Breaking the addiction cycle will be very difficult, and it may feel as if you will never see the light at the end of the tunnel, but with hard work, faith, hope and the support of professionals, family and loved ones, anything is possible.
Since the drug addiction consumes your life, it is hard to imagine life without it. Addiction recovery involves change and not many people embrace change with open arms, especially when they know that the change is going to be difficult to come by. Some people don’t admit to having an addiction until something traumatic occurs such as the loss of a job or the loss of a loved one. Others may never admit to their addiction and will continue to live their lives in denial. However, the sooner you can admit to your addiction, the sooner the healing can begin. Once you can admit that you have a problem, there are a number of resources available to assist you on your road to recovery.
Once you have admitted to your addiction, the next step in the recovery process is to cleanse your body, mind and soul of the damaging effects of the addictive substance. This process of detoxification can take place in a hospital or other medically related treatment facility. Once your body is cleared of the negative addictive substance, work can begin on the mind and the soul. This process may involve individual counseling where the addict is educated about their addiction and provided with a number of new methods for dealing with this addiction. Problem solving skills may be introduced, as well as methods and techniques, which will aid in the event that a relapse occurs. Core issues leading to the addiction will also most likely be explored. Group counseling and family counseling are other options that may be helpful in the recovery process. In addition, addicts going through detoxification will be educated on a variety of helpful healthy topics, including nutrition and exercise, which will aid in the recovery process by boosting the individual’s self-awareness and self-esteem.
Family support throughout the recovery process is essential. While the addict is in recovery, the family members and loved ones of the addict must also deal with their own issues involving the addiction. This may be achieved by family and individual addiction counseling sessions as well as by attending support groups specifically geared towards family members of addicts. Through this educational process the family members should also be providing the addict with their love, support and encouragement. Nothing is more encouraging to the addict than knowing that their family members and loved ones are also working on their own issues.
Finally, once detoxification is complete and the addict returns to society, they need to continue to receive support from their family and loved ones. They may also choose to continue to attend support groups and counseling sessions to help to prevent relapses.
The road to recovery, is a major life-altering journey. The work will be hard but the reward, living a clean, drug & alcohol free life, will be worth it in the end.