18 Reasons to Start Substance Abuse Treatment in 2018

No one is ever overjoyed about going into rehab. It can feel disappointing that life has brought you to this point, and scary to think of giving up drugs and alcohol, but your life has been ruled by addiction for too long, and it’s time to take back control through substance abuse treatment. Addiction help does more than just get you to stop drinking or using, it also helps you learn how to create a more meaningful, productive life that you can feel good about. It’s time to stop running on the hamster wheel of addiction and start moving forward.

Time to Start Anew in 2018

Why not start 2018 off right by getting the substance abuse treatment you need? Although checking into rehab might not be top of your list of fun things to do in the new year, seeking addiction help will undoubtedly be the best choice you’ve ever made.

Here are 18 reasons why you should get substance abuse treatment in 2018:

1. To save your life

Not only are you at risk of overdose or alcohol poisoning, you are at risk of developing serious health problems because of substance abuse, and of harming yourself or engaging in risky behaviors that could threaten your life. There are a hundred different ways that staying trapped in an active addiction could kill you, and one sure-fire way to save your life: seek substance abuse treatment.

2. To stop the pain

You have no doubt turned to drugs and alcohol as a method of numbing pain that you don’t want to feel, and in some ways, it worked—for a while. When the substances wear off, however, the original pain is worse than ever, and over time, new sources of pain enter your life as addiction starts taking a toll on everyone and everything that matters to you. The only way to get past all this unnecessary pain in your life is to get sober and confront your addiction.

3. To get sober safely

It can be tempting to try and detox from drugs and alcohol on your own, but don’t! There are far too many ways that withdrawal can put your health at risk, and having close, medical attention from experts during detoxification will ensure that you stay safe throughout the process, while also keeping you as comfortable as possible. There are prescription medications that can help, but also nutritional supplements, over the counter pain relievers, and alternative therapies like acupuncture to ease your symptoms. Getting professional help with detox will also prevent you from turning to drugs or alcohol to relieve withdrawal symptoms.

4. To be a better parent/spouse/partner

You probably have someone in your life who needs you, at least some of the time, and if you have children, then you are desperately needed. Children of addicted parents endure a lot of suffering, from living in chaos, to being neglected, to being yelled at instead of comforted. Spouses or partners of addicts may be able to care for themselves, but they also suffer a great deal from loving someone who needs substance abuse treatment. Getting addiction help will not only allow you to be the good parent and partner that you should be, it will allow you to experience the benefits of a healthy relationship, and the rewards of seeing your children thrive under your care.

5. To improve your relationships

Yes, getting substance abuse treatment should be something you do for yourself, but one of the great benefits of treatment is rescuing and rebuilding relationships that have been damaged by your addiction. Checking into rehab will provide you with a safe space to explore your relationships with expert guidance, learn how to communicate more effectively, and regain lost trust.

6. To save money

This reason may not ring true at first, considering substance abuse treatment costs money, but there are ways to find free or low-cost detoxification and addiction treatment, and whatever you do end up paying to get sober and healthy will be repaid to you, usually within a year of recovery. The cost of drugs and alcohol adds up, especially as tolerance causes you to need more and more to get the same effect. In addition, missing days of work, missing out on opportunities and promotions, losing jobs, having to pay for damages you caused while intoxicated, and many more consequences of being ruled by addiction, results in an incredible amount of lost income, and a very large set of bills that you may not be able to pay. Undergoing rehab will avoid these costs, while also giving you more energy, time, and focus to devote to work and professional advancement.

7. To shed bad friendships and form good ones

If you struggle with substance abuse, sobriety should be your number 1 goal!

Getting substance abuse treatment will also help you figure out who your real friends are. When you spend all your time drinking or getting high, it can be difficult to form deep connections based on interests and commonalities. You may discover that some so-called friends have nothing positive to offer you, but you will likely make new friends based in sobriety, who will provide more meaningful connections.

8. To create a viable support system

Even if you already have loving friends and family around you, you most likely aren’t able to benefit from their support right now. Asking for their support as you recover from addiction, however, has the potential to undam a stream of unconditional love that will boost your motivation and remind you of how much you have to lose if you continue to let addiction rule your life.

9. To learn how to be respected instead of embarrassed

Addiction makes you speak and act in ways that you never would if you were sober, and frequently gets you and the people around you into embarrassing situations. