History of Rehab Counseling
Sadly, the history of rehab counseling is a very recent history. Substance abuse has most likely been with us for most of human history, but it claimed its victims and there was little help available.
There are indications that substance abuse dates back to the earliest days of the human race. Certainly, alcoholism existed in ancient civilization and various drugs were known in religious ceremonies. It was very likely these ancient drugs were misused as well. There was little help available for either condition. Very little was known about mental illness and the science and understanding that make rehab counseling possible today did not exist. So, the history of rehab counseling really began in the last century.
Two men who were dealing with alcoholism had a conversation one day in the year 1935. The men’s names were Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith. They were strongly influenced by the writings of Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, and the Oxford Group which was a Christian Evangelical organization. The result of the conversation was Alcoholics Anonymous.
By 1937, the group that was known as AA had grown to include 40 members. They all were recovering alcoholics. A year later, the 12 step program was introduced. AA used the idea that the alcoholic was not able to control himself without help. This help had to come from an undefined higher power, but also from the support and counseling of other fellow alcoholics. This support and counseling was the effective beginning of rehab counseling. It was a recognition that rehabilitation was the key to treating both alcohol and drug addictions.
In 1966, another rehab movement called Narcanon was begun and embraced by Ron Hubbard, the head of the Church of Scientology. This group put a strong emphasis on the idea of individual responsibility for rehab. They were criticized for not even dealing with the withdrawal symptoms that were viewed as a physical manifestation of the addiction. The trend was moving toward a more liberal idea that saw addiction as a disease. This tended to take the responsibility off the individual and put it more on things such as genetic disposition and chemical imbalance in the brain.
In the past few decades, the idea of integrative therapy has become the mainstream method of rehab. This brings both sides of the equation into some balance. The individual has to take responsibility and want to be helped, but medications are available also to counter chemical imbalance and ease the withdrawal symptoms. Despite its short history, rehab counseling is a growing area that represents a giant step forward in civilization. No longer does society give up on or cast away those who fall into the clutches of addiction.