How Substance Abuse Treatment Really Works

Substance abuse treatment: Until you “get it”; it’s all bull! Yes, you heard me right. It is impossible to make someone believe something that they are not ready to receive, inherently know more about, or obstinately resist. Recovery works, but only if you are willing to open yourself up for drastic changes and dedicate to actively working on yourself every day from here on out. Until an individual can grasp the basic tenets of what a life in recovery entails, it won’t work. It’s a hard, cold fact, but it’s just that: fact.

Drug use has undoubtedly caused negativity in your life, but the drugs themselves are not the problem. Drug use is a symptom of underlying issues that we mask or numb through abusing substances. Just quitting is not enough to heal us. Treatment is not a quick-fix; we don’t come out perfect but we do come out with the skills we are going to need to tackle long-term change. We have to heal from the inside out and it’s okay to need help.

Substance abuse treatment provides us with the knowledge and skills that we will need on this journey and a safe environment to start some serious self-reflection. Now, it is one thing to gain new knowledge that provides us with the tools necessary for a better tomorrow, and it is quite another to put them into active use today. Success is found in the individual evolution of existing belief systems. We all have beliefs that center around every aspect of our lives and relationships. Those beliefs dictate our thoughts about every situation that we encounter, and based off of those thoughts we immediately jumpstart a feeling. Whatever the feeling is that is brought to life; we then act on those feelings through subconscious automatic reactions and behaviors that reinforce our root beliefs. This persistent cycle is one of the many things that need to change before we can effectively adopt a more positive approach to life. Sometimes, a lifetime of learning through difficult experiences can harden us to ourselves, to other people, and even to the truths of reality as it actually is, regardless of how we interpret it.

Maybe in times of trouble, chaos, or confusion we have turned to unhealthy habits and people just to ease the pain and survive the current circumstances, but that kind of coping does not work over the long haul, in fact, it can inhibit us from experiencing positive life situations as we stay stuck in the ways of the past. When what we have been doing in our life starts degrading what we really want to be creating, we know that it’s time for a change. Change of any kind can be a little scary and even difficult in and of itself, but change will yield results. So, how do we open ourselves up for positive change?

1)Recognize that there is a problem

2)Ask for help because you really want it

3)Be a clean slate, receptive to new skills and information

4)Put new knowledge into action everyday

5)Enjoy the results that positive change can bring

The best news of all? We are in charge of if, and how well, treatment works for us! A willing mind and an open heart will serve us well as we accept that we are powerless to drugs and alcohol but we are not incapable of change. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest and a dedication to positive change, honesty, and self-reflection can deliver us from the chains of addiction and help us achieve the life that we truly want and deserve.