Christian Rehab Centers
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Christian rehab centers are unlike most traditional rehab facilities because their
therapeutic framework unmistakably focuses on Jesus Christ as the explicit Higher Power referred to by the
other 12-step recovery methodologies like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.
According to the professionals who work at Christian rehab centers, other treatment facilities that try to
please their non-believing clients are actually doing them a disservice because the therapists are not stating that
it is God alone who has the power to help addicts recover from their addiction, find their way, and overcome the
vicious cycle of dependence.
Drug and Alcohol Addiction Are Physical and Spiritual Disorders
Many, if not most professionals who work at Christian rehab centers believe that alcohol and drug addiction are
a physical as well as a spiritual illness.
Just because
therapists who are employed at Christian rehab centers emphasize the centrality of God in the rehabilitation
process, it must be noted, does not mean that they neglect other vital rehabilitation issues.
To be sure, Christian rehab professionals time and again use the most effective and current medical techniques,
counseling approaches, and behavioral therapies in blending Biblical scripture with the overall drug and alcohol
rehabilitation process.
Most Christians understand that belief alone is usually not enough to help an alcoholic or drug addict refrain
from drinking or drug abuse.
Generally speaking, Christians who are dependent on drugs or alcohol are in misery from the results of alcohol
and drug-related employment problems, legal issues, relationship and family difficulties, and/or poor psychological
and physical health.
Routinely, these negative outcomes, over time, get increasingly worse the more an individual continues to drink
and abuse drugs in an out-of-control manner.
To put the drug and alcohol rehab process in an understandable perspective, most Christian therapists encourage
Christian alcohol and drug addicts to look to the Bible in general and to Job in particular to ascertain how he
surmounted his torment and pain in order to develop a stronger relationship with God.
To be sure, the alcohol or drug addict may feel anything but innocent and may experience extreme feelings of
guilt and shame due to their abusive and addictive actions.
They need to bear in mind, however, that God is always ready to forgive them, help them get to the other side of
dependency, and start on the road to recovery.
Christian Drug and Alcohol Detox
Christian
detox is the first step in the alcohol and drug rehabilitation process undertaken by Christian rehab
centers.
Seen as a mixture of spiritual and physical components, Christian detox aims to eliminate the drugs and alcohol
from the addicts’ body and cleanse their soul of the damaging and unhealthy behavior in which they have
engaged.
Moreover, alcoholics or drug addicts who face serious withdrawal symptoms can receive much needed relief through
the employment of doctor prescribed medications via the Christian detoxification procedure.
Although the alcohol and drug rehab protocol is neither easy nor problem-free, professionals who work at
Christian rehab centers believe that overcoming one’s dependency is possible because God does not give a person
more than he or she can handle.
| Evidence indicates that involvement of a nonalcoholic spouse in a treatment program
can improve patient participation rates and increase the likelihood that the patient will alter
drinking behavior in a positive manner after treatment ends. |

Christian Alcohol and Drug Recovery
One of the key problems when focusing on drug addiction or alcoholism is the fact that the addict cannot see
through the denial and other defense mechanism that reinforce his or her negative cycle of abuse and
addiction.
Christian rehab
centers help drug addicts and alcoholics cut through their denial and accept their inability to overcome their
addiction entirely on their own.
Once this is achieved, alcoholics and drug addicts can restore their “true nature” and surrender their
frustration, anguish, and pain to God who can then heal them and give them hope for a dependency-free life in the
near future.
Christian rehab centers typically stress the need for addicts to become less prideful, more humble, and initiate
a more spiritual attitude so that God can meet them half way, take them back into His house, and help them reclaim
their lives.
Most Christian rehab centers employ the 12-step approach in their group and individual counseling sessions and
they always stay focused on the belief that it is Jesus Christ who is the Higher Power who can lead to
recovery. Stated slightly differently, Christian rehab centers are rooted in Scripture and adhere to the 12
Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.
While rehab counselors who are members of Christian rehab centers are Christian, it is enlightening to note that
some Christian treatment facilities employ Christians who are also in rehab.
| The beneficial effects of Alcoholics Anonymous may be attributable in part to the
replacement of the participant's social network of drinking friends with a fellowship of Alcoholics
Anonymous members who can provide motivation and support for maintaining abstinence. |
The Kinds of Treatment at Christian Rehab Centers
At least three distinctive types of drug and alcohol rehab can be found at various Christian rehab
centers: inpatient, residential rehab; outpatient rehab; and day treatment rehabilitation.
