What exactly is residential treatment? The concept may seem somewhat ambiguous to many people. Many misconceptions are harbored about just exactly what residential treatment entails. Some people envision it to be some sort of mental asylum. Some people envision it to be some sort of prison. And some people envision it to be some sort of hospital. Well, if you were to separate fact from fiction, the truth of the matter is that a residential treatment center is essentially a facility where people can check into for some period of time with the primary objective of overcoming their addiction to drugs or alcohol, providing them a sanctuary from the influences or causes that would otherwise keep on perpetuating their addiction, and then rehabilitating them mentally and physically to rebuild and resume a normal life, completely sober and drug-free.

A residential treatment center can help focus on keeping the addict safe. Whenever you feel the need to drink or take another dosage of the drugs, you will be in an environment where these are not available to you. If you need to detoxify, specialists at the treatment center can help you cope with any withdrawal symptoms which you might go through. If negative influences in your life that were causing you stress and compelling you to turn to these substances as an “escape”, then you will be kept in a sanctuary where you will learn the skills which are necessary to cope with a problem without the need for substance abuse.

A residential treatment center can help you learn how to deal with your problems in more productive ways than to take drugs or alcohol as an escape. It can help you rebuild self-confidence. It can also help you learn valuable skills and strategies for how to prevent yourself from falling off the wagon and going into a relapse of your old addiction. So therefore, it can be surmised that treatment is more than just physical abstinence. It also involves educating the former addict, arming him or her with the knowledge and the skills necessary to cope with his or her problems, and to become acutely aware of the ill effects of taking these substances.

Residential treatment centers can also help you cultivate spiritual awareness. Drunkenness and substance abuse are clearly moral vices in many of the world’s major religions, as these are states of intoxication, which run counter man’s pursuit for a better life. That is why you will find that there are many residential treatment centers that exist in the form of nonprofit organizations sponsored by local churches, such as Penfield Christian Homes, located in Union Point, Georgia.