When drug addicts stop using they identify themselves as being “clean”. When alcoholics stop drinking, they claim to be “sober”. Once either has been abstinent for a while they begin to understand that the name they use to describe themselves doesn’t matter all that much. The addict and alcoholic both have the same goal in mind, to find a better way of life for themselves and their families.
Getting clean and sober is a major accomplishment in anyone’s life and should be commended. To make it back from the depths of despair that a person must reach before seeking help is a miracle, in every sense of the word. Maintaining that recovery or sobriety is a task that requires the help of others. It is very difficult to do it alone. That’s where out-patient alcohol counseling or drug rehabilitation counseling can help.
Make no mistake about it. If you have reached a point in your drug or alcohol use where someone in your life is suggesting you need help, you need help. Denial will tell you that you don’t but if you take a moment and use common sense you’ll see that your behaviors are causing someone discomfort. Even if you don’t believe it you can still get some benefit from seeing an out-patient alcohol or drug counselor. At the very least you can plead the case that it’s not your fault, it’s theirs.
If you do understand that you have a problem you’ve taken the first step towards finding that new way of life. Make an appointment with us and talk to a drug rehabilitation counselor about your drug use, or seek out-patient alcohol counseling for your drinking. You may find that you’re not as unique as you’ve always believed and you’ll definitely find you’re not as bad as you thought. There’s hope for everyone.
The very fact that you’re reading this right now is evidence that either you or someone you know has a problem with drugs or alcohol. If you are asking whether or not you do, you do. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t question it. There’s no reason to wait until you’re homeless or eating out of dumpsters before you seek help. The help is available right now. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call for it.
The term out-patient means that you will not be hospitalized while you’re receiving assistance from our alcohol counselors. You will have to live life and stay sober on your own. A counselor can show you the way but you’ll have to do the actual footwork. It is recommended that before you begin this process you seek medical advice. Stopping your drinking cold turkey can be dangerous and even fatal if your problem is severe enough. Out-patient support generally starts after you have gotten sober.
The paragraph that you just read is very important. Alcoholism is a mental and physical disease with dire consequences if not handled correctly. The first step in making out-patient alcohol counseling effective for you is to get some inpatient assistance for a few days to help you stop drinking. Once you get to that point our counselors can help you stay stopped and learn to live a sober life.
Another step that will help you in this process is to develop a program for yourself in addition to out-patient counseling, something that will help you get through day to day stresses and situations. Some choose twelve step fellowships for this because they also provide you with sober people to surround yourself with. Others go with something spiritual or religious. There’s no “right way” to do it that works for everyone. Just remember to not go to bars, clubs, or liquor stores and don’t spend time in situations where others are drinking.
It sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? On the surface it is but the power of your desire to drink can make you forget even the things that make sense. That’s why it’s important to be honest with your out-patient alcohol counselor. There are always reasons why you want to drink in the first place. There may have been a time when you “did it for fun” but if you’ve reached the stage where you need our help there’s a good chance the fun is over.
Do you truly want to be sober and live a different life than what you have right now? We can help you if you do. Go to detox and get sober. Go to a meeting or start going to church. Go to out-patient alcohol counseling regularly. It’s that simple it’s worked for thousands before you. It can work for you too.
If you’re caught up in addiction right now it may seem hopeless, but it is possible to find happiness living a drug-free life. Drug rehabilitation counseling can help you to do it but as a patient it’s important that you also accept some responsibility. Your counselor will do everything humanly possible to make sure you have the knowledge and assistance you need to get clean and understand addiction. Staying clean is up to you.
There are no magic formulas when it comes to drug rehabilitation. Those who tell you that there is are dangerous to your recovery. The process of rehabilitation will be long and difficult but it is possible with the right kind of help, the help that a drug rehabilitation counselor can give you and that a strong support network of clean people in your life can help you sustain. You may have heard this before, the people places and playgrounds in your life have to change if you want to have a legitimate shot at a new life of living clean and sober.
If you attend a twelve step fellowship you’ll hear that the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using or drinking. When you become a patient with one of our drug rehabilitation counselors we ask that you have that desire. If you don’t, it will be very difficult if not impossible for us to help you. If you are forced to seek help by the courts or your family we ask that you just try to keep an open mind. If you didn’t have a problem others wouldn’t be working so hard to get you to do something about it.
If you’re recently coming off a substance there may be physical discomfort involved. Opiates coming out of your system may cause cramping, stopping other drugs may cause sleep loss and agitation. These feelings may make you want to use again. Just hold on. It may not seem like it right at this moment but the physical pain will pass and you will be able to sleep well at some point, maybe for the very first time.
A drug rehabilitation counselor can help you through the physical, mental and emotional torment you must endure to get clean from your drug use. There is another way of life and you are worthy of it. To start the process you just need to want it. If you get to that point your counselor can help you with the rest.
Uncategorized | substance_treatment January 19, 2010 | 
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