Common Myths About Addiction Men’s Addiction Treatment
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When you complete your initial program, it will be wise to avoid the people and situations that may cause you to crave alcohol or other substances. You might not want to accept a friend’s invitation to head out to a club, or you might skip going to a house party where you know drugs will be present. You may also find it’s beneficial to avoid certain friends or groups of people if they played a role in encouraging you to use. A significant part of the treatment process is shedding the behaviors and situations that likely contributed to your addiction in the first place. When you give yourself time to heal in an environment that’s free from triggers, you are giving yourself a better chance of maintaining your sobriety after you return home.
Finding amedical treatment planorrecovery supportcommunity can help you heal. Understanding myths surrounding addiction is essential for supporting those who suffer. Addiction research has revealed truths about this disease which helps shed light on how addiction really works and the best courses of treatment.
Myth #5: Relapse is a Sign of Failure
However, the truth is, anyone can become an addict, and they are often hard to spot. Addiction should have no stereotypes because no one is safe from this disease. It can be your favorite Hollywood celebrity, a Wall Street stockbroker, or simply the soccer mom who lives next door. Addiction is an equal opportunity offender that affects all classes, ages, races, genders, and professions. Peer support is also designed for you to meet people who are further along in their recovery journey. Listening to them share their stories and seeing how far they have come can provide encouragement and motivation on the tough days.
- “It’s not uncommon for people to have multiple treatment episodes.
- While society has improved in understanding addiction, a lot remains unclear, especially for those who have never struggled with a drug or alcohol addiction.
- Be supportive, open and honest both for yourself and those around you.
- “Relapse means treatment did not work.”Despite the length of treatment completed, relapse rates are high for those struggling with a substance use disorder.
- It will be uncomfortable but the momentary discomfort does not compare to the grave dangers of prolonged addiction.
Some people would rather try to fight through their addiction on their own than seek treatment because they believe rehab is a waste of time. If you are living with an addiction, it doesn’t mean you’re weak.
People with addiction need to hit rock bottom
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This is extremely dangerous because if a person does experiment with the drug, they are likely to discover you can, in fact, get away with trying drugs without forming an addiction. This is not to suggest experimentation is in any way safe or a good idea. Regardless if an addict is drinking, gambling, or using drugs – even in private – it eventually does begin to hurt people around them. Addiction can not only affect others, but it can also ruin other people’s lives, especially those closest to the person.
When Should I Seek Inpatient Treatment for Anxiety?
The best treatment centers strike a balance between compassion and tough love. Going through this process can be difficult, and the staff and myths about addiction and recovery medical teams know this. Ultimately, they want to see you get through the initial phases of recovery while arming you for the years ahead.
When someone refers to quitting drugs or alcohol “cold turkey,” they mean they plan to quit abruptly without the help of medication or assistance from experienced medical personnel. Someone who chooses to address their addiction this way typically attempts to stop using drugs or alcohol at home by themselves. Many insurance plans cover at least a part of drug treatment. If you are below a certain income threshold, you may be eligible for public healthcare through Medicaid for certain treatment centers. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, you’ve probably heard a lot of well-meaning advice from people who don’t truly understand. This makes it difficult to sort out the facts about drug abuse from fiction. An addicts brain can go back to normal in a lot of cases, however this process takes time.
Myth 3: Relapse means treatment has failed
While your desire to quit may be strong, that doesn’t mean you have the tools, knowledge, or resources to break your addiction. It requires structure to help you avoid relapse when things aren’t going well. People do not choose to become addicted any more than they choose to have cancer. Genetics makes up about half the risk of addiction; environmental factors such as family life, upbringing, and peer influences make up the other half. Also, people who’ve struggled with addiction often enter rehab with gaps in employment and other financial hardships. They may also be homeless, facing eviction, or locked into an abusive relationship. Still, a significant percentage of people who enter rehab will also have a co-occurring illness that may have never been addressed and treated.
So, even if they want to quit taking drugs or drinking, they cannot. Drug addiction is a chronic illness, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ and as such, patients will need ongoing care like they would for any other chronic disease.
If I am not using a drug, I am not addicted.
Some treatment centers, especially inpatient centers, can be pricey. However, there are many options available to people who need help paying for treatment. Many insurance plans cover some or all of the costs of treatment, and some programs allow for payment plans or reduced costs based on financial needs. Addiction is a disease that is not well understood in the medical community. While there has been scientific progress in this realm of medical science, there is still a massive social stigma regarding abuse and addiction. When people who are addicted or who are related to an addict are ashamed, they won’t speak up, reach out for help, or talk about how theillness is impacting the family.
- If you tried treatment before but were not able to maintain sobriety, that doesn’t mean that treatment doesn’t work.
- You may also find it’s beneficial to avoid certain friends or groups of people if they played a role in encouraging you to use.
- If you display symptoms such as intense marijuana cravings, being unable to reduce your use, or missing work because of marijuana use, you may have anaddiction to marijuana.
- In reality, addiction is more like a disease, a brain condition that makes it impossible to consciously control.
- Relapse in drug addiction and with other chronic health conditions is a part of the journey to getting better and successfully managing health issues.
- If you show someone you aren’t judging them and encourage them to get help before they hit rock bottom, they may listen.
For example, thinking that smoking marijuana is safer than smoking tobacco. Frequently, individuals that struggle with substance use disorders battle societal stigma and array of misconceptions about addiction in general, often causing a barrier for seeking treatment. There is progress being made to reduce societal judgment and clarify the myths surrounding substance use disorders. Unfortunately, this progress is happening slowly while psychiatric and substance abuse problems continue to rise dramatically and expediently throughout the nation. Doctors can prescribe medications that are effective for treating pain and other conditions. However, these drugs are very dangerous when abused, primarily when it occurs with young adults and teens. Many prescription drugs are commonly abused, including narcotic pain medications, ADHD medications, and anxiety drugs.
Someone with an addiction will often turn to a substance to cope with stress. In many cases, the stress from tough love triggers someone with a history of substance abuse to continue using drugs or alcohol. Here are some myths about addiction recovery, debunked by the experts who help people with treatment every day.
Going through the recovery process can be difficult, and the doctors and counselors at treatment centers know what to do to help you through it. They also know that recovery is a lifelong process and will provide you with the tools you need to overcome your addiction. When you are ready to get help for your addiction, it might seem like an uphill battle.
