Treating Substance Abuse & Addiction
Treating a substance abuse problem is not easy, but it is worth it. One of the toughest steps in the recovery process is to come forward for help. Lying, denying and hiding your problem will not do you any good, and every day you let pass is another day of happiness lost. It is extremely brave for a person who has an addiction to admit that they have a problem. Too many people who need help with a substance abuse problem stay silent because of denial or not feeling support from those close to them.
A good number of people enter rehab thinking it is a quick fix to their problem. Almost like a surgery, they believe that the doctor will heal them and they will be able to handle using drugs and alcohol moving forward. That is not true. Rehab is a huge commitment that only the person with the substance abuse problem can decide to take on.
Substance abuse treatment is about you. So, the time, effort and dedication has to be put in by you. Not your family, not your doctor or anyone else. You have to be willing to better your situation.
Pointing out that rehab is not easy is not meant to steer anyone away from treatment. It is just the truth. Right now, getting loaded every day is easy for you. But that obviously has put you in a tough spot in life. Another true statement is that rehab is the only safe and logical way to treat a substance abuse problem. Trying to kick your addiction cold turkey is hazardous to your health and usually does not have good results.
Trying to figure out which rehab center would be the right fit for you or your loved one can be stressful, scary and confusing. You want to make sure that you choose the right one in hopes that it will be your only rehab stint. Everyone’s addiction is different, so everyone will have different treatment needs. There are a few guidelines and things to look for when selecting a rehab facility, but ultimately it will be on you to pick one that feels right for you.
Travel for Treatment
First off, you should decide whether or not you want to travel for addiction treatment. Going to another city or state to receive treatment can help keep you focused. If you can get far away from any triggers that set off your addiction, you will have an easier time completing rehab. There are probably people and situations that enable your drug and alcohol abuse in your life, traveling can give you separation from them.
Addiction fuels off of bad habits. Your normal surroundings are probably the root of your habits, so removing yourself from a bad situation can help you recover from a bad situation. Attending a treatment facility in different zip code also gives you a better chance of finishing. If you are in striking distance of your home, you might just quit when it gets hard. Or ask a friend to come pick you up. If that happens, there is little doubt that you will go back to feeding your addiction.
Another factor you should look into is the specific program’s length at that facility. Many modern rehab centers offer 28, 30, 60 or 90-day programs to clients. While most people want to get their rehab stint over with as quickly as possible, you need to choose a program that is right for you. If you feel your substance abuse disorder is more serve, then you might want to consider a long stay in detox and rehab.
You might also want to seek info on how your desired center handles physical cravings for drugs and alcohol. Each rehab facility will have its own methods of how to try to keep clients comfortable while dealing with withdrawal symptoms and everyday temptations. There is no trick to eliminating cravings completely but there are ways to help alleviate them. Some centers will provide their clients with special medication. Others do not believe in distributing medication, as sometimes people develop chemical dependencies to prescription drugs.
When living in a nightmare of an addiction, many people put their substance abuse before everything. That includes basic instincts such as eating, drinking water and sleeping. Getting your nutritional habits back on track should also be a component in selecting a rehab facility. Double check to see if your favored center offers nutrition plans. A normal eating and sleeping schedule will help you regain your physical strength moving forward. Working through a healthy nutrition plan helps you feel more energized, hopefully eliminating chances of feeling depressed or tired. Depression and fatigue are usually withdrawal symptoms from most substances. Recovering from pesky withdrawal symptoms can help your mental health.
Inquire about what kind of sober life skills are taught at the rehab program you are looking into. Stress, drama, setbacks and hard times will arise for a person after they graduate from rehab. Learning how to deal with bad days is a vital part of rehab. One of the main reasons you decide to enroll into treatment is so that you can learn how to live without having to turn to drugs and alcohol. Ask a representative what classes, therapies, and groups are offered to each client to see if they make sense for you. Partaking in new exercises and activities can give you stress relieve ideas to avoid turning to dangerous substances moving forward in life.
It should be noted that no rehab center can offer an instant cure to any addiction. There is no magic home-made remedy that can get you over a substance abuse problem. If for whatever reason the center you are interested in attending is offering a quick and easy cure, then stay away. Recovery is a life-long process that takes focus and effort. It will always be easy to call the dope man to score some drugs and get loaded. But it takes a lot of courage and work to get through a tough day without using drugs or liquor.
Knowing that rehab is an around-the-clock program, you should look into centers that offer 24-hour medical attention. Having registered nurses and other medical professional present at all times can help ease your mind. If you have someone you can turn to for help at any time, you will be able to stay calm and comfortable when fighting off withdrawal symptoms or temptations. Most inpatient rehab centers offer 24-hour medical attention. Outpatient programs, on the other hand usually do not provide medical assistance at nights and on weekends.
If retaining or rebuilding your relationships with family and friends is important to you during rehab, then you should seek a center that allows you to do so. Some detox centers and rehab facilities do not allow visitors every day. This is good for those who need space to concentrate on their rehab. Others might need to be in touch with their family and friends to stay motivated while fighting back against their addiction. There are facilities that encourage family and friend interaction. It can help the clients understand how their actions hurt their loved ones. On the other side of things, their loved ones may get a better understanding of what the client goes through day after day with their substance abuse problems.
