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Written by Marcel Gemme C.C.D.C

Outpatient Drug Treatment in Victoria British Columbia

In British Columbia, most of the outpatient drug rehab programs are funded by the government. While these facilities are listed as drug rehab centers, many of them are also classified as mental health centers as well. The reason for this is that medical experts are slowly starting to understand that addictions, particularly an addiction to drugs is actually a form of mental illness.

The fact that the experts are starting to understand that a drug addiction is a type of mental illness, the way it is treated is also started to change. Instead of telling people that they should be strong enough to overcome the addiction and simply walk away from whatever type of drug they are addicted to, the counselors are being trained to help the patient retrain their brain so that they can learn to live a drug-free life.

The start of drug treatment in British Columbia still starts the same way that it always has. The start still involves a great deal of tough love. Before an addict can start the treatment program, the addict is going to have to go through the detoxification process. The purpose of the detoxification program is to rid the addict’s body of all traces of the drugs that they have probably been continuing for years. It is really important that the person should go to an actual detoxification program when they are trying to rid themselves of the drugs. The detoxification process is a nasty business that usually involves headaches, sweating, chills, shakes, vomiting, and in some cases hallucinations. The counselors who work at the detoxification center will keep a close eye on the addict and make sure that they are not going to hurt themselves. The detoxification is also an excellent time for the counselors to determine the degree of a person’s addiction.

It is extremely important that the addict gets into treatment immediately after they are detoxified. This is best done at a residential program, but since British Columbia doesn't have enough residential programs (in British Columbia, these are actually called sober living environments) there is a waiting list, and it could take one or two weeks before the addict is able to be admitted. The second best solution is to get enrolled in one of British Columbia's outpatient programs. In Victoria British Columbia, there are currently three outpatient drug rehab programs.

One of the three programs has counselors who are specially trained to deal with Victoria's older population. This particular program is geared for addicts are more than 55 years old. Most of the addicts who are involved with this outpatient program are struggling to deal with an addiction to prescription drugs.

The other two programs are for adults who are of working age. One of these programs has counselors who aren't just trained to help the addict restore order to their life, but who can also help the addict’s family members. Victoria does have a fourth outpatient treatment program that is specially geared to deal with the unique problems that teenagers have that can cause them to become addicted to drugs.

^{Resources: http://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/victoria-rehab.html#outpatient
http://www.canadiandrugrehab.ca/bc-drug-rehab.html
http://www.canadarehab.ca/drug_rehab_britishcolumbia.html}

List of Outpatient Treatment in Victoria