5 Reasons Addicts Leave Treatment Early – And How to Prevent It

It is common for addiction patients to leave the rehab program without completing it. In order to live a healthy and happy lifestyle it is important that the patient is able to go through the entire treatment process and is able to continue to abstain from drug abuse after the completion of rehab process.

Reluctance

The patient could be resistant to go to rehab in the first place and may fail to achieve the desired result out of the rehab program if they lack motivation and drive to become healthy.

Solution: It is important to understand that the patient might be experiencing emotional turbulence and may feel that they would be isolated at the rehab center. The individual must be taken into confidence that all the changes are temporary and once the treatment is well on course, he will recover to a healthier life.

Fear of Detox

Apart from anxiety, the detoxing process is quite painful and the patients tend to lose their motivation for rehab as a consequence of their physical suffering.

Solution: There are several professional rehab and detoxification centers that specialize in making the detox process safe and comfortable for the patients. Taking the patient to such facilities and letting the professional staff dissuade their fear of detoxification can help the patient alleviate their fear.

Ineffectiveness of the Treatment

It is commonly found that patients try to avoid treatments with an excuse that the rehab therapy is ineffective, they themselves can do it or they already have that much knowledge.

Solution: Addicts can be convinced via counseling. Individuals who have successfully recovered via treatment can be called up to share their stories and medical experts can speak on implications of leaving a treatment during early stages.

Environment

An excuse that almost every patient going through addiction rehab always makes is that they either don’t like the environment or find the other patients to be unlike them.  

Solution: Rehab treatments for addicts do not imply that they must be isolated. Family, friends and their support system can always keep them motivated while they undergo the treatment. The support from family and friends can help the patients become more comfortable in their surroundings.

Over Confidence

It is often seen that patients having taken treatment for a short time feel that they are fully recovered and can avoid addiction without any further treatment.

Solution: A simple solution is counseling and explanation on the part of the therapist. It must be explained to the patient that he must complete the therapy and the implications of leaving a rehab program without completing it.

BIO

K. Mitchell Naficy, M.D., FAAFP

Dr. Naficy is a Board Certified specialist of Family Medicine at Hope By The Sea, whose style of patient care involves caring for the person as a whole, rather than just treating a particular symptom or illness.  His credentials include a Bachelors degree in Microbiology from Rutgers University followed by obtaining his medical Doctorate in Puerto Rico.  Dr. Naficy completed an internship in 1990 at USC Medical Center in Los Angeles and then 3 years of residency at UCI Medical Center in Irvine, CA.