FAQs answered by Oasis Treatment Centre, South Africa, Experts in Addiction

Admission to an addiction treatment centre is usually accompanied by many questions and fear of the unknown. The Oasis Treatment Centre in South Africa, located in Plettenberg Bay, has compiled these frequently asked questions to address queries to set your mind at ease.

What is addiction and am I, or is a member of my family, an addict?
If a person continues to use drugs, alcohol, food or any other substance despite negative consequences to themselves and others then this person is in addiction.
If they want to stop but find they cannot do it alone then they need help.Contacting a treatment centre of professional counsellors is advised.

What are the main signs of addiction?
If you are still using when you are causing harm to yourself or others then this is a sign of addiction. If you are looking at this website, there is almost certainly a problem.

What do I do now?
If you think that you need help, the first thing to do is find the right treatment centre. Look online for a treatment centre in South Africa or find telephone help lines such as AA and NA for advice. It is essential to make sure the facility is a fully registered treatment centre and that the counsellors are qualified.

There are addiction experts in South Africa who can provide practical advice on dealing with addiction. Once you are in contact with a treatment centre, ask to speak to a qualified counsellor. Tell them as much as you can about your situation and they will give you advice on what to do until your admission.

If you are a family member or friend of an addict, it is important to find the right treatment centre as quickly as possible. This is important as the time-frame in which the addict is willing to be admitted may be very short. Again information is the key; tell the treatment centre all you know of the problem and make sure that they are appropriately qualified addiction experts.

What do I do if someone refuses to go to treatment?
Seek professional help. Interventions from both family and an addiction expert can work wonders.

What if they are not serious about recovery?
Sometimes addicts will go into treatment just to appease the people around them and are in denial that they have a problem. This does not mean that treatment will not work, but the journey may take longer.
In fact, few people will want to enter a treatment centre as this means giving up their crutch and leaving their own comfort zone in order to answer some difficult personal questions.

Do I need to detox?
This depends on the addiction.
Opiate (such as heroin) users will need to go through some form of detoxification. This can be a very painful and difficult experience to the user and those around them to witness. Being alone without follow up treatment and rehabilitation will almost certainly fail.
Methamphetamine users generally do not need a detox process. This is not to say they will not have any form of withdrawal: the addiction is still very serious, but the physical effects of withdrawals are less pronounced than with opiates.
Alcohol, Barbiturates and tranquilliser users will need medical detoxification. It can be life threatening to just stop "cold turkey". Without follow up, rehabilitation will almost certainly fail.
Oasis undertakes the detoxification process at our Plettenberg Bay rehab centre, which is overseen by our psychiatrist in George.
We do not allow any form of 'using' here - that includes continuing food disorders, sex addictions and gambling.

Are you cured when you leave?
There is no cure for addiction but there is a programme that if followed, can lead to a fun, healthy and productive life.

How long does it take?
Recovery is taken 'One day at a time'. We recommend a stay of three months at our Plettenberg Bay rehab centre. If both the counsellors and the resident feel it is needed, there is the option to extend the stay. Many clients also go on to stay at our halfway facility, Solar House where they can practise sober living and working. After care group is offered to all our clients on leaving treatment.

Who do we take?
Any addicted person who is mentally stable without the use of addictive drugs will benefit from the programme.

Why is Oasis different?
At Oasis treatment centre we deal with people in a caring way and feel that a person has already suffered enough through their addiction. More punishment will achieve nothing; caring and love heals.

Oasis is a rehab located in Plettenberg Bay. Oasis is a leading treatment centre in South Africa where addiction experts provide loving treatment for clients to nurture themselves back to physical and mental health. Take a look at our recovery programme.