Drug rehabs usually take some time to show that something is different. Oh, there are people who respond immediately to treatment methods, or find that a lifestyle change is all that were necessary to put them back on the right track. For that matter, there are people who become addicted the first time they experiment with drugs or alcohol. For others, the steps to rehab results are gradual. And, there are many. And, the climb is long, and it’s hard, and sometimes it’s a case of two steps forward and one step back.
But, when a person is committed to becoming drug-free, and remaining that way, there will be success. And, it will be apparent. It just might not be as soon as some would like. That’s OK, though. When you think about it, drug rehabs can be considered growing processes. Just as different things are learned and adopted, as one grows older, so, too, are other ways of approaching life and its accompanying challenges implemented as the patient works toward eventually returning to normal.
Changes happen during any growth period. A tree starts out as a seed or nut, then becomes a sapling, then eventually grows into a fully matured tree. So, too, does the patient who is participating in a rehabilitation program. When looked at this way, a patient may actually be able to picture his or her growth process, both bad and good. He or she can imagine going from user to abuser to addict, then from addict to someone who is recovering. OK, a little pruning may have necessary. That bad bar or drug scene branch had to be cut off and put aside. And, it might have taken a lot of sawing, but eventually, the new growth (otherwise known as recovery), emerged and took hold.