Inpatient drug rehab programs allow thousands of drug and alcohol addicts to make lasting recoveries every year. Although many laypeople still believe addiction to be a simple matter of willpower, medical professionals have come to realize that it is a neurological disease which requires clinical treatment. Neuroscientists and psychologists alike have developed incredibly effective, evidence-based therapies for use in inpatient drug rehab programs.

However, many rehab clinics employ other treatment methods, as well. Evidence-based therapies are highly effective at teaching addicts effective strategies for dealing with drug cravings, but other treatment methods are often necessary to connect these strategies with real-world environments. For this purpose, rehab clinicians use reality therapy during inpatient drug rehab.

Reality therapy has two main purposes. The first is to help addicts connect their clinical treatments with real-world situations. The second is to teach addicts how to determine the best ways to handle the craving-inducing stressors they may encounter in their everyday lives. The following are the ways rehab specialists accomplish these goals.

Lifelike Clinical Environments

Inpatient drug rehab requires addicts to live at their treatment facilities for thirty to ninety days. Although they learn a variety of ways to deal with drug cravings during this time, transitioning into normal life can still present enormous risk of relapse.

To mitigate this risk, clinicians practicing reality therapy try to make their patients' living spaces as close to real life as possible. Addicts cook, clean, shop, and schedule appointments for themselves just as they would in their normal lives. By receiving treatment at the same time as they go about their daily tasks, patients can effectively relate their craving coping strategies to real-world situations.

Teaching Control

The main tenant of reality therapy is that every person must live in a society with other people. Everyone has needs, and people must satisfy their needs without infringing upon the lives of others. To accomplish this simple but sometimes-difficult goal, addicts must learn to determine when they can and cannot control their environments and circumstances.

Control is a major issue for many addicts, and feelings of helplessness often contribute to drug use and the development of addictions. By learning when to exercise control, addicts can feel empowered. They can also avoid destructive behaviors which hurt the people around them.

Exercising Control

Once they have learned the differences between situations they can and cannot control, inpatients are taught various strategies for changing what they can. In general, addicts practice avoidance in situations they can control but seek to manage drug cravings in situations they cannot change.

For instance, addicts do have control over the places they go and the people with whom they associate. By avoiding locations with abundant substance abuse and people who actively use drugs, addicts can avoid cravings altogether. On the other hand, addicts may not be able to control the people with whom they live and work. By practicing stress-relief techniques they learn during inpatient counseling sessions, they can mitigate the inevitable stress-induced cravings they encounter in their everyday lives.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, click the links at the bottom of your screen to locate a treatment center near you. Addiction is a life-threatening disease, but an inpatient drug rehab program can help you get your life back on track.