One of the most difficult steps in any rehab process is the first step. The part of the process called detox is often the most difficult depending on the addiction or condition of the patient.
When patients are addicted to drugs the detoxification process can have some severe physical effects. Some addiction treatments must be treated by professionals in supervised environments so that the patients do not suffer extreme amounts of pain and discomfort. Other non addictive or less severe drugs are often used in the detoxification process. One of the most commonly known examples would be the treatment of heroin addiction with the treatment of methadone. This treatment can be successful but patients must be properly supervised so that the methadone is used properly. Often these programs are run as community out reach programs so that patients can stay in their local communities. The treatment of prescription drug addictions is often treated in the same manner.
Although alcohol addictions might be viewed as less severe as some drug addictions the detox program must be properly supervised so that patients are offered the best chance of success. Some patients have suffer from alcohol addiction for very long periods of time and their addiction requires medical treatment and counseling. Almost all alcohol treatment programs involve some type of group counseling at the earliest stages. Long term counseling or group meetings have proven to be extremely successful in the long term treatment of alcohol addictions. Patients are often teamed up with other patients who have successfully transformed their lives by kicking their addictions.