The number of clients taken in at a time should also be a consideration. The more clients a center has at one time, the less likely you are to get one-on-one help from nurses and therapists. Some rehab centers will be upfront with clients to let them and their family know how many beds are held at the facility. The fewer people who are enrolled, the more attention you will receive. More times than not, if there are too many clients at one campus, they might try to rush people through their programs too quickly. Rehab is not a school assignment, there is no due date. Rehab ends when you and the doctors feel that you are ready to move on in life without using drugs and alcohol.
It is always smart to double check the staff’s certifications and backgrounds. You can ask how long employees have worked at that particular center, where they become certified and if they are part-time or full-time. Obviously, the more experience a staff has, the more likely they are to help you learn how to cope with your addiction. It might be a red flag if the center is constantly firing and hiring. Finding a center that has a long-term staff could give you hope to recover.
Don’t Let Money Keep You Down
Being a slave to a drug addiction or alcoholism can be disheartening in almost every aspect of your life, including financially. It is hard for someone who is putting his or her substance abuse problem above everything to keep a job. Rehab is usually not cheap, but money should not be the reason you refuse to seek professional help. Many major health insurance companies help cover the costs of treatment. If you do not have access to health insurance, there are other options for you. A lot of rehab centers provide selected clients with scholarship opportunities. State-run centers usually offer affordable treatment programs to those who are having finical trouble.
While a majority of rehab centers focus their programs around the 12-step community’s outlook on addiction, there are other options. One of the more popular alternatives is faith-based rehab programs. These programs, mainly Christian in the US, help clients use their faith in God to overcome their addiction. There are many people who believe that addiction goes deeper than just a mental and physical dependency, they believe that their addiction is attacking them spiritually too. Trying to cleanse themselves spiritually, these people seek the help of a faith-based rehab program. If a person’s faith is important to them, then he or she will probably be more comfortable in a religious program.
Success Rates of Others Should Not Make or Break Your Decision
One of the most asked questions by those who are seeking help from a rehab center is, “what are your success rates?” Looking for a number or percentage of people who get sober and remain sober is not really something that can be answered. Going back to the idea that everyone’s addiction is different, everyone will have different results.
What works for some in rehab, might not work for others. After rehab is when the real fight against an addiction begins. It will be on each client to remain sober. Reading Google and Yelp reviews about rehab centers is usually not helpful. You might read reviews from families and former clients who were not ready to take on rehab, quitting early. When you choose a rehab center that offers personalized plans for each client, then that means your plan will not work for other people. There is no telling who will remain sober after rehab and who will relapse. The path toward recovery is paved by you.
Review Your Therapy Options
Before entering to a rehab center, you should see what kind of therapy it has to offer. Therapy is the backbone of rehab. Working with a therapist will allow you to explore your addiction. You will try to get to the bottom of the why’s and how’s you were so drawn to using drugs and alcohol. Looking at your situation from the outside can allow you to realize how your actions damaged your health and relationships. Speaking with a therapist can help you recover, mentally, from those decisions.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is also another solid foundation to build for yourself. CBT is a therapy method used to prevent relapse. Learning how to identify and correct problematic behaviors or actions can be applied in order to stop drug or alcohol abuse. Recognizing a bad or tense situation is half the battle to avoiding it. Putting yourself in a spot where it is hard to deny using drugs or alcohol is dangerous. CBT can help you avoid those situations moving forward in life.
You Are Not the Only One, Group Therapy Will Prove That
Do not think that you are the only one who is having a hard time with drugs or alcohol. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration conducted a study that estimated 24.6 million Americans 12 or older have used illicit drugs in the past month. Anyone of these people ran the risk of developing a chemical dependency to their used substance. There might people who read that last statement and rolled their eyes. Obviously, using drugs once might not get you addicted. But addiction does not discriminate against age, ethnicity or background. It will grab anyone that it can.
Most people who need help with a substance abuse problem do not seek treatment. In 2011, SAMHSA reported that only 2.6 million people received help from a specialty rehab center. Considering 23.5 million people ages 12 and older needed help with a substance abuse problem, too many people are staying silent in the shadows cast by their addiction.
Many people who need professional help to cope with an addiction do not look into treatment because they think their problem is out of hand and it is past the point of help. They think that their problem is unheard and no one else is going through similar situations as them. That is not true. Millions of people suffer from substance abuse disorders. Do not feel isolated. You are not the only one and you will see that in rehab.
Rehab takes away the feeling of isolation because you will connect with other people who understand what you are going through. Finding a rehab center that offers intense group therapy sessions is strongly recommended. In group therapy, you will share your stories with others who will share theirs. Seeing you are not the only one who is struggling with addiction can give you some peace of mind. When you see other people who have been through rehab to achieve sobriety you’ll see that it is possible after all.
Do What Is Right for You
It cannot be reiterated enough that you are going to rehab for you, based on your needs. Do not let anyone else choose for you because they cannot go to rehab for you. In 2014, the National Institute on Drug Abuse released a study that said that there were 41,340 deaths due to drug overdose. Add that to the 88,000 deaths each year that the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates are alcohol-related.
These staggering numbers should be eye-opening to anyone who is having a hard time with a substance abuse problem. There are options for you to change your ways. Do not let your addiction trick you into thinking that this is the only way to live from here on out. Rehab can equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to make a comeback from the low that your addiction may have put you in. Any one of your last times can be your last time.
