Known by street names such as Vitamin K, Special K or just K, ketamine is a tranquilizer used mostly by veterinarians.
It’s also known as a “club” drug and a hallucinogen. It’s considered to be similar to hallucinogens such as PCP and nitrous oxide (aka: laughing gas). Ketamine is often abused, which has lead to the need for ketamine drug rehab.
Ketamine can be taken in several ways. It’s often snorted as a powder or injected as a liquid. Because of its ability to create a sense of euphoria for users, ketamine has become known as a club drug in the last 20 or so years. Unfortunately, the drug delivers the possibility for a number of dangerous side effects and can be addictive, which makes the need for ketamine drug rehab that much more urgent.
How is Ketamine Addictive?
As with other addictive drugs, ketamine acts on your brain’s reward center. The drug alters your feelings, how you act and how you behave. As time goes by, you find yourself becoming increasingly dependent on ketamine. At first, this dependency may be hard to detect. However, as time goes by, ketamine addiction may require ketamine drug rehab treatment to return you to the life you enjoyed before addiction took over.
The allure of drugs like ketamine are easy to understand. They can trigger pleasurable experiences that your brain wants to repeat over and over. The longer you use, the more your body builds up a tolerance that necessitates higher and higher doses to achieve the same effect. Eventually, you begin to display addiction-related behavior, such as:
Seeking more ketamine to the exclusion of normal activities
Using ketamine despite the fact that it’s causing harm to you or loved ones
Willingness to lie, cheat or steal to get more of the drug
Getting more of the drug is now worth taking dangerous risks
Ketamine drug addiction is very real, and it ruins lives. If you or a loved one has a problem with ketamine, it’s strongly advised that you seek ketamine drug rehab treatment.
Drug-Dependence, Drug Addiction: What’s the Difference?
Some people don’t fully understand how dependence and addiction are different. Not knowing the difference could slow your ability to understand the need for ketamine drug rehab treatment. Dependence on a drug like ketamine usually entails the following:
You require larger doses than in the past to get the effect from the drug you’re looking for
You experience withdrawal symptoms if you stop using ketamine
You have cravings for the drug if you don’t have it
You continue using, even though part of you wants to stop It’s important to remember that dependence may not always lead to addiction. In fact, many people confuse the two terms. Not helping is the fact that some addiction specialists will blend the terms, which only adds to the confusion. Keep in mind, however, that withdrawal symptoms and cravings are characteristic of both ketamine dependence and addiction, and both warrant ketamine drug rehab treatment.
How is addiction different from dependence? Addiction is more closely associated with destructive behaviors that affect both users and others. This would include the possibility of injuries, accidents and criminal activity. A ketamine addiction could put you in a dangerous position, both for yourself and for your loved ones. Regardless of whether you’re dependent or addicted to ketamine, you need to seriously consider ketamine drug rehab treatment.
Ketamine Abuse: What It Looks Like
Once people experience the pleasurable effects of ketamine, many will start binging on it. As more and more of the substance is taken, users’ tolerance levels raise, which just accelerates the process of taking even more ketamine. Once that happens, it’s very easy to become addicted. Ketamine addiction brings with it many dangers, including impaired motor functioning, elevated blood pressure and possibly fatal respiratory problems. If you or someone you love has a problem with ketamine, you need ketamine drug rehab help.
The Importance of Ketamine Drug Rehab Treatment
The sojourn from drug dependence to a healthy, drug-free life isn’t easy and it’s certainly not quick. It takes time, commitment and patience. If it was easy to kick drugs, everyone would be able to do it with ease. In reality, becoming drug free requires both your dedication and the assistance of doctors and trained staff members who can use their expertise to help you through this difficult phase of your life.
So, you’ve decided to pursue ketamine drug rehab treatment. Now it’s time to better understand what that really means.
What Is Inpatient Ketamine Drug Rehab Treatment?
Inpatient and outpatient rehab are effective ways to help you overcome ketamine addiction. Whether inpatient or outpatient ketamine drug rehab treatment is most appropriate for you depends on many factors.
Inpatient ketamine drug rehab treatment is very appropriate for those with stronger addictions. It’s also a good choice for individuals who are living in unstable home environments that can’t provide the kind of support necessary.
In contrast, outpatient ketamine drug rehab treatment works well for people with milder addictions, or for those people whose work, school or family responsibilities won’t allow for so much time away from home. Outpatient treatment is often more feasible due to restrictions that may exist with certain health insurance policies.
During inpatient ketamine drug rehab, you reside within the confines of the rehab facility and away from temptations. You also have the advantage of expert supervision close by so that you will be safe and comfortable throughout the rehab process. The inpatient experience allows you to focus fully on your recovery with no distractions.
