Rehab Offers Real Hope to Those with Addictions
Nobody ever plans to marry an alcoholic, or to have an alcoholic child. Certainly, no child ever asked to be born into an alcoholic family! These are circumstances that simply occur. They are the life trials that some people must endure, just as some people must endure diabetes, a disabling car accident, or cancer. The difference, perhaps, is the endless debate about whether or not alcoholism is a disease, and whether it is preventable. In the end, such considerations really don't matter: It is what it is. If you, or someone you love has become addicted to alcohol, there is little benefit to be gained in placing blame.
A far better approach is for all affected persons: the addict, his parents, children, friends and medical support personnel, to all get on the same side of the problem as the addict. Although it may seem like it at times, the addict is not the problem – his addiction is the problem. An alcoholic needs alcohol rehab. A drug addict needs treatment specific to his drug addiction. There is far more to recovery than simply stopping the use of a substance. For true recovery to take place, it is necessary to address the issues that led to the addiction in the first place. It's necessary to make amends. It is critical that the addict learn his own triggers to use, and how to substitute appropriate responses to those triggers that help him ride out the impulse and stay sober.
Rehabilitation is a highly specialized, professional field. Depending upon the program or facility, there are variations of approach, but any good program will want to start with residential alcohol treatment, and depending upon the patient's progress, eventually graduate to outpatient therapy and drug rehab centers support. People who work at rehab centers understand addictions. Many of them consider themselves to still be in recovery, and have walked the addict's pathway themselves. There is none of the judgment, censure and condemnation that so many addicts fear. Instead there is acceptance, compassion, and a genuine desire to partner with the addict against the true problem – addiction.
Something that no person should ever lose sight of is that the past does not equal the future. History does not always repeat itself. When an addict is caught in the throes of addiction, it can be hard for him and the people who care for him to imagine a time when things will be different. Yet that is precisely where hope comes in. With appropriate intervention, treatment, guidance and support, it is entirely possible that a year from now, this individual will be clean and sober, gainfully employed, perhaps going to school, and making sane, realistic and functional decisions as to where to go in life. It all begins with that essential first step in the right direction.
A far better approach is for all affected persons: the addict, his parents, children, friends and medical support personnel, to all get on the same side of the problem as the addict. Although it may seem like it at times, the addict is not the problem – his addiction is the problem. An alcoholic needs alcohol rehab. A drug addict needs treatment specific to his drug addiction. There is far more to recovery than simply stopping the use of a substance. For true recovery to take place, it is necessary to address the issues that led to the addiction in the first place. It's necessary to make amends. It is critical that the addict learn his own triggers to use, and how to substitute appropriate responses to those triggers that help him ride out the impulse and stay sober.
Rehabilitation is a highly specialized, professional field. Depending upon the program or facility, there are variations of approach, but any good program will want to start with residential alcohol treatment, and depending upon the patient's progress, eventually graduate to outpatient therapy and drug rehab centers support. People who work at rehab centers understand addictions. Many of them consider themselves to still be in recovery, and have walked the addict's pathway themselves. There is none of the judgment, censure and condemnation that so many addicts fear. Instead there is acceptance, compassion, and a genuine desire to partner with the addict against the true problem – addiction.
Something that no person should ever lose sight of is that the past does not equal the future. History does not always repeat itself. When an addict is caught in the throes of addiction, it can be hard for him and the people who care for him to imagine a time when things will be different. Yet that is precisely where hope comes in. With appropriate intervention, treatment, guidance and support, it is entirely possible that a year from now, this individual will be clean and sober, gainfully employed, perhaps going to school, and making sane, realistic and functional decisions as to where to go in life. It all begins with that essential first step in the right direction.
