Addiction Treatment

Drug rehabilitation describes the processes of medical or psychological treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances. The intent is to enable the patient to stop substance abuse, in order to avoid the psychological, legal, financial, social, and physical consequences that can be caused.

Finding an quality drug rehab center can be a difficult and confusing task. Consider these points when looking for drug rehabs.


Drug rehabilitation focuses on the two-fold nature of chemical dependency: psychological and physical dependency. Most drug rehabilitation facilities will have a drug detox program to treat withdrawal symptoms that occur from regular drug use. This can be dangerous depending on the drugs, and drug rehabs must have a doctor to manage detox. Withdrawal generally lasts up to two weeks but depending on the drug of choice, can last many months longer.

Some addiction recovery services use pharmacotherapy’s in addition to psychotherapy to combat addiction. Such medications as methadone and most recent Bupernorphine (Suboxone) are widely used to treat opiate dependence; these medications are used in either maintenance therapy or for short term drug detox. Other antidepressant medications are used to moderate drug use, and there are several anti craving medications as well. All can be helpful tools in a drug rehab facility.



There are many approaches to drug treatment and rehabilitation. The disease model of addiction contends that there are maladaptive patterns of alcohol and substance use displayed by addicts and is the result of a biological condition and enhanced by lifestyle choices. The client centered approach, created by Carl Rogers, centers on the fact that there are three necessary and sufficient conditions for personal change: unconditional positive regard, accurate empathy, and genuineness.

The psychoanalytic approach, created by Sigmund Freud, contends that the cause of addiction is the unconscious need to pleasure and homosexual and perverse fantasies. Freud is now considered a fraud by most modern phsycologists and his treatment methodology is dying a most welcome death.

Coca leaves have been chewed by natives for thousands of years to increase stamina, ease pain, and uplift their mood.  When cocaine began to be extracted from the leaves, the perception of chewing coca leaves changed. Cocaine has been illegalized in the 20th century in Costa Rica, but still remains prevalent in society. Coca leaves are still used by workers and by native medicine men, and crack and cocaine are used commonly in major cities. Prostitution is legal in Costa Rica, and cocaine is extremely popular among those in this profession. Prostitutes use cocaine and other drugs to keep up their stamina as well as to sell to their clients. Of those who reported using cocaine, over half prefer crack cocaine as it is cheaper and produces a more immediate high. A study of addicts seeking drug addiction treatment in Costa Rica found that about ninety percent had used crack cocaine at least once, and eighty percent had used powder cocaine at least once. Compared to other countries with drug addiction problems, these rates of cocaine use are quite alarming. Heroin abuse is also a growing problem amongst street youth, for its cheap prices and heavy effects.

Costa Rica Drug Rehab Centers

Costa Rica is full of luxury rehab centers.  Executive Costa Rica addiction treatment centers are popular because of the safety of the country as a whole, the liberal and understanding people, and the overall beauty. Centers are located in the mountain regions as well as on low-traffic beaches. Although Costa Rica has a large tourism industry, the treatment centers are not located near hot-spots. Costa Rica generally views addiction as a disease rather than a bad habit, and thus the treatment available is more holistic than punishing. Drug rehabilitation has been gaining popularity in the past few decades as cocaine use has increased and as Costa Rica has gained more popularity among international tourists. There are numerous luxury treatment centers for both Spanish speaking and English language clients. In many parts of Costa Rica, residents speak at least some English, so the language barrier is not a large issue. Furthermore, the presence of twelve-step groups in Costa Rica may be surprising. Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, and Al-Anon all have substantial followings in Costa Rica. Although most meetings are held in Spanish, there are often English speaking meetings near areas of tourism such as San Jose, Manuel Antonio, Tamarindo, and Puerto Viejo. Overall, compared to other countries in Latin America, Costa Rica is a fantastic place to begin the road to recovery with the abundance of treatment facilities, strong recovering community, and serene setting.

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