Definition: Addiction Treatment Center

A residential treatment center, often referred to by the acronym RTC, is a live-in therapy/behavior modification facility for adolescents who suffer from a variety of emotional conditions, ranging from drug abuse to violence to sexual behavioral problems to video game addiction and disrespecting parents. Different RTCs work with different grades of problems, and so the structure and methods of RTCs varies. Some RTCs are lock-down facilities; that is, the residents are locked inside the premises; however, other RTCs don't lock the residents in.

Therapy

Residential Treatment Centers are rarely effective for individuals who have a long history of addictive behaviors or criminal activity. An alarming percent of children who spend as many as 3 years at an RTC relapse into drug use and crime shortly after returning home. RTC’s offer a variety of structured programs used to accommodate its residents needs. These programs mainly focus on re-socializing it’s residents to an addiction free lifestyle.

The therapeutic process to recovery generally begins with detoxification, a process that rids the addictive toxins from the patients body. This is often followed by treatment for relapse prevention that eases withdrawal symptoms. Customized treatment plans, medical and mental treatment, and follow-up treatments are also very important factors in the treatment process. The main problem with this approach is that students only claim to be interested in changing their old behaviors, often because some reward system is built into the RTC.

Where to Look

The internet provides numerous websites developed with the intention to help treat and prevent drug and alcohol abuse. The three most highly recommended websites include: The National Institute on Drug Abuse, The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Join Together, The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a good starting point when looking for drug abuse information and to find online resources. It includes expert advice, many useful links, and even an online chat room to talk with other people searching for similar answers. Another useful place to look for information is The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. This website is a good place to find various links each directing you to find information on more specified areas of treatment. The last of these three most highly recommended sites is Join Together. Join Together is a resource center for various communities working together to stop drug and substance abuse.

There is no single form of treatment that is appropriate for everyone. Though residential programs last an average of 6-18 months, most patients see improvement in only 3 months of treatment. With follow-up treatment, many addicts can continue life abstinent towards their addictive behaviors. This is to say that residential treatment may not be for everyone. It is important however, to understand that addiction is a chronic illness in which an addict is subject to relapse even after successful treatment.

The twelve-step model, also known as the Minnesota model, is often used along with therapeutic healing in treating addiction. The goal of the twelve steps is to make addicts admit that they are addicted, and to make them abandon those addictive behaviors. This model emphasizes the use of spirituality as a form of treating addictive behaviors, particularly substance addictions.

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