If you’ve made the decision to find an addiction treatment center for a drug or alcohol addiction, you’ve taken a tough and important step. Selecting a residential addiction treatment center or non-residential treatment center with programs that cater to your specific needs will give you the resources and support to follow through on your commitment to overcome drug or alcohol addiction.

How an Addiction Treatment Center Provides Motivation Admitting you need help with addiction is a difficult thing to do, says Alexandre Laudet, Ph.D., director of the Center for the Study of Addictions and Recovery (C-STAR) at the National Development & Research Institutes in New York City. Many treatment centers provide counseling that helps reinforce the importance of this step.

“What’s important is fostering motivation to stay in treatment. There are interview techniques that counselors use to get the person to see that they have a problem,” and this recognition can often encourage people to continue treatment, Dr. Laudet notes.

The next challenge for the addiction treatment center is creating an environment in which addicts feel comfortable, she says. “The person has to feel that continuing to come to this program is going to be to their benefit.”

The following seven basic guidelines can increase the chances for a successful recovery:

1. Start safely. A period of detox is frequently the first step in many rehab approaches. Weaning off of substances like alcohol and opiates should be done in a medical setting because withdrawal symptoms can sometimes be life-threatening.
2. Seek lots of support. It’s important for a recovering addict to cultivate as many healthy, caring relationships as possible. If a loved one is trying to break an addiction, being there for them to lean on can considerably increase their success. Encourage a recovering addict to join a support group locally or online so he has plenty of people to lean on when the going gets rough.
3. Choose right. Find a program that uses health professionals who are board-certified to treat addiction. Psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, and social workers can all be certified to work specifically with substance abusers.
4. Address everything. According to Sack, up to 40 percent of addicts suffer from depression too. Also dealing with underlying mental health issues that can contribute to addiction — or that result from it — will go a long way toward preventing relapse.
5. Avoid triggers. This is especially important for people fresh out of rehab who may not yet have the coping skills to resist temptation.
6. Manage expectations. Recovery involves being humble and realistic about how much work is ahead of you. While it’s important to forgive yourself for all that has happened, it’s equally important to take responsibility for your actions.
7. Be vigilant. Addicts must understand that recovery is a lifelong battle. By all accounts, the first year is the hardest, but many people struggle with cravings and temptation for the rest of their lives. Far from proving that rehab is a failure, this constant struggle underscores the potent power of addiction — and the importance of working hard to get and stay clean.