A reputable inpatient ketamine drug rehab program will generally offer the following:
A smooth transition from a detox program, which is conducted on-campus or at a dedicated detox facility
Identification and treatment of any co-occurring mental health issues (such as depression) that could have a negative effect on your recovery
A safe environment protected by the triggers and temptations of the home environment that influenced your ketamine addiction
Evidence-based treatment that has been customized to meet your unique needs
Unique therapies are available to help you, including cognitive behavioral therapy
(CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
A treatment plan that includes aftercare and strategies for making the transition to your old life easier with less chance of relapse
Overcoming a ketamine addiction isn’t easy, and trying to do it on your own will likely fail. With the professional help that you get from a ketamine drug rehab center, however, you will have all of the tools you need to achieve a successful, long-term recovery. Think of it this way… you’ve already taken the first step by reading this. Now it’s time to commit to treatment so that you can break the chains of addiction that have been encircling you for too long.
Ketamine Drug Rehab: What’s the Process?
If you’ve never been through rehab before, the entire process may appear a little scary because you don’t know what happens exactly. Just by having a better understanding of how the ketamine drug rehab process works will make it easier for you to move forward. Generally, the recovery process is more or less broken up into four distinct stages: Intake/Assessment: At this initial stage, the ketamine drug rehab center needs to know more about you so that they can design the most appropriate treatment plan. By gathering your medical history and your history of substance abuse, they will be able to determine a number of things, such as whether inpatient or outpatient treatment is more appropriate for you. They will need to know how long you’ve been using, how much you’ve been using and whether you may be abusing a secondary substance as well. They’ll also determine if you have a co-occurring mental health issue that could complicate recovery if left unaddressed. Detox: Before drug rehab treatment can begin, patients must go through detox to rid
the body of all traces of drugs. This process leads to withdrawal symptoms that doctors and staff members will help you deal with. This is a much better option than self-detox, which will cause many people to start using again just to avoid the withdrawal symptoms. During detox, you may be given medications to help make you more comfortable during withdrawal. Insomnia, for example, is common during detox, so a mild sleep aid can be very beneficial for some patients.
Rehab Treatment: Some people think rehab is just about getting off drugs. Actually, getting off drugs is only part of the solution. Without the tools that ketamine drug rehab treatment will teach you, it’s very likely that you will relapse as soon as you leave the facility. Remember that detox treatment gets you off drugs. Rehab treatment is what keeps you off drugs. Any reputable ketamine drug rehab facility will help you examine the conditions that lead to your addiction, whether it’s environmental, psychological or medical reasons. Understanding the root causes of your addiction will help you in recovery, as will the coping strategies that you’ll learn to help you handle the many temptations and triggers you’ll face once you return home.
Aftercare: Many people think that the recovery process ends when ketamine drug rehab treatment is over. Actually, that’s not the case. The final aspect of ketamine drug rehab treatment is aftercare. In rehab, you’re in a protected environment. When you leave rehab, you are returned to the world that fed your addiction. Relapse is always a threat, which is why continuing aftercare support can help many people reinforce the important principles they learned in rehab.
Do I really need Ketamine Drug Rehab Treatment?
There are a number of telltale signs that you or a loved one suffer from ketamine
dependence or addiction and could benefit from ketamine drug rehab treatment:
You’re taking an increasing amount of ketamine to achieve the same effect
You’re spending more and more time and money to get ketamine
You find yourself craving ketamine when you’re not using
You’re not living up to family, work or school responsibilities when using
You continue to use, knowing that ketamine is causing problems in your life
Relationships are suffering or have failed due to your ketamine habit
You use ketamine in dangerous situations, such as when you’re driving an automobile
You’re experiencing health problems due to your ketamine use yet you continue to use
You keep thinking about whether you should consider ketamine drug rehab
If you’re experiencing any or all of these symptoms, it’s very likely that you have a problem. Don’t allow a situation like this to continue. Take action by seeking ketamine drug rehab treatment.
Are There Specialized Ketamine Drug Rehab Facilities?
Not every rehab center will handle very many ketamine addiction cases. It’s wise to seek out a facility that is well-versed in the unique qualities of ketamine drug rehab treatment. However, there are other considerations as well. For example, you may wish to concentrate on centers that cater to men or women only. You could be interested in a faith-based facility or a center that caters to high-powered business executives by providing access to high-speed internet and office space. Luxury amenities like what you’d find in an upscale hotel could be a determining factor for you as well. Regardless of what your requirements are, there are centers that will be right for you and your unique needs.
Can My Ketamine Addiction Be Cured?
Some people would like to believe that there is a cure for addiction. In fact, there are no cures. Addiction is a chronic condition… one which can be controlled. Recovery from addiction is a process that you are literally taking one day at a time. Triggers and temptations exist everywhere. If you’re strong in your recovery, however, these temptations will usually have no power over you. However, everyone will have days that don’t go as well as others. That’s the challenge of recovery.
Ketamine drug rehab treatment can provide you with the skills you’ll need to remain sober over the long term. These aren’t skills that you’ll likely pick up on your own. That’s why attempting to overcome addiction at your own fails so often. The doctors and skilled professionals at a reputable drug rehab center can help you become the strong person you were before addiction took over.
Don’t let ketamine addiction win. Take back your life with effective drug rehab treatment.