When either you or a loved one struggles with drug addiction, it's important to find a good treatment program before it's too late. The first step is for an addict to cry out for help, admitting there's a problem. Next, it's vital to check into a drug rehab to withdraw from chemicals as well as to work on emotional, spiritual and family issues so there's a lesser chance of falling back into repeated drug abuse.

Drug rehab centers work with both medical and psychotherapeutic treatments to help addicted people recover from drug dependency. Besides treating for drug abuse, they also help them get to the root of their addiction problems to prevent repeated relapses. They show them how their drug abuse leads to social, as well as financial, psychological, legal and physical consequences. Following the addict's dismissal, most centers guide recovering addicts to reenter society by assisting them in finding jobs and housing. A good rehab center should also work with families of recovering addicts.

As long as people have struggled with drug abuse, different methods have been used for recovery. The first American drug rehab centers evolved from the beginnings of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), founded by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, two alcoholics reaching out to each other for support. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) started in the late 1940s. In early 1966, William C. Benitez, a former drug abuser and inmate in an Arizona state prison, read L. Ron Hubbard's "The Fundamentals of Thought," and created Narcanon based on Hubbard's book. Narcanon was a controversial group because of their ties with the Church of Scientology--founded by L. Ron Hubbard--and unorthodox theories about vitamin treatments. They failed to get support from a Florida school district when trying to promote their program. Their ideas were not widely accepted, although some celebrities testified that the program worked for them.

A residential drug rehab center is one where patients live at the facility, full-time, under the care of addiction professionals. Patients in long-term rehab centers stay from 30 to 90 days (see Resources below). As for short-term rehab, the average stay covered by private insurance is around 20 days. Outpatient and evening programs allow recovering addicts to work or go to school while attending programs. It's less expensive than hospitalization and residential care. Religious-based programs are usually longer than secular ones and are scattered throughout the United States. One of the best known and most effective treatment program is Teen Challenge. You can call their national headquarters at (417) 862-6969. Many religious programs, such as Dunklin Memorial Camp in Okeechobee, Florida, incorporate the 12 Steps of AA, but gear it toward a Christian base. There are drug rehab centers of every type in all major cities. Call (877) 437-8422 to find one in your area.

Several factors need consideration when choosing a drug rehab center. For example, what principles are used for recovery? What about aftercare? Does the center offer follow-up services, as well as an on-going recovery program where 12-Step or other meetings are provided?

According to research, short-term rehab--such as a brief 3- to10-day hospital stint where the addict goes through withdrawal--doesn't work. A solution to the problem is not only a medical fix, but to also to address the psychological reasons for addiction. The longer a recovering addict stays in rehab, the higher the success rate. Often a patient is dismissed prematurely because insurance runs out. Therefore, a workable solution would be for the health insurance companies to provide more coverage for mental health problems.

Don't always go by the name of a rehab center and jump to conclusions. For example, Teen Challenge isn't just for teens, as they accept adults as well as teens. In fact, they will even sign up an inmate for the program after he's finished serving his sentence.

Just because someone is released from a drug rehab center or goes through all the 12 steps of AA doesn't mean he's "arrived" and never has to deal with addiction again. Recovery from drug abuse is not a quick-fix, but a lifetime process. Active members of AA , NA or any other 12-Step group will confirm that no one graduates from a recovery program. Also, be cautioned that relapses can happen. That's a good reason to keep going to meetings. In fact, it's recommended to attend 90 meetings in 90 days when beginning recovery.