Abuse

If you suffer from a substance abuse situation you may well need professional help to change your behaviors and to better your health, but you may not require the intensity of a residential drug or alcohol rehab; and at the very least you may want to start the treatment process on an outpatient basis to see whether you can get healthier without suffering the expense and disruption of a residential rehab.

Addiction

Once addicted though, the treatment requirements increase dramatically. Once we become chemically dependant we lose some degree of control over our actions. Addiction manifests in an area of the brain beyond our conscious awareness, and although this area of the brain (the mesolimbic) does exert an enormous influence over our behaviors and actions, and although we appear to be making conscious and willful decisions, in many cases we are merely following the directions of a part of our brain over which we have no control.

With addiction we lose control over our actions and since our will to stay sober is rarely enough, we instead need to learn effective strategies to manage these pre conscious impulses. The brain does heal, and it will revert to a normal state of functioning, but it requires time for this healing process. Getting into rehab and away from access and temptation for a month or more can be enough to diminish the power of these preconscious influences, and allow you a better opportunity to exercise learned strategies to relapse avoidance.

There are no guarantees, and for any real chance at success a full and honest participation in the therapies of rehab, and a long involvement in therapeutic aftercare programming is required.

If You Are Addicted…

If you are addicted, you may find that outpatient therapies give you the tools you need to overcome your dependency, however, to have the best opportunity for success, a period of enforced sobriety and very intensive therapy and education offers a lot. If you are addicted, getting into a residential rehab program is likely the best chance you have at a better life of sobriety, health and happiness.

You may also want to consider seeking the advice of an addictions therapist or psychologist. A single session with an experienced professional can offer insight into the extent of the problem and leave you with concrete suggestions for individually relevant therapies.