Millions of people are battling addiction all over the world every day. They are trying to do their best to get themselves out of the grip of addiction. People try to quit drugs cold turkey without rehab, but fear of the pain of withdrawals can keep them from following through. For people who have tried and failed to do it cold turkey, rehab may be the best option.
Rehabilitation is the process in which an individual enrolls in a personalized treatment program to become sober and/or address mental health concerns. It is essential to understand that whether you enroll in treatment or not, getting better is in your hands. Some patients successfully recover at a center, and others can quit cold turkey on their own.
Depending on the severity of the addiction, rehab can make the difference between life or death. Quitting alcohol or drugs cold-turkey results in withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can have fatal consequences if not monitored and treated correctly.
Rehab programs also offer a variety of benefits for those who choose to partake in a treatment program. Rehab sets you up for future success by teaching you the tools you’ll need to avoid relapsing.
Why Do People Relapse?
A significant part of recovery is setting yourself for long-lasting sobriety after the treatment program is over. We want to give you the confidence to continue recovery on your own. The most common reasons why people relapse is:
- Not enough motivation
- Not enough changes to environment or habits
- Intense PAWS symptoms (physical addiction still at play)
- Other contributing factors such as trauma, mental illness, etc. haven’t been adequately addressed and treated
Signs that it’s Time to Seek Help at a Rehab Center
Seeking help is a sign of strength. Be honest with yourself and the addiction at hand. Understanding the warning signs allows you to take the first step in recovery sooner rather than later.
1. Drug Use Has Become Your Main Priority
If substance abuse has been the main focus of your life, it’s time to pause. Ask yourself, “Are the choices I’m making benefiting or hurting me?” You may be addicted if drug use is consuming the majority of your thoughts and time.
Quitting drugs without rehab may be difficult if drug use has taken over your life. Rehab can help you set your priorities straight in a distraction-free environment.
2. Your Physical and Mental Health Is In Danger
Changes to physical appearance a common side effect of drug use. Significant changes in weight, marks from picking at skin, tired/drained look, and many more can be a tell-tale sign of drug addiction.
Aside from physical appearance, there are many consequences to one’s health. This includes, but is not limited to: depression, anxiety, liver disease, seizures, and many more depending on the drug used. Frequency of use is another major factor in how a drug affects your body.
Without rehab, quitting drugs may be quite uncomfortable when experiencing severe physical or mental health symptoms.
One major benefit of going into a structured rehab program is that you will receive physical and mental health assistance. This allows you to focus on getting and staying clean, knowing you will be safe in the hands of qualified professionals.
3. You Take Excessive Amounts to Get High
When you first take a drug, there is no tolerance present. This is why the first high is often described as the “best.” Over time, the body adapts to the chemical changes, which is called tolerance. As tolerance increases, the body needs the drug more frequently or in higher amounts to produce the same effects.
As you take more of a substance to increase the desired effects or the “high,” you put yourself at an increased risk of overdose. Overdosing is often fatal. We urge you not to risk quitting drugs without a proper treatment plan – get the help you need today.
4. You Have a Mental Illness
According to SAMHSA, in 2014: Nearly 44 million people in the US had a mental illness. More than 20 million people had a substance use disorder. To make matters worse, almost 8 million people had both a mental illness and a substance use disorder.
This means that there is a 40% chance that you have a mental illness if you have a substance use disorder.
Addressing mental health concerns and underlying roots to addiction is crucial. Addiction is a disease that affects the individual inside, out. Quitting drugs without rehab makes it harder to address these mental health concerns. At our facility, we treat co-occurring disorders through a dual-diagnosis centered treatment.
5. You’ve Attempted To Quit On Your Own With No Success
Addiction is a severe illness that is identified by periods of relapse and recovery. You may have tried to quit multiple times, only to return to the substance.
Quitting drugs without rehab is undoubtedly possible. Quitting drugs is dependent upon your will and motivation. However, rehab can make a huge difference. Especially when one is experiencing intense physical effects with underlying mental health issues.
Benefits of Choosing Rehab
Recovering alone can be a lonely process. Rehab not only gives you the tools for long-lasting sobriety, but it also provides a supportive environment. In addition to conquering addiction, you’ll be able to give and get support within an encouraging community.
Other significant benefits include:
Multiple Therapies and Treatments
Addiction is a mental, physical, and psychological disease. Therapy is crucial in treating addiction. Our dedicated counselors will help you address all mental health concerns.
For example, you may have started to depend on alcohol after developing depression. Or perhaps, using opioids led to anxiety and other issues you didn’t previously have.
The goal of therapy is to help patients change their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors concerning substance abuse. Therapy also helps in providing the right tools for long-lasting sobriety.
Some of the evidence-based addiction treatment therapies that are typically offered include:
- Behavioral Therapy
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Contingency Management
- Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT)
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
- Integrative Approach
- Motivational Interviewing
- Multidimensional Family Therapy
- Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
24/7 Medical Care
One benefit that is specific to inpatient rehab (or residential treatment) is that there is 24/7 medical and clinical supervision. You’ll have access to this care seven days a week during your entire stay at our center. This can be especially helpful for preventing relapse in those with severe addictions. During the recovery process, people will likely experience unpleasant and potentially dangerous symptoms.
Your body forms a dependency on whatever it’s exposed to for long periods. When it comes to drugs, your body’s chemical makeup also alters. Even after the initial withdrawal symptoms have passed, the stress on the body and mind can aggravate other physical and mental illnesses.
Quitting drugs in a safe and controlled environment can alleviate pain caused by withdrawal symptoms.
Setting Goals and Forming New Habits
Many people with a history of drug or alcohol abuse tend to have problems with discipline. Healthy habits create a healthy life. Even small changes build up over time. A critical part of self-care for a person in recovery is setting and accomplishing goals.
While in rehab, you will begin setting short and long term goals. These goals will target all areas of your life, from physical health to relationships to your career. Quitting drugs allows you to focus on yourself and happiness again.
Focusing on Health
An additional benefit of attending rehab is the focus that treatment programs place on health and nutrition. Regular consumption of drugs and alcohol deprives the body of key nutrients. This has negative effects such as headaches, sleep problems, and low energy levels, which are all factors that can get in the way of recovery.
We’ll help you develop healthy lifestyle habits.
Ongoing Support
The goal of rehabilitation is to give our patients the tools to help them continue long-term sobriety after treatment. Our facility offers a wealth of support groups. These support groups aim to provide support during and after recovery.
Overcome Addiction With the Help of Rehab
It has been shown that people who get professional help to kick their addiction are more likely to stay off drugs than those who do it cold turkey.
There are numerous reasons that people should seek some form of professional help so they can get themselves clean and sober.
- Therapy is a part of the process that can help. It can help the person to understand why they were using in the first place. Therapy can help them work through the emotional trauma that may have contributed to the addiction.
- Professional drug rehab can also give the person the tools they need to cope with the stresses of life. During an addiction, people use their drug of choice, no matter what it is, to cope with life. For drug rehab to be successful, people need to learn how to cope with life in healthy ways.
The most important part about getting sober is never to give up. People may be scared to go through the withdrawals again or afraid of the things that they are going to go through without the crutch of their drug, but never giving up is the key. They have to know where they want to be and do whatever it takes for them to get there.
Call Us Today
If you or someone you love is ready to quit drugs, 1st Step Behavioral Health is prepared to help you get there. Rehab makes long-lasting sobriety is possible. Call 1st Step Behavioral Health at (855) 425-4846 or contact us here for more information about available programs.
References
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-FRR1-2014/NSDUH-FRR1-2014.pdf