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Why Recovery Is a Journey

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Providing Trusted, Evidence-Based
Treatment for Three Decades and Counting

If you or a loved one is experiencing addiction, we’re here to help.

It’s no secret that addiction treatment facilities provide remarkable aid to people in need. The therapies, training, support, and supervision included in these programs helps people in the depths of addiction find a new way of living.

However, the National Institute of Health says addictions are a chronic condition that needs continual care.1 Because of this result, more than half of those who enter a publicly funded treatment program for addiction need multiple rounds of therapy in order to achieve a form of recovery that lasts.

Unfortunately, there are some factors that keep individuals away from the lifesaving help they need. These issues can be placed into two groups: those that keep individuals from enrolling in alcohol or drug rehab program and the issues that hinder success after enrollment in treatment.

“I became willing to seek help and have sought years of counseling and the support of other recovering alcoholics and addicts. Today I am sober after roughly 26 years of active alcohol and drug addiction. I have managed to create a pretty successful and sober life. I know the pain of addiction. I understand the power of the obsession to use. I get it. But, I also know there is hope for us.” Shellie, Heroes In Recovery

What Stops You From Getting Help

Woman in denial hand up

It’s common for an addict to struggle with denial issues. In fact, a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests that denial and underreporting of drug use are closely associated with stigmatized drugs. When drug use is seen as unsightly or wrong by peers, the more often the person denies or underreports the use. Instead of reaching out for help, they slip deeper into the cycle of addiction.

While some people don’t get treatment because they don’t see the need for assistance, others don’t do not seek help because they feel that the cost of care would stretch the family budget to the breaking point. While the Affordable Care Act mandates that insurance providers cover mental health care, patients may still have to pay out of pocket for their treatment. Some insurance plans only cover limited treatment options. In some cases, an insurance company may decline to cover drug rehab.2

Among all of the reasons cited for skipping care, the cost of treatment was the most prevalent problem. Luckily, insurance plans and employers are starting to provide more and more coverage for individuals who are struggling with addiction and would benefit greatly from rehab.

In addition to issues involving cost, some people with addiction struggle with their relationships. They may be engaged in a relationship that features addiction or substance abuse, which makes it very hard to break free. Men and women may feel that if they stop using and reach out to an addiction treatment facility, they will lose the person closest to them. Some people even have codependent relationships that feature addiction. An intimate partner in a relationship like this might not even support the concept of sobriety. As a result, that person could try to sabotage any attempt at recovery.

Sabotaging Sobriety in Treatment

Couple in therapy

Just because a person walks in the door of an addiction treatment center, it doesn’t mean the program will progress smoothly. In fact, there are a number of things that individuals can do to subvert their own recovery process. Sometimes, for example, people enroll in care without really feeling a sense of commitment to a new way of life. Therapists can often spot clients like this. These people might be late to meetings, skip appointments, refuse to do homework assignments or have a negative attitude.

Counselors can provide therapy that encourages a person’s motivation to get better. For example, therapists might provide clients with motivational counseling sessions that help the individual understand how the choices they make can derail their future plans.

Similarly, some individuals may not share their insights during group counseling sessions or may even make fun of the other participants in these sessions. People who behave this way may have their own feelings of rage to resolve before they can heal, but it can also be remarkably destructive, as group counseling forms the core of many addiction treatment programs. Here, a counselor is in charge of the proceedings, but the participants are expected to learn as a group and keep one another on track. The people who don’t listen and refuse open up are not able to take advantage of this healing.

On the surface, refusing to help others seems rather harmless. However, if you help someone else recover from addiction, it can also help an addicted person to stay sober. Just sharing experiences and working as a mentor seems to spark a deeper resolve to heal.

Stay the Course!

Those who don’t take addiction care seriously may leave a treatment program at the first spark of sobriety, believing that they can handle the future without any form of outside assistance. People like this might leave right after detox and may even leave without approval of their treatment team. This choice can be catastrophic to the healing process. Experts suggest that overcoming an addiction means staying enrolled in treatment for the prescribed period. Even then, people need to participate in aftercare therapies and support group meetings in order to truly stay sober. Leaving too early just doesn’t let the lessons of sobriety sink in and can lead to relapse. However, when you fully commit to the drug treatment process, success often follows.

If you or a family member needs to seek comprehensive addiction care, please call 760.548.4032 now. Michael’s House offers both residential and outpatient care for addiction. We are fully equipped to help you heal and move forward in your recovery. Each treatment plan we offer is customized to meet your specific needs. Our surroundings are calm and serene to support a robust healing. Please call now find out more about the help we can provide your family.

Start the Journey Today!

760.548.4032



Sources

1 "Addiction is a Chronic Disease." NIDA - Drug Abuse and Addiction: One of America's Most Challenging Public Health Problems. N.p., n.d. Web. Accessed 18 July 2017.

2 Young, Joel. "Addressing Mental Health Treatment Barriers." Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, 29 Jan. 2014. Web. Accessed 18 July 2017.

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