If you are planning addiction treatment in Colorado for yourself or for someone in your family, then you will probably be conducting a lot of research on the Internet to know about what options you have for treatment and how it is conducted. This is all quite well, but you must know that there are several concepts that you need to know about if you want to understand the program for addiction treatment in Colorado. This is an explanation of some concepts relating to the addiction treatment program in this state.

Difference between Substance Abuse and Substance Addiction

Most people use the words "abuse" and "addiction" interchangeably, but the fact of the matter is that there is a lot of difference between these two terms. When a person is into a substance abuse, the person is using the substance only occasionally, but on those occasions, the person is going beyond acceptable limits of usage. When the person is not using the substance, he or she is perfectly normal and even performing their tasks effectively.

Substance addiction, on the other hand, is total dependency. A person who is into substance addiction will not be able to do without the substance even for a short period of time. The entire waking hours of the person will be spent in how to acquire the substance and use it for recreation. Hence, a person who is into substance addiction will actively think about the substance even when he or she is not using it.

In that manner, substance addiction seems to be more serious than substance abuse, and it is quite right too. But the social repercussions of both of them could be the same. The person who is into an abuse might be a menace to society during those episodes when he or she is under the influence. That could be just as bad as coming from a person who is into substance addiction.

Treatment methods for people who are into substance addiction in Colorado are more stringent than those that are used for people into substance abuse. However, treatment is definitely available and needed in both cases.

Difference between Detox and Rehab

Again, these two are terms that most people think mean one and the same thing. The simple logic is that both are parts of the addiction treatment program in Colorado. However, this is definitely not the case. If you understand what these two mean, you will see that they are as unlike as chalk and cheese.

Detox is the name for the program in which the person's body is cleansed from the accumulation of the toxins that the addictive substance might have caused. This is done by first making the person abstain from the substance which then causes a withdrawal. In order to treat the withdrawal and to make the person lose the temptation for the substance, the person is provided some maintenance treatment. A normal detox program in Colorado can last from three days to up to three weeks, which will mostly depend on the nature and extent of the person's dependency and also on the policies of the treatment center.

Rehab, on the other hand, is a complete program that helps bring the person out of the addiction and into a sober life. This is a much elaborate program that can go on for quite a long time. It usually follows a detox treatment program. When the person has been detoxified, the rehab treatment begins as a means of aftercare. In rehab, the person will be given some sort of maintenance medication in order to keep the temptation of the substance away.

Then there will be a complete counseling program for the patient and the family members of the patient. The patient will be coached on how to deal with the cravings for the substance and the family members will be trained on how to become able supports for the patient to bring them out from the addiction and how to cope with the addiction itself. Families might have to attend a short training course too, mainly to equip them in dealing with the addiction condition.

Patients might be trained in certain meditation and relaxation methods too, which can help in answering the urge for the substance if it occurs. Most of these rehab programs will also counsel patients on how they can become an effective part of their societies once again and even take up a job if they are interested because these are the things that will actually cure their addiction and bring them into a normal constructive and meaningful life.