Webster’s dictionary defines ‘Rehabilitation’ as “to restore to a state of efficiency good management and solvency or to restore to a condition of health or useful and constructive activity.”

Rehabilitation or Rehab, in short, is a field of medicine and social work whereby an individual who has lost his normal capacity of physical or mental health is brought back to the mainstream and restored to a comfortable living state. Rehabilitation medicine is a field of medicine that cooperates with social workers to restore people with disabilities and diseases to their normal, comfortable lifestyle.

The areas covered under this discipline include Cardiac Rehabilitation, family education, home management, horticultural therapy, neuro-psychological and psychological treatment, occupational therapy, stroke Rehabilitation, speech language pathology, pediatric Rehabilitation, prosthetics and orthotics,
physical therapy, vision therapy and women’s health programs.

The most common Rehab programs are for substance abuse, namely drug and
alcohol addiction. Rehab programs for both these substances aim at detoxifying
the individual, freeing him from substance addiction and Rehabilitating him into
a clean and healthy state. Drug Rehab aims at freeing individuals from drug
abuse and reinstating them to a normal lifestyle.

There are two major arenas of drug treatment, behavioral therapies and
medical therapies. Behavioral therapy includes counselors and support groups.
Medical therapies include treatment with prescription drugs, such as methadone,
to suppress craving from opiates like heroin. Research shows that a combination
of both therapies must be used to evolve a suitable program for the patient.

Specific areas that must be addressed include: detoxification (coming off the
drug if physically addicted) and preventing relapse for longer-term Rehab.
Alcoholism is also a form of substance abuse. It causes problems at work, while
driving, at home and in legal matters. Mostly it causes severe health problems
for the abuser. Alcoholism can be fatal.

Treatment for alcoholism includes three steps: 1) medical stabilization 2)
detoxification and 3) long-term abstinence and Rehabilitation. Rehab centers are
of three kinds- Outpatient treatment centers, long-term drug treatment centers
and short-term inpatient centers. The kind of treatment depends on each
individual case. The treatment and Rehab of drug abusers should involve
education and life-changing therapies.

Through Rehab, the drug addicts can learn to rebuild their lives and live a
normal healthy life. Like treatment for diabetes and heart disease, Rehab must
bring about changes in behavior and lifestyle. Psychotherapy would be useful to
bring about changes, and joining groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics
Anonymous may help to kick the habit and prevent relapse.