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Do I Need Rehab
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Determining If You Need Rehab
You need drug or alcohol rehab if you are suffering from a substance use disorder or addiction, whether with drugs or alcohol. Determining whether someone has these conditions is not easy to do when that person is yourself. As with most things, it is difficult to be self-objective.
There are ways to identify substance abuse or addiction in yourself, however. Knowing you have a problem is the first step in conquering your addiction, with the next step being to get sober.
Determining A Substance Abuse Problem
The easiest way to self-diagnose an alcohol or drug abuse problem is if the substance is disrupting aspects of daily life. Aspects include your employment, relationships, health, and everyday living. If you find yourself engaging in behavior that damages yourself or loved ones, you most likely have a substance abuse problem.
Substance abuse is a complex and progressive disorder. Substance abuse will eventually become a full-on addiction if left untreated. The only treatment for a substance abuse problem is a professional intervention and the successful completion of a detox and rehab program. This kind of therapy has freed millions from the compulsive grip of their substance abuse problems.
Determining an Addiction
To know if a substance abuse problem has grown into the devastating disease known as addiction, test the user’s behavior. Addiction is most characterized not just by the compulsive seeking of drugs or alcohol, but also by its increase or escalation. If you are actively seeking out these substances or increasing the amount of them, that is addiction.
Addiction is a chronic disease that needs professional help to treat. Almost all cases require an inpatient or outpatient after-treatment program, such as a residential treatment facility. The addiction center’s quality and type of therapies offered dramatically impacts the long-term recovery from addiction.
Proper addiction treatment requires rehab. These problems quickly escalate and spiral out-of-control. A frequent mistake is in questioning whether a substance use disorder or addiction is severe enough to require rehab in the first place.
Many decide against alcohol or drug treatment due to thinking their situation is not bad enough. But truthfully, if you are questioning whether you need help getting sober, you do, especially when regarding addiction to heroin and other opioids.
According to SAMHSA’s 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, only 10 percent of those struggling with substance abuse or addiction received the treatment they needed. The best time to get sober was yesterday, and the second-best time is right now.
Understanding Addiction Severity Levels
As previously stated, if your life or relationships are affected by your substance use, that is probably addiction. When you call, our treatment navigators will ask questions to determine the severity of your addiction.
Along with additional information on your situation, knowing your addiction severity helps our navigators find the best alcohol or drug rehab near me. Rating your addiction’s severity is done using the 11 criteria for addiction, which ranks addiction from mild, moderate, or severe. These criteria include:
- Lack of control
- Desire to quit but unable
- Spending time trying to obtain the substance
- Cravings
- Lack of responsibility
- Problems with relationships
- Loss of interest
- Dangerous or life-threatening use
- Worsening situations
- Tolerance
- Withdrawal Symptoms
Friends May Not Acknowledge Your Addiction
Commonly, those suffering from substance abuse or addiction have friends whom they may want support from when deciding to get sober. But rarely are our friends supportive of this decision. Usually, this is because they either have a similar problem themselves or do not understand the extent of your addiction.
If your friends or family members have a substance abuse problem or addiction themselves, it is rare to get support from them toward your sobriety. This lack of support is often to avoid the potential loss of their friend or avoid admitting their problem to themselves. All good friends will support your decision to get sober because it is what is best for you, and the best way to support them is to get sober yourself first.
The other common reason you may not receive support from your friends or loved ones when seeking recovery is that they do not understand. This is common as those suffering from substance abuse or addiction usually conceal the extent of their problem from those important to them.
Know that those suffering from addiction often hurt their loved ones in ways they may not realize. Remember also that it is difficult for people to grasp addiction’s darkness if they have never experienced it. Take this opportunity to be honest and open with your problem and your need to seek help.
Your Addiction Will Get Worse
As previously stated, many decide against treatment due to thinking their situation is not bad enough. Though a mild addiction is not as bad as a severe one, addiction is a chronic and progressive disease. It will worsen in severity over time. If you have a mild case right now, it will become moderate or severe in the future.
As a chronic disease, as with asthma, hypertension, or diabetes, seeking treatment now is the only way to prevent your addiction from getting worse. You do not have to have a severe case to need treatment, and addiction can especially spiral out of control quickly. Even with a severe case, it is never too late to get the help you need. Addiction has no rock-bottom and will get worse no matter how terrible it already is.
Hiding Your Addiction Is Only Temporary
Fulfilling your family and professional duties and maintaining relationships while having a drug or alcohol addiction is known as a high-functioning addict. But the double life created by addicts maintaining a level of success professionally and socially while battling their addiction is not permanent.
Denial is what keeps these addicts from seeking sobriety. They feel in control due to their life remaining relatively normal. However, their addiction is often worse than they know and is a ticking time-bomb for their ‘normal’ life.
Some addicts can struggle with their addiction for years before the facade falls apart. Most of the time, it is a life-changing event such as a DUI or an accidental overdose that brings the addiction to light. Do not make the mistake of waiting for the life you built to fall apart before seeking help. Seeking recovery now is the only way to avoid the consequences of untreated addiction.
Your Best Chance Is Rehab
Beating a substance abuse problem or an addiction to drugs or alcohol requires ending the physical dependence and healing the psychological aspects of addiction. Quitting cold turkey will not change the psychological dependence and behavior issues associated with addiction. Real recovery comes addressing the psychological side of addiction, requiring help from a professional rehab facility.
Addiction is a lifelong disease. But a detox and rehab program at a high-quality treatment center can free you from the harmful effects of addiction and help you achieve long-term sobriety.