Most of us have had people in our lives who have experimented with drugs. Some people we know have kept it at the experimental stage and decided they wanted nothing more to do with it. However, an increasing number of people have become addicted. Drug addiction is a physical dependency on a chemical substance. However, more than the physical dependency, underlying issues exist. Drugs are often used as an escape from reality, from the life that people don’t want to be living. Perhaps there is past or current abuse or some kind of trauma they’ve had to bottle up inside. A lot of people don’t reach out for help because they have escaped so far from reality that they fail to acknowledge that it exists and it is a cycle that continually repeats itself. They have a hard time seeing their need for drug abuse assistance. For this reason, drug abuse counselling is the most important part of recovery from drug addiction.
Help for Drug Abuse
What if you are the person who is addicted to drugs? You have admitted you need help, but you don’t know where to go or how to start. Reaching out for help is a pivotal moment in recovery. Perhaps you’ve had those closest to you urge you to get drug abuse help, but until you, yourself see the need for help and take the steps to do something about it, then, most often, your recovery efforts will be in vain. There are some things to remember in this process.
1. Change can be hard. You’ll be going through treatment, not only to help your body adjust to living without drugs, but also for the underlying reason for doing them. You have to assess your lifestyle, your friends, and the way you feel about yourself. This will all be new to you, but, it will be a shift from drug abuse to taking care of yourself.
2. Find support. A big component in drug addiction help is support. You may think your friends and family have abandoned you, but you will likely find that there is someone who is willing to be in your corner. You can also find excellent support in the rooms of Alcoholics (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). A good support system will help you by encouraging you to stay the course and to work toward your goal of recovery. It is important, however, to find those who have not been supporting your drug habit, even if it means you have to cut your loved ones out of your life to reach your recovery goal.
3. Controlling triggers and avoiding cravings. A big part of overcoming drug abuse is retraining your brain to want things other than drugs. It is also recognizing and being honest about those things that may trigger a relapse and staying away from them. If you have to stay away from John Smith’s house because he always offers you drugs, stay away. If you know that a certain medicine prescribed by your doctor will cause a relapse, be honest with your doctor and ask for something else. It is a difficult step, but one that can be done with practice and with the support of your friends and loved ones.
4. Never lose hope. Don’t give up on your drug addiction help if you have a relapse. Forgive yourself and get back into your recovery program. There is no exact formula that works perfectly for every single person and having expectations for yourself that are too high will only make you feel like you can’t succeed. Your goal should always be recovery. The road to get there is paved differently for everyone.
If you are ready to take the first step in overcoming drug addiction, call or email us today and we can help!
