It is not impossible to overcome a substance addiction without professional help, but it is incredibly difficult.
Most addicts who attempt to get clean alone do so by going ‘cold turkey’, by suddenly and completely cutting out all drugs and alcohol.
This may seem like the best way to go about things, but in most cases this approach causes more harm than it does good.
Once a person becomes addicted to a substance, the sudden absence of that substance from the body can bring on severe, often dangerous withdrawal symptoms. At best you can hope for mild discomfort and a nagging urge to carry on using.
At worst, you might suffer seizures, vivid hallucinations, and even, potentially, death. Most addicts who attempt going cold turkey find these withdrawal symptoms to be too painful, the compulsion to satisfy the cravings too difficult to resist, and eventually they return to drinking and drug use.
In order to satisfy these awful cravings the relapsed addict will generally drink or use in higher quantities than usual, thus trapping themselves in a self-destructive cycle that just gets worse and worse as time goes on, with no end in sight.
But it does not need to be like this. With the right support and access to the right resources, overcoming an addiction can be made far safer and far easier.
Private drug and alcohol rehab could provide you with the help you need to escape the trap of dependency, allowing you to return to a sober, healthy life.
What to expect from Drug and Alcohol Rehab Treatments
The main advantage of receiving professional care at a residential rehab centre is, arguably, the detox clinic.
Detoxification, the process through which your body processes and gets rid of the toxic chemicals within it, is what most people probably think of when talking about rehab.
It can seem like a frightening thing at first, because this is the part where you will have to deal with the debilitating withdrawal symptoms associated with giving up the drug. But it is important to remember that the detox clinic offers the safest environment possible to go through this difficult and painful process.
Within the clinic you will be monitored at all times by a specialised and dedicated team of nurses, doctors and psychologist, so when things are at their hardest you will always have access to care of the very highest quality.
Clinicians cannot unfortunately, make detox a comfortable process, but they can remove the danger.
What is more, the enclosed and highly regulated nature of drug and alcohol rehab means that, no matter how strong the compulsion to drink or use is during the withdrawal period, it will be almost impossible to get your hands on harmful substances and fall back into the cycle of use.
Of course, detox is only the first part of the battle. Addiction is not just a physical problem- it is psychological, too. Addiction is closely linked to damaged mental health and depression.
Often, people develop a substance addiction as an unhealthy coping mechanism to try and deal with the negative emotions brought about by conditions such as anxiety and depression. Sometimes, casual and recreational drinking or drug use can get out of hand and spiral into consistent abuse.
Once the addiction is established, this can in turn lead to mental health problems- even if the sufferer had no prior history of mental illness. Whatever your circumstances, it is important that this psychological aspect is addressed in order to prevent a future relapse.
To this end, rehab clinics offer a range of therapies, identifying and solving the problem at its source rather than just treating the symptoms.
What Therapies are used in Relapse Prevention?
The most common treatment provided by rehabs is by far cognitive behavioural therapy. CBT is mainly used as a method of treating sufferers of depression and anxiety, but the connection between these conditions and addiction makes it especially well-suited for the treatment of substance dependency.
The purpose of CBT is to alter your mind set and thinking in a positive way, allowing you to approach your problems in a disciplined, logical manner.
By properly managing your stress and accepting that most problems are ultimately surmountable, it becomes much easier to avoid becoming overwhelmed and resorting to destructive coping mechanisms like drinking and drug use.
Counselling can fulfil a similar purpose. By talking with a psychiatric professional about your problems, you can identify and confront the root causes and triggers of your substance abuse.
Counselling can enable you to better understand your own mind, as well as greatly improve your communication and self-expression, which will be invaluable once you return to normal life and the situations, places and people that come along with that.
Alternative treatments may include art therapy, music therapy, and meditation- all of which can be helpful in allowing you to explore and address your negative emotions.
What we do
At Addiction Advocates, it is our job to find the rehabilitation clinic and treatment programme that works best for you. There are a lot of facilities out there, and they don’t all offer the exact same services.
What works for one patient might not necessarily work for you, and so some clinics might be better suited to aid your recovery than others. When considering alcohol and drug rehab, it can be difficult to know what to look for. Which is where we come in.
When you are ready to make a change, contact us. Our team will assess your case and make sure that you get a place at a rehab centre that can meet your unique requirements.
Addiction can be defeated, with the right help. We can give you that help.
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