Residential Inpatient Drug and Alcohol Rehab
When an individual becomes enrolled
in a Christian residential inpatient rehab facility, he or she rapidly learns about the physical, spiritual,
and psychological effects of drug and alcohol abuse and addiction.
This educational framework is accomplished basically through lectures, workshops, group counseling, and personal
therapy.
To be sure, through all of these educational components, alcoholics and drug addicts are taught how to
successfully recognize and work through the emotional and physical “hot buttons” that so frequently result in
abusive and addictive behavior.
To be more specific, such a broad-based educational approach helps each alcoholic and drug addict identify and
address his or her own unique relapse warning signs and circumstances.
| Surveys of drinking patterns show that college students are more likely than their
age-mates who are not in college to consume any alcohol, to drink heavily, and to engage in heavy
episodic drinking. However, young people who are not in college are more likely to consume alcohol
every day. |
Outpatient Drug and Alcohol Rehab
Although not quite as comprehensive and intensive as residential approaches, Christian outpatient drug and
alcohol rehab commonly consists of educational principals and components that are similar to those that are
emphasized in inpatient rehab.
Moreover, through education, individual therapy, group counseling, and training, drug addicts and alcoholics can
gain an insight into the specific high-risk situations that usually challenge their sobriety and underpin their
addiction.
In short, through Christian outpatient rehab, each alcoholic or drug addict learns how to deal more efficiently
and productively with circumstances that can trigger a relapse and maintain the negative cycle of addiction.
| Regardless of how someone is diagnosed as alcohol dependent or how they came to
realize they have a serious drinking problem, the first step to treatment is a sincere desire to
get help. Alcoholics who are pressured into treatment by social pressure or forced to quit by
circumstances rarely succeed in the long run. |
Day Treatment Drug and Alcohol Rehab
Some
Christian rehab centers provide a type of treatment that is somewhat in between the outpatient and the
inpatient options. Known as “day treatment programs,” this kind of approach is typically geared for local
Christian alcoholics and drug addicts who require less structure than the inpatient programs provide.
Alcoholics and drug addicts commonly register for this kind of treatment approach for a period of four to six
weeks and usually attend rehab during normal work hours. Addicts who sign up for such programs are provided
with some of the same comprehensive training, counseling and educational components that the inpatient clients
receive.
Due to the fact that follow-up counseling, training, and education are so meaningful in the drug and alcohol
recovery process, individuals who have attended Christian rehab centers are encouraged to attend local Narcotics
Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous meetings when they return to their place of residence.
| Screening for alcohol disorders in primary care can vary from one simple question to
an extensive assessment using a standardized questionnaire. The level of screening used by a
clinician typically depends on the patient’s characteristics, whether he or she has other medical
or psychiatric problems, the physician’s skills and interest, and the amount of time
available. |
Christian Rehab Centers: Conclusion
The
basic philosophy of Christian rehab centers can be stated in the following
summary: through a combination of education, training, doctor prescribed drugs, counseling, the latest
medical techniques, and good old fashioned Christian principles, alcoholics and drug addicts, along with God,
can overcome their dependent and damaging behavior and reclaim their lives in His grace.
In short, Christian rehab centers help drug addicts and alcoholics become free of their addictive cravings and
the unhealthy and destructive thoughts and actions that run counter to their Christian beliefs.
| According to a 1997 report by the Ninth Special Report to the U.S. Congress on
Alcohol and Health from the Secretary of Health and Human Services, alcohol is a leading cause of
death among youth, particularly teenagers. For instance, alcohol abuse contributes substantially to
adolescent motor vehicle crashes, other traumatic injuries, suicide, date rape, and family and
school problems. |

| Alcoholism research has demonstrated the following: if you have sworn to
yourself that you will never drink again and you have tried to stop drinking and found yourself
drinking once again a few days later or a week or two down the road, it is very probably that you
have a serious drinking problem. The bottom line is this: if you have tried to stop
drinking and cannot, you are obviously no longer in control. To state the obvious: from a
control perspective, alcohol is in control of your life rather than you being in control of your
drinking. |
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