Drugs and Treatment in Arlingon, Texas
A Little Bit About Arlington...
Located east of Fort Worth and west of Dallas Texas, Arlington is part of the mid-cities and metropolitan area that spans approximately 12 miles. Arlington is the 48th most populated city in the United States and the seventh largest city in the state of Texas. Home to the University of Texas at Arlington and the Dallas Cowboys, the city was originally settled in the 1840s.
Large-scale industrialization began in 1954 when General Motors brought their assembly plant. Temperatures can get as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and as low as 35 degrees in the winter. The average age of the people living in Arlington is approximately 32 years with a good distribution between men and women. Much of the population are Hispanic, African American and Caucasian.
The majority of jobs in the area are management and sales office positions with many of the individuals having graduated from high school or having some college education. The mean household income is $60,000.
Substance Abuse in Arlington Area
Substance abuse in the Arlington area is predominantly marijuana followed by prescription drugs, cocaine users and a very small percentage of heroin addicts. The county estimates 477 people will die from tobacco, 93 will die from alcohol poisoning and 19 lives will be lost to drug use during the year.
However, in this small population, there will also be close to 2,000 people arrested on drug charges and nearly 1,500 DUI charges.
When combined with the Dallas – Fort Worth – Arlington area, there will be an average of nearly 64,100 people who use illicit drugs during the year which represents 13.2% of the population. This percentage is very similar to the rate of the entire state of Texas and lower than the national rate of 14.7%. The rate of marijuana use is similar to the rate in Texas but again, lower than the national rate. However, like most states, Texas citizens are also struggling with addiction to prescription pain relievers
The rate of drug use in Arlington is lower than her sister cities of Fort Worth and Dallas It’s likely the rates in the larger cities are related to the state’s close proximity to the Mexican border, increasing accessibility to illicit substances. During 2014, nearly 139,000 people were arrested on drug related charges in the state of Texas. The federal prisons in Texas house 94,000 drug offenders which accounted for 48% of the nation’s prison population.
Law enforcement in Arlington takes drinking and driving seriously, as it comes with the risk of a few days to a few years in prison and fines in excess of $1,000. Alcohol abuse is high across the state of Texas, with residents consuming more beer, wine and liquor on average than the national rate of consumption.
What Are Treatment Options in Arlington?
Receiving treatment for drug or alcohol abuse is important. In 2013, nearly 40,000 people received help for substance abuse in all of Texas. Within Arlington, you have a variety of choices of rehab programs in order to find one that best suits your needs.
There are outpatient and inpatient facilities. While outpatient care is sometimes painted as being less effective than an inpatient stay, it depends upon your level of addiction and your level of support in the community. Some can’t manage an attempt to recovery while still surrounded by family or peers who themselves abuse drugs. An inpatient facility offers you a sober environment in which to complete your recovery.
What Happens in Drug or Alcohol Rehabilitation?
True drug and alcohol rehab begins after detoxification. Daily life in an inpatient rehab program is not the way it looks on television. While it isn’t about playing games, it can be enlightening when you approach it from the right perspective. Understanding what really happens during a program will help you go through rehab more effectively so that you can get clean and stay clean for life.
Prior to admission into an inpatient treatment center you’ll go through an assessment, a pre- intake and intake in order to assess your compatibility with the program you’re considering and to ensure that the right therapies and therapist are available to treat your addiction.
This is also the perfect time for you to plan for your addiction treatment as it’s common to feel stressed over placing responsibility for your job, bills or family obligations on hold while you’re in an inpatient treatment center. You might be hesitant to mention your upcoming rehab to your employer, but it’s also important to remember that they want the healthiest and best version of you at their place of business.
According to the Family and Medical Leave Act, you have up to 12 weeks of medical leave that you can take and your job will continue to be protected while you’re gone. This is also a time to ensure that your children and elderly parents, and even your pets are cared for while you are in rehab. If you have bills that will need to be paid while you’re at inpatient treatment, sign up for automatic payments or ask someone you trust to take care of this for you.
Assessment is Important for Inpatient and Outpatient Treatment
An initial assessment will be conducted by the facility, often using a form that you may assist in filling out. Basic information such as your name, date of birth and prior history with drugs and alcohol will be assessed. This is part of the pre-intake portion that an inpatient or outpatient treatment facility will need in order to design the most appropriate program for you.
It is at this time you and a therapist will discuss whether inpatient or outpatient therapy will be best for your situation. There is no one type of rehab that’s better than the other and the success rate will be based on your unique and individual needs as well as your commitment to your treatment plan.
