Council Bluffs, IA

Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Council Bluffs, IA

Council Bluffs, Iowa is known for many things, including it's beautiful hot air balloon festival. Located across the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska, Council Bluffs, like many American towns and cities has its share of residents who suffer from substance abuse addiction.

Addiction is something that can affect anyone, it doesn't matter where you come from or what your social status is. When one member of the family is suffering from addiction it affects everyone in their life. It is important to know that addiction is not something to be ashamed of by any means. Addiction is a disease that rewires your brain, that's why in most cases getting into a treatment center is the only way to get long term sobriety.

Finding the right treatment center can be a little bit of a task but that's what we are here for. Let us do the work and find you a treatment center that will accepts your insurance and is a good fit for you.

How Do Addicts Cope with Their Craving and Desires to Use in Rehab?

Making the decision to receive help for an addiction is a very difficult thing. It requires humility and a willingness to do the right thing and live a healthy life. It takes many addicts to hit rock bottom to arrive at this decision. Even then some don't receive treatment ever, and some of those that do only enroll after an intervention.

When substance abusers enroll in rehab, they still have all the cravings and desires to use. The first step of rehab is detoxification, where they stop using and their body is cleansed of all the toxins so their therapy can begin. This creates withdrawal symptoms and they are handled differently by medical professionals, depending on the substance use, frequency and dosage of use and others factors. Mild cravings can be lessened by therapeutic means, but for more intense cravings, doctors prescribe medications to help ease the pain and ween those patients off of the drugs and alcohol that they are addicted to. Some meds behave like the narcotic or drug, and can be addictive themselves if dosages aren't monitored.

For people addicted to alcohol and benzos, exercise caution when you stop using, especially if your use is heavy. The withdrawal symptoms for these can be severe and even deadly. For this reason, it's important that people who are addicted to these substances receive detoxification in a medically managed treatment facility.

Consider traveling to another city or state for treatment. One benefit is to get away from toxic people and environments that may have made it easy for you to abuse substances in the past.

Recovery will last the rest of your life and you will face tough situations and temptations that may push you in the direction of relapse. One of the best ways to avoid this is by joining a weekly support group. Here you can meet people who are struggling with a similar addiction, and build a support and fellowship group of friends to call upon when you need help. You can also find a sponsor who will help you on an individual basis. Also consider participating in a Twelve Step program. Created by AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) the Twelve Steps empower people over their addiction by calling upon a higher power for support, and by accountability for their choices as well as making amends for the harms they have created in the lives of others.