searches are done every year for the term drug rehab than are done for addiction treatment.

So what is drug rehab?  It can be any number of things and it may even me different things to different people.  Some people think of 12 step meetings as drug rehab while others would never consider these alone as being adequate treatment.  In most cases drug rehab will include one or more of the following, counseling, medication, support groups, and living skills. The type of counseling given varies by each drug rehab program.  It may come in the form of cognitive therapy (restructuring thinking patterns) or psychotherapy or motivational therapy which has gained a lot of recognition for its successes.  The use of medication will vary with each rehabilitation center.  Some programs don't offer it at all while other programs exist primarily to provide a medication like methadone to patients.  The type of medication will depend on the drug.  Methadone, LAAM and Bupernorphine are all used with heroin patients.

Although, employers are forced to recognize addiction as a disease under the law they may or may not provide disability coverage and even if they do that coverage is likely only to be a percentage of your usual pay.  The best reason to choose outpatient would be that it is most appropriate for your condition and circumstances.

Inpatient drug rehab may be in the form of short-term residential or long-term residential. Both provide treatment 24 hours a day.  Short-term residential treatment is sometimes referred to derogatorily as spin-dry.  These programs were original the 28-day model used for alcoholism and later for cocaine addiction. To improve on the success of the short-term residential program it is important that it be followed up with an outpatient program that has some structure to it. Long-term rehabilitation may last from three to twelve months. Research has shown that a program which is at least 90 days in length is optimal.  During this time, resocialization is likely to be a part of the program.  How to hold down a job, how to have healthy relationships, how to take responsibility and be accountable for ones actions are all part of treatment in what is commonly known as the therapeutics community.

More and more frequently drug rehab is being provided as part of the criminal justice system. Drug rehab for someone in the criminal justice system may happen before, during, after, or instead of being locked up. The fact that more people are getting treatment in this way comes as no surprise to many since 1 out of every 32 Americans are involved in the justice system. The reality is that drug treatment as part of the criminal justice system makes a lot of sense.  It is now known that a person does not have to "hit rock bottom" and they do not have to "want" addiction treatment for drug rehab to be effective.  In fact the coercion provided by the justice system may be quite helpful to some individuals.  Treatment is now being offered in some prisons, both for male and females.  It is also being offered or mandated on an outpatient or in "community-based" programs. 

The process known as detox or detoxification is sometimes confused with "rehab."  Detox may happen in a separate facility before someone gets into a drug rehab program or it may happen in the same facility, but it is not in itself drug rehab.  It can be thought of as a necessary prerequisite to the treatment of addicts depending on the drug the person has become addicted to.