Although an outpatient drug rehab program is a little less restrictive than an inpatient treatment center, it still requires 10 to 12 hours per week visiting your treatment center. Outpatient care can be a good option if you suffer from a mild addiction or it may become part of a long-term treatment plan following your inpatient stay. Outpatient care can last up to 6 months and sometimes over a year, depending upon your unique situation.
Intake Information Determines Your Rehabilitation Program
During the intake portion of your inpatient or outpatient treatment program, a therapist will gather more information from you than was obtained during the assessment portion. This helps to further define your treatment program and determine you fit with specific therapists or counselors within the program. This is an excellent stage in which to ask questions that are most important to you, such as your freedom to leave the facility or to discuss any dietary restrictions that you might have.
During this time the treatment center may ask you to undergo some medical diagnostic testing to determine if you have any underlying medical conditions that need to be attended to, and if their program can be tailored to meet your needs. Included in the questions during the intake process will be a history of drug use and any family history of addiction. You may also have the opportunity to work with a financial advisor at this time to make financial arrangements for treatment.
The intake process is often done with a psychologist or a counselor and a physician. It is vital that you are truthful during the interviews as any false statements about the extent of your addiction can seriously hinder your treatment program right from the beginning. Your success is dependent upon your ability to be open and honest with the staff during the intake and during your entire treatment program.
Professionals Ensure Detox Is Safe
Some inpatient facilities have inpatient medical detox centers so that you’ll be able to stay in the same place between detoxification and inpatient rehabilitation. However, if the inpatient facility that you’re considering does not have one, you’ll need to go through detox prior to being admitted.
This is critical, so that all drugs are no longer physically in your system and affecting your behavior. For most people this can take anywhere between 5 days to 2 weeks. You will be medically evaluated during detoxification to determine what substances you’ve been using and in what quantities and for how long.
It is important that you’re honest with the physicians at the detoxification center as this information is important since in rare cases withdrawal from certain chemicals can be dangerous. The physiological process of detoxification and subsequent withdrawal from drugs or alcohol can be uncomfortable.
However your symptoms will be addressed by your physicians in order to make you as comfortable as possible. A variety of therapies will also be provided in order to help you cope with the emotional stress and physical cravings that can occur during withdrawal. Each of these also help you to prepare for inpatient treatment.
What is withdrawal? How long does it last?
Inpatient Treatment Options Vary
Your inpatient options very between inpatient residential care, partial hospitalization programs and intensive outpatient programs. During residential inpatient treatment you’ll undergo a very structured and organized environment that has similar activities and therapies across different centers.
The structure helps to reduce stress and uncertainty and often allows for a safe and supportive environment during which healing and recovery can occur. Depending upon your center, amenities and activities will vary. A typical day begins with a healthy breakfast and an early morning meeting. Some programs may offer morning classes such as yoga or meditation so that you start the day with a relaxed state of mind.
Group sessions may follow breakfast led by a counselor or therapist in order to start the treatment program using a 12-step addiction and recovery program. These meetings are held in a safe and controlled therapeutic environment to help avoid triggers that may slow your recovery.
After being served lunch, programs often offer individual behavioral therapy, group therapy and specialized sessions depending upon your specific needs. Family support can also be a crucial treatment element, which is why many centers include family therapy in their afternoon sessions. As your addiction has affected your entire family, it’s important that these issues are resolved and feelings of your family are addressed before you go home. Your long-term success in substance abuse treatment program is reliant on your family’s participation and the future support of your family and spouse.
Many programs offer cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which is been accepted as one of the most effective methods in addiction treatment. When your therapist identifies your specific responses to specific triggers you can be guided toward new and healthier responses which reduces your potential for falling back on drugs or alcohol. During group sessions you have the option of developing relationships with others who are also struggling with addiction. Sharing your personal story with others allows for emotional healing and often helps you develop a sense of fellowship with those in the program with you.
Depending upon your needs, you may also be offered art or music therapy, dance therapy biofeedback, exercise programs neurofeedback or equine therapy.
Studies of different treatment program approaches have found that residential treatment care is most effective if you have had a long history of addiction or have an unsupportive home environment. Partial hospitalization programs are sometimes non-residential but are based at the hospital. This means that you stay at home or at a special facility, while attending treatment at the hospital during the day. These treatment sessions often look like a residential treatment care program except that you sleep somewhere else.
