When you love someone close to you, sometimes you need to make the tough decisions. When someone you are close to is obviously abusing alcohol or drugs, you know that the best thing you can do to help them is to get them into a rehab program. It will be hard for them and perhaps hard for you as well, but you know that this is what you need to do for them to help them before the problem gets worse.

The over-consumption of alcohol is currently rated to be the third most preventable type of death in the US today. The problem is that alcohol is readily available in bars, which are extremely easy to find, and alcohol consumption even seems to be glamorized in many of the ads you see in magazines and newspapers. Alcohol in and of itself is not bad or evil, but all people are different, and not all people know when to stop, people have different tolerance levels, and it can be easy to become addicted to without realizing that it has become a major problem.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is, without a doubt, the most popular self-help group dedicated to alcohol rehabilitation. Many prefer to try a self-help approach to alcohol rehabilitation. People suffering from alcohol abuse are taken care of in dedicated rehab facilities as well as mental health clinics. A major problem with self-help is that the alcoholic will frequently not recognize that they have a problem. Rather, they start self-help techniques out of respect for people who care about them, like a spouse, but unless and until they admit and recognize that they have a problem, the self-help techniques rarely are effective for the long term.

In the United States, the number of alcohol rehab facilities exceeds 10,000. The effects of alcohol devastate the lives of many individuals and cause trauma to their families. With alcohol rehab, the longer a person abstains from alcohol, the more likely he or she is able to stay sober. It is easier if the affected person has a "buddy" or someone they are accountable to. Without being accountable to someone, it is just simply far too easy for the alcoholic to go back to their old ways and cloud their reality with the effects of alcohol.

Drug addiction is similar to alcohol addiction but can be even more devastating, and can lead to longer term adverse effects if not treated. Popular drugs today include vicodin, oxycontin, valium, Xanax, cocaine, crystal meth, heroin, and many more. Sometimes drug addiction can start with taking prescription medication that was prescribed by your doctor for some type of ailment. But long after your ailment has been resolved, your body has become addicted to the prescription drug, and the user needs more and more of it to pacify the body and avoid the inevitable withdrawal symptoms. Usage of other drugs may start as a "recreational" thing, perhaps being introduced at a party or gathering of friends. But the addictive powers of these drugs are just as devastating.

Interestingly enough, the state of Arizona has one of the worst drug problems in the United States. The use of heroin in the US has also increased in recent years, meaning that the drug rehab system now has to work harder than ever before. The use of crack cocaine is Chicago's biggest drug problem - since the early 1990's, admissions to Chicago drug rehab centers for the treatment of this drug have more than doubled.

Effective treatment is available for both alcohol rehab and drug rehab. Specialized doctors build a complex treatment that includes each patient's individual needs and problems, in order to succeed the reintegration in the healthy and normal life of the society. The basic principles of the drug addiction treatment start from considering each case a particular and individualized expression of the medical condition. They don't necessarily receive the adequate treatment to appease their psychotic desires. Alcohol rehab is similar, because each individual person is unique with different levels of being able to cope with the withdrawal symptoms.

Speaking openly and honestly with the person about the effects his addiction is having on those around him is often the eye-opener the person needs in order to see clearly enough to accept help. From a medical perspective, addiction can be compared to many other serious medical conditions in that it will require long term treatment, lifestyle changes, medication at times and if not monitored, relapse will occur. It has taken some time but, researchers have come to the conclusion that drug addiction and alcoholism are diseases and like other diseases, are chronic and those afflicted are subject to relapse.

Choosing drug rehab or alcohol rehabilitation is a positive step adopted by addicts in reclaiming their normal life. In the beginning, it is important to know that the addiction can be conquered with rehab. The Wellness Enhancement and Longevity Learning (WELL) program incorporates this powerful technique with other pioneering therapies in the their addiction treatment program.