The Canyon

Drug and alcohol addiction is complicated.  It blends the physical and mental aspects of addiction and how they affect a person’s lifestyle.  To better understand how a drug addict can have so much trouble starting their recovery, let’s take a look at the basics of physical addiction.

Drug Addiction Creates Physical Dependency Symptoms

When a person is said to be addicted to a drug, they have developed physical dependency.  In other words, they don’t just have one or two drinks and call it a night.  They don’t just take one hit once in a while at a party.  They compulsively seek out the drug, often dropping obligations and breaking promises to do so.

Their body has gotten so used to having the drug, it doesn’t feel normal unless there is a certain amount of the drug in their systems all the time.  If an addicted person goes for a while without the drug, they may experience withdrawal symptoms.  The body can react strongly to a decreased level of drugs.

Meth and heroin are two drugs that cause exceptionally uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.  Addicts trying to get sober on their own often can’t stand the withdrawal symptoms and start using again just to feel well.  Alcohol withdrawal is often not as bad, but it can cause shakes, nausea, and headaches.

Using Drugs More Than Intended Just To Feel Normal

A person with an addiction uses more of the drug than they intend much of the time.  They might go out with friends saying that they are just going to have a “few drinks”.  Instead they have 7 or 8 drinks, then go to a friend’s house and have 7 or 8 more.  Anything more than 5 drinks in one setting is considered a binge.  A pattern like this often goes on most days of the week for an alcoholic.  Alcohol treatment can help a person get through the difficulties of enduring the physical aspects of alcoholism.

They also use more and more of the drug to get the same feeling.  This is particularly bad for hard drugs like meth and heroin.  The first time is usually the strongest and best, which makes a person easily hooked.  Unfortunately, the body tends to quickly need more than the first time to get close to the same high.  The
person “chases the high” by using more and more, trying to get to that elusive high they had the first time.  After a while, they are using way more than they did in the beginning, and they need that amount just to make their body feel normal.  Drug rehab with detox is usually the only way a person with a physical addiction like this will get off the drug.

Drug Rehab Helps With Physical Addiction and Withdrawal Symptoms

Drug addiction has many other factors and characteristics.  Physical dependence is a key part of distinguishing drug or alcohol abuse from addiction.  Drug abuse can often be stopped by the person on their own or with some social support.  They may have some psychological struggles with quitting, but they are not physically addicted.  If you know you are physically addicted to drugs, make your first phone call to a drug treatment center or drug rehab facility now.

The other day, we talked about 5 characteristics of successful drug addiction treatment and today we continue with five more characteristics to look for on your hunt for the right drug rehab for you.

1. Master’s level, credentialed staff – If you don’t have professional doctors, psychologists, and counselors properly trained to implement the latest cutting edge treatments or know the latest on traditional treatments, then you won’t benefit. It is important that you know whether or not the counselors and medical professionals at your drug rehab of choice have the certifications and understanding they need to help you succeed. If you are addicted to opiates and require specialized detox medications, then this is even more important.

2. Drug testing during treatment – To ensure that you or your loved one are protected from temptation, it is important that you choose a facility that includes spontaneous drug testing. Knowing that there is a chance that you could be caught is a solid deterrent to relapse in those crucial first 30 days of drug and alcohol addiction treatment. Though it is sad that some may manage to smuggle drugs and/ or alcohol into treatment, it can be protected against with impromptu drug testing.

3. Dual diagnosis – If you or your loved one struggle with a psychological disorder in addition to drug and/ or alcohol addiction, the only successful drug treatment for you is one that incorporates treatment for that psychological disorder at the same time. The treatment of two disorders at once is called dual diagnosis treatment. In most cases, the one disorder tends to exacerbate the other, making it impossible to isolate and treat one first even if you feel that one is the primary disorder. Whether you started out with depression or anxiety issues and self medicated with drugs and alcohol, ultimately developing an addiction or whether you first abused drugs and alcohol and subsequently developed psychological issues, you must treat both problems at the same time in order to experience a successful drug addiction treatment.

4. Effort matters – Though it has been shown that drug and alcohol addiction treatment can be successful for those who don’t initially want to enroll in drug rehab, it is also true that the more you focus during treatment and put forth effort in your therapy, the more likely that you will succeed in sobriety when you return home. Like anything, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

5. Follow up – Just because you successfully complete your drug rehab program does not mean that your drug addiction treatment is over. Your drug and alcohol rehab should offer aftercare options and/ or sober living facilities. Aftercare can include check-in meetings or phone calls on a regular basis after your return home. Sober living means a protected place for you to live that has a less rigid schedule but still offers the safety of a drug-free home and certain expectations.

The Canyon offers all 10 of the characteristics for successful drug addiction treatment. If you have any questions, contact The Canyon today.

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating.  Drug addiction recovery is a process of time, not a single intervention or solution.  When a person is staring their rock bottom moment in the face, drug rehab can seem like such a huge leap.

Drug Rehab Can Seem Like a Huge Leap

When you are at the bottom, it seems hard to imagine how you will ever climb back up.  With drug addiction, this is so true.  Just getting the mental energy together to imagine what would come next can be exhausting and confusing.

From this perspective, going to drug rehab can seem like a nearly impossible leap to make.  So much change, so much to do, so much uncertainty about how it could ever come together.  Take comfort in this thought - that’s a pretty normal response to that kind of moment.

Of course it’s difficult to see how things will all turn out right now.  They are so quickly going down the drain, and you might have trouble telling which way is up.  But it may help to think of drug rehab or any kind of drug treatment as simply a step.  You don’t go from addiction to drug rehab to complete recovery.  That’s just way to much to expect, hardly realistic.

Addiction Thinking Is Black and White

Addiction thinking has a way of making everything seem black and white, all or nothing, right or wrong.  There’s very little gray area in there.  So now it may not seem like such a surprise that your brain can’t compute the journey from where you are now to being in recovery.

You could think of drug rehab as more of a place of reorientation.  Think about when you are at the mall or a large public building and you find a helpful sign that says “You are here”.  Sometimes, there might even be a helpful person there to get you going in the right direction if you are still unsure.

Drug rehab is obviously a little more complicated than talking to a person behind a mall help desk.  However, the very basic function of both are quite similar.  You approach them seeking some understanding because you feel lost.  You hope that by going there, you will find the way to where you want to go.  It isn’t your final destination, but you know it can help you get there.

Drug rehab helps you clear your body and mind of harmful drugs and alcohol.  It gives you a chance to learn a few things about yourself and how to make healthy choices.  It gives you the opportunity to learn how to connect with others in good ways so you can join your family and community again.  It doesn’t end your
problems, but it is a stop on the journey of recovery.

Take Drug Treatment And Sobriety One Step At A Time

Going to drug rehab is a big step after facing you lowest drug addiction moment.  But it isn’t the last step you will take as you keep striving for a sober life.  Just one step at a time is all you can ask of yourself, no more and no less.  When you are ready to start, drug rehab can get you facing the right direction towards a healthy sober lifestyle.