Drug addiction is a neurobiological disease that alters your brain circuits and behavioral patterns. It is characterized by a compulsive and relapsing need to consume legal or illegal drugs, despite the harm they cause.
Even today, an astounding number of Americans struggle with drug addiction. Data from the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics suggest that 53 million (19.4%) people of ages twelve and more have misused illegal or prescription drugs in the previous year.
It’s no secret that drug addiction has dire consequences. Apart from taking a toll on your physical and mental well-being, the illness also jeopardizes your social relationships. Worse still, people who become dependent on drugs find it difficult to reduce their usage or quit it completely.
Fortunately, there’s always help at hand. Early addiction treatment can save your loved ones before they pay a hefty price for their addiction.
7 Benefits of Drug Addiction Treatment by Professionals
Below, we have listed a few benefits of professional drug addiction treatment.
1. Learn a Structured Approach to Quitting Addiction
You’re probably familiar with the term “cold turkey”. It refers to instances when an addict tries to quit substance use abruptly. While this may seem appealing, it’s a risky bet. A sudden removal of high-dependency drugs from the system can lead to discomfort, emotional turmoil, and, in severe cases, life-threatening clinical complications.
Not to mention, you may find yourself giving into temptation sooner than you think.
An additional downside to quitting cold turkey is that the body loses all tolerance to the drug. So, in case you relapse and consume the same dose of drug as before, you have a higher chance of overdosing.
This is why you should always seek professional addiction treatment under a trained physician. They will initiate you on a path of safe abstinence by replacing harmful tendencies with positive habits.
Addiction treatment centers take a structured stance towards rehabilitation. At a treatment facility, you are constantly engaged in counseling sessions and productive activities aimed at minimizing distractions.
Furthermore, you’ll be placed within a simple regime that prioritizes health, balance, and recovery. Besides taking you out of your negative mindset, this will establish constructive practices that could last a lifetime.
2. Reduce the Risk of Relapse
It’s not unnatural for addicts to fall back into previous drug-seeking habits. Recurring emotional and psychological issues, work pressure, or socio-economic hardships may push the recovering individual over the edge.
That said, effective therapy at an outpatient rehab facility can greatly decrease the odds of a relapse. Most of these centers use a range of therapy options to help addicts combat negative thoughts about drugs. Plus, they encourage positive thinking, enabling you to change your attitude and beliefs surrounding substance abuse.
And, in case you do go back to misusing drugs, the addiction recovery center will take active steps to reinstate you on the road to sobriety. If you feel the need to use drugs after your treatment, you can contact your counselor to get help as quickly as possible.
3. Develop a New Perspective Towards Life
With drug addiction treatment, you learn to look at your life through a brand-new lens. The program is designed to help you take a deep dive into the source of your addiction, identifying thoughts, people, and sensory experiences that trigger drug abuse.
Once you explore these stimuli, you can make an educated effort to avoid them in your day-to-day life.
4. Connect with a Community of People in Recovery
There’s no doubt that drug abuse is heavily frowned upon in society. As a result, addicts may feel that they have no one to turn to, or that they are completely alone. But in addiction treatment centers, you come across people who are in the same boat as you. This leads to the formation of a safety net, an element that’s crucial to lifelong sobriety.
During drug addiction treatment, you may be put into therapy/counseling groups. Here, your peers will act as a support system, encouraging you and holding you accountable for your actions. Moreover, they will share your difficulties, cravings, and burden of guilt. This is far better than going through a difficult recovery all alone.
Bear in mind that it’s not all about receiving support. You’ll also be able to lift others and cheer them up as they improve themselves. Knowing that you’ve been the wind beneath someone’s wings may fill you with a sense of satisfaction.
5. Get Help to Repair Your Relationships
Addiction is often termed a family disease. This means your addiction has the potential to ruin other lives, alongside your own.
A few drugs, like cocaine, amphetamines, and steroids, are specifically associated with aggression. As you continue to use them, they affect your behavioral patterns. Cocaine, for example, can cause violent outbursts, restlessness, and paranoia, according to VeryWellMind. Repeated instances of such erratic behavior are sure to send your relationships for a toss.
Other ways in which addiction affects families include:
- Increased financial hardships as the family take responsibility for the addict.
- More cases of addiction in the family.
- Stress and worry.
- Societal shunning.
Once you recover, you’ll probably regret all the trouble your addiction caused, as well as the people you lost along the way. However, there’s no need to despair. Addiction treatment counselors will advise you on how to repair these broken bonds. Plus, they’ll also enable you to start afresh and make new connections.
6. Build Healthy Habits and Lifestyle
Setting and accomplishing goals can help you regain your lost discipline and morale. That said, it’s important to be reasonable while establishing these goals. The more you miss the mark, the more you’ll want to give it all up and return to your old, self-destructive habits.
At an addiction treatment center, you will learn how to recover one step at a time by setting doable objectives for yourself. These goals will focus on your physical, emotional, and spiritual health, ensuring you develop healthier habits for when you transition into the outside world.
The purpose of rehab is to prepare you for life after recovery. As a result, the treatment program will include lessons on how to avoid triggering environments, as well as alternative coping mechanisms and pain management, among other things.
7. Get Constant Support
Addiction recovery is a lifelong process, to which rehab is only the beginning. Once the patient completes their primary treatment, they will have to use their newly acquired skills to maintain their sobriety. This includes resisting potential people, places, and activities that can induce another downward spiral.
If you have opted for inpatient treatment, you must have a game plan for aftercare support once you’re discharged from the facility. Your drug addiction treatment provider will be able to recommend ongoing programs suited to your specific situation.
That’s not all. The people you meet in outpatient rehab will act as immense support. Not only will they cheer you up in your healthy lifestyle, but they will also create positive distractions that keep you on track.
Conclusion
Drug addiction is entirely treatable. All you need to do is admit that you have a problem and sign up for rehabilitation. And, in case you have a milder case of drug addiction, you can join an outpatient rehab program. Outpatient rehabilitation provides the same benefits as inpatient treatment, only the addict is free to move around at will.
At Peak Health and Wellness, we aim to restore our patients to health using a wide range of treatment options. Our outpatient rehab program offers a supportive and safe environment for individuals to overcome their drug addiction. If you or anyone you know needs treatment, do not hesitate to reach out to us!