While there are a few different approaches to drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, the 28-day treatment model is perhaps the most well-known. It originally focused on alcohol abuse and the 12-step program advocated by Alcoholics Anonymous. Now, the 28-day treatment is applied to other substance abuse issues. It is a multi-tiered method that treats chemical addiction as a biological illness that is exacerbated by environmental and psychological factors. Those who struggle with addictive behavior have a chronic medical disease; will alone not remedy the problem. The 28-day treatment model is an effective prescription for combating illness by looking at all aspects of a person’s addiction.
The inpatient approach considers and treats the person as a whole mind-body-spirit, rather than focusing on one aspect. The 28-day treatment begins with detoxifying the body, stabilizing a patient’s physiological symptoms, and easing him or her through any physical manifestations of withdrawal. Medical professionals may prescribe medications to aid in recovery. Regardless, the staff is there to ease the patient’s detoxification process. Once the biological issues are addressed, people recovering from addiction can fully invest in strengthening their psychological, emotional, and spiritual self.
Through education, individual and group counseling, creative and physical activities, and personal reflection patients develop knowledge about addiction, rebuild their identities, and nourish their emotional self. They are provided tools to identify and analyze the environmental and psychological roots of their chemical dependency, which enables them to recognize patterns of poor behavior and choices that would otherwise hinder their recovery. In this way, those in recovery discover new ways of being in the world and the exciting possibilities it offers.
The 28-day treatment model helps patients reconstruct a healthy, happy life by examining all the pieces that make them who they are. Through this process, people discover that their chemical dependency spawned from neglecting a certain aspect of themselves. After considering each facet of their self, patients emerge from recovery as a whole person, connected to every part of themselves and to the world at large. The 28-day program provides people an opportunity to begin a new chapter of their life based upon sobriety, good health, valuable wisdom, peace of mind, and an open heart.
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