To go or not to go, that is the ultimate question that everyone has to make before they hop on the road to recovery. Going to rehab might not be at the top of your can’t-wait-to-do list, but it is necessary for helping you to overcome a serious addiction. When you’re sitting on the fence asking should I go to rehab or not, you might be wondering if you’ve really got an addiction bad enough to require professional help.
Since addiction can look different from what you see in the media, you might be dealing with one that is stronger than you think. Checking this list of signs that you might benefit from going to rehab helps you start getting a clearer view of your needs.
- You currently use opioids or other strong drugs
- You often drink heavy amounts of alcohol
- Your loved ones are concerned about your substance use
- You’ve made at least one attempt to stop using on your own
- You have or suspect that you might have a mental health condition
- Your work, school or relationships are suffering
Certain drugs are associated with severe withdrawal symptoms that make it unsafe to try to recover at home alone. For instance, heroin and prescription painkillers can have strong physical withdrawal symptoms that make it incredibly difficult to avoid giving into your cravings. Trying to quit a serious alcohol habit can also lead to life-treating side effects that are manageable when you are in professional care.
While the characteristics listed give you a general idea of whether or not you need to go to rehab, you’ll want to remember that it is hard to predict who will have severe withdrawal symptoms. What your body considers a normal amount of alcohol might be very different from how someone else’s body responds to quitting drinking. Talking to a professional is the best way to determine if you need professional care.
Understand Why Rehab Works Better Than Willpower Alone
Even if you aren’t likely to have severe withdrawal symptoms, there are other reasons why you could need to go to rehab. Professional addiction treatment offers several benefits over the old DIY cold turkey method or even trying to taper down. When you first go to rehab, you’ll be given the immediate benefit of a physical and mental health assessment. This assessment checks for things that impact your sobriety that you might not even known about. For instance, you could be dealing with clinical depression, PTSD or an anxiety disorder without even knowing it.
People sometimes try to mask the symptoms of these conditions with drugs or alcohol, which might be what caused you to develop your addiction. If you suddenly stop using the drugs or alcohol that you’ve been using to cope, then you might find that the symptoms of these conditions come back in full force. In many cases, this is why someone isn’t able to stay sober despite having a strong sense of willpower.
Addiction recovery is more complicated than simply refusing to pick up your drug of choice. You can only hide from the friends that you use with for so long, and you can just bet that a major life stressor will pop up just when you are starting to feel good about not using. Life is filled with temptations that will knock on your door just when you least expect it. Going to rehab is like stepping into a safe retreat where you don’t have to worry about unexpected calamities weakening your willpower. If you face a challenge in rehab, then your counselors will help you through it. Being able to tap into a professional’s knowledge of how to handle new situations helps you to avoid going back to your old habits.
At the most basic level of answers to your question, going to rehab simply has a greater success rate than DIY methods. If you are still unsure of what to do, then consider just going in for an assessment. Drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs offer physical and mental assessments that can help you find out if you are a good candidate for going to rehab. If a professional says you could benefit from going to rehab, then it is worth taking their advice to begin changing your life.
Are you unsure of whether or not you need rehab? We’ll help you figure it out when you call us at 833-610-1174.