Drug addiction is a disease that can be crippling. It can turn a perfectly successful life upside down and into utter despair. Drug addiction can drain someone's finances. An addict often times loses his family and friends. Drugs affect someone both physically and emotionally, and they can ultimately lead to one's demise. That is why the best way to treat such an addiction is to enter into a long term drug rehab for professional treatment.

Long term drug rehab is a facility that treats people who are addicted to drugs such as cocaine, crack, marijuana, opiates, pain killers, prescription drugs, sleeping pills, ecstasy, narcotics, amphetamines, hallucinogens, GHB, steroids, inhalants, heroin, PCP, and methadone. The problem with most drugs is that, once they are taken, the craving remains in the user's brain for life---making rehabilitation a lifelong interpersonal commitment. Many long term drug rehab centers are equipped to deal with multiple addictions at once and offer a safe detox program for those who need help. Drug rehabilitation also helps the patient to mainstream back into society and regain control of his life. Counselors offer assistance on how to deal with drug temptation and cravings.

Sometimes an addict seeks long term drug rehab on his own. Sometimes a concerned family member shows concern that he wants his loved one to be treated. Long term facilities usually consist of a three step process to help patients who are addicted to drugs. The first step requires admission to an inpatient treatment facility. The facility will require a 3 week to 6 month stay, depending on the severity of the disease. During this time, the patient is observed around the clock by medical professionals and counselors to help him through drug detox and its troubling withdrawal effects. The next step is a sober living program where they will be able to resume to normal living habits independently, but they will remain in a safe environment guarded from friends and family members who may be enablers to their drug addiction. The final process in long term drug rehabilitation are twelve step programs and support groups to assist patients through crisis situations and times of despair.

The overall time frame for long term drug rehab depends on the type of drug dependency, as each drug warrants different time frames in which patients will likely recover. Crack cocaine is the most addictive of all drugs. Recovery for crack addiction can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months of inpatient treatment. It requires long term extensive outpatient support therapy to truly beat the addiction. Drugs like steroids and marijuana can safely be treated in a 3 month time period with a year of outpatient follow up to prevent relapse. Drug program treatment facilities--like that at Sunset Malibu--offer rehabilitation treatments such as Narconon. This offers extensive long term care of 90 to 120 days and longer. Furthermore, it shows their treatment success rate is as high as 88 percent. Some drug treatment programs, such as those at outpatient clinics like Grosse Pointe Woods, operate during business hours and are found to have a much lower success rate of around 45 percent. Long term inpatient care is key in consistency and beating the disease overall.

Determining whether long term drug rehab is the best choice depends on the drug dependency as well as the length of time the addiction has been in place. For someone who is addicted to dangerously addictive drugs such as heroin, oxycontin, inhalants, crack or crystal meth, long term care is required for a complete recovery. For drugs such as prescription paid medications,sleeping pills and hallucinogens that may have only been experimented with or used sporadically, a short term or outpatient facility may be all that is required to rid the body of the drug's cravings. One should also consider the cost and time involved in admitting themselves into long term drug rehabilitation. Finding a good treatment center that covers the medical aspect of detox--as well as the follow up care to successfully beat the diseases--can be expensive. For an inpatient drug rehabilitation program, the cost can range anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, most programs do not accept insurance programs.

The effects of attending a successful long term drug rehabilitation program would be that the patient can once again regain a sends of normalcy to his life. Close family members and friends may also have to be involved with counseling sessions and treatment activities that will help the entire relationship unit learn how to once again function properly and live life without drug dependency. Family members may also need counseling to mentally deal with the damaging effects the drug addiction has had on their personal lives. Most people who have followed the rules of rehab and implemented real life changes have benefited greatly from the programs they have attended. These individuals have achieved success with finding a job, continuing education and finding a home.