There are numerous reasons why you might fall prey to drug abuse. You might start using them recreationally with a few friends. Conversely, you might start with prescription medication use. Whatever it is, using drugs is an incredibly slippery slope. Before you know it, your drug habit may adversely influence every aspect of your life and can become a habit you can’t break. Treating a drug addiction alone can be nearly impossible. If you or someone you know is struggling, seeking professional help is the only way to recover. Heading to rehab can seem like a scary decision. However, it is monumental if you want to ensure you or your loved ones beat their addiction and prevent any future relapses. If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of heading to rehab, keep reading below.
Manage the detox period
One of the most challenging periods for any recovering addict can be the detox period. Detoxification is all about removing all traces of the drugs from your body. Managing this can be incredibly challenging for addicts who are used to taking heavy doses daily. Detox comes with a range of psychological and health-related stressors. Without professional help, it can be challenging for anyone to manage the cravings. Some common withdrawal symptoms addicts experience can include nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, headaches, irritability, depression, numbness, and more.
Sometimes, the intensity of these symptoms can be so severe that it can pose a risk to the addict’s health. Attempting to detox at home is thus not just difficult but also dangerous. However, recovering at an in-patient rehab center can reduce the stress and danger of the detox period. Rehab centers have highly qualified healthcare practitioners who can make detoxing much easier. A residential drug rehabilitation center can provide sober transportation to the rehab center and medically assisted detoxification. Once you get past the detox period safely at an in-patient center, you can be better prepared to tackle the other factors that influence drug use.
Non-judgmental environment
One of the biggest impediments that recovering addicts face is living in an environment that isn’t conducive to their recovery. Drug addiction can take a heavy toll on those around us and damage our relationships with our loved ones immensely. Addicts often lie, manipulate and cheat the ones around them to get access to drugs, and shun their relationships, regardless of how close they used to be. In such an environment, addicts can find it hard to get the support to recover.
Recovery isn’t a linear road, and an addict is likely to experience a few hiccups along the way. However, these addicts are likely to experience ridicule and judgment when they slip up at home. Addicts can recover peacefully in a non-judgmental environment without shame at a rehab facility. Drug rehab allows addicts to talk openly about what pushes them to use drugs. It also helps them discuss their cravings and any other concerns to a non-judgmental, trained professional. The support addicts get in rehab can help them stay clean for good.
Helps avoid triggers
Although it comes close, overcoming withdrawal symptoms isn’t the most challenging part of recovery. Avoiding the triggers is vital to ensure you can maintain your sobriety and prevent any relapses. Triggers can differ from addict to addict and can be emotional, situational, or even geographical. You might feel increased cravings while walking past the place where you previously used drugs, or you might feel pressured to use drugs by your company.
Conversely, you might feel stressed out by your environment and feel an increased urge to use. Constantly being bombarded with triggers can make it challenging to make a full recovery, especially when you’re in the initial stages. On the other hand, staying in rehab can help you avoid your triggers until you’re ready to face them. Additionally, rehab can help you develop long-term coping strategies which help you handle these triggers even after you step back into the real world. Without any coping strategies and Plan-B’s, recovery can be infinitely more challenging.
Explore underlying issues
Apart from triggers, various deep-seated factors can influence your drug use. People experiencing other mental health disorders are twice as likely to abuse drugs than the normal population. Those suffering from depression and bipolar disorder are very likely to resort to drug use as a means to escape how they feel, and as are those struggling with anxiety disorders.
Without addressing and unearthing these issues, it can be challenging to overcome your addiction completely. Rehab doesn’t just include helping you detox and giving you a safe environment to recover. Instead, it involves intensive therapy, which can tackle your mental health issues and ensure long-term recovery. These issues may not just surface in the form of drug abuse. Rather, they can cause issues in your personal and professional life. Rehab can help you explore and address these issues and improve your quality of life in all aspects.
Build better habits
Drug users often find themselves living life haphazardly, with little structure or discipline. They might be habitually late, get fired from jobs, be prone to truancy, and might spend all their time using drugs. They might also use all their money on drugs and get funds from others. It can build up an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle, with challenging habits to break. Building better habits is thus vital for recovering addicts to keep relapses at bay.
Healthcare practitioners working in rehab know just how to give addicts structure that prevents them from relapsing. They can give them a full schedule filled with proactive activities, keeping any distractions and free time at bay. It can be especially beneficial in the early days when any free time can bring about intense cravings. With time, rehab can train addicts to keep their schedules filled with proactive habits such as working out, reading, playing instruments, and more.
Conclusion
When you’re in the throes of addiction, recovery can seem like a distant dream. However, heading to rehab can be an easy way to break this vicious cycle and leave behind your addiction. Rehab can change your life for the better and give you healthier habits and a lifestyle that helps you professionally and personally. So, if you or anyone you know is struggling to beat their drug habit, there can be no better solution than an in-patient rehab center.