An intensive outpatient program is just one step down from a partial hospitalization program and one step up from traditional outpatient treatment. Typically you’ll receive services between 10 and 12 hours each week which allows you to participate and other daily activities, such as work and family responsibilities. A typical intensive outpatient program relies on a 12-step program designed to help you effectively recover from chemical dependency.
More on Inpatient Vs. Outpatient
Outpatient Treatment May be Primary or Secondary
Outpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation does not include any overnight or residential housing. You receive some of the same psychological and medical treatment that’s available during inpatient care in a clinical setting once you have finished detoxification. However, in an outpatient setting you have more freedom to remain at your job and with your family if circumstances permit.
During your assessment and pre-intake, the treatment facility you have chosen will help determine if your situation requires and inpatient treatment care or is amenable an outpatient setting. If an inpatient rehab setting is chosen, you’ll likely transition into an outpatient setting as your program progresses. In this outpatient setting you are provided with several different forms of psychotherapy and group settings, depending upon the facility you’re attending and your history of drug or alcohol abuse.
You’ll have the opportunity to stay involved with cognitive behavioral therapy, and engage in problem-solving strategies that involve your personal situation on an outpatient basis. In most cases, the treatment facility uses a 12-step program that you’ll continue to use throughout your lifetime in order to support sober living.
In some instances, you may have developed an addiction in order to feel something you feel is missing in your life. Your inpatient and outpatient stay will help you discover these reasons in order for you to take measures to solve these issues without using drugs or alcohol. Cognitive behavioral therapy and problem solving techniques will help you change your initial response to situations that may have led to you using drugs in the past.
The goal of outpatient rehab is important to your recovery and most important to the maintenance of your sobriety. During outpatient therapy you will identify goals with your counselor that may include addressing previous psychosocial challenges, establishing a positive support system, resolving any legal issues and achieving sobriety. In many cases individuals will also learn how to cope with strategies for social and personal stressors and strategies that will help you improve your general health and resolve any legal issues.
Should I choose inpatient or outpatient?
Living Drug Free Is Easier With Aftercare
The goal of aftercare is to prevent a relapse. Aftercare can start during your outpatient rehabilitation program as it also is an outpatient program that doesn’t interfere with your life. Recovery from drugs and alcohol does not stop after treatment ends. Aftercare will continue the process of treatment after a structured inpatient or outpatient program has ended and will continue for as long as it is necessary. This is a crucial time in your life, during which you can make large strides towards enforcing and reinforcing your own recovery.
There are several different types of aftercare options that help prevent a relapse and they also help you expand on coping strategies that you learned during your inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation. Many find a comfort and under growing group counseling for an extended period of time following the end of a structured rehab as it gives you a time to share your experiences with addiction in the real world and the coping strategies that you may be using in order to maintain your sobriety. All of this happens with others who are going through the same thing at the same time. In some instances you may find that individual therapy, or meeting with a therapist one-on-one, builds upon your progress in a setting that’s more comfortable for you.
Most treatment programs include a 12-step program in there aftercare treatment protocols. This can include Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, both of which provide support and encouragement on your path to recovery. There are also options for your family to engage in an aftercare program that meets their needs to help support your sobriety. It’s important to remember that aftercare can go on for as long as necessary, and in many cases, for the rest of your life. Completing your initial therapy is the first step in your recovery but aftercare is what helps maintain your sobriety and your ability to live drug free for the rest of your life.
What happens after discharge?
Sober Living in Arlington Texas
As you’re completing your outpatient treatment and during aftercare, you may wish to explore sober living housing in the Arlington area. Transitional housing is designed to offer you support and some include drug and alcohol treatment programs at their location. Although these options are not formal, they are an extension of outpatient treatment. Many of these homes are designed to address the specific needs of individuals and are gender-based.
This offers you a stable environment with a reliable support system to continue your recovery and living sober. However, it is not a necessary part of your recovery and is an alternative that can be used to provide you with a healthy environment if you do not receive the encouragement and support you need at home.
Many of these homes offer structured living schedules and guidelines for behavior that encourage stability and a routine necessary for your early stages of recovery. When you’re surrounded by individuals who have gone through similar life experiences, it can help to further your recovery and encourage relationships that are a powerful tool to maintaining your sobriety.
Sober living housing is so powerful that several colleges and universities in the United States have adopted the use for students who are recovering from addiction. These schools have found those who use this facility have a lower dropout and relapse rate when attending the school.
Rules for living within sober living homes will vary between facilities but many are common and include maintaining your sobriety at all times, keeping a job or going to school, maintaining curfew and participation in a 12-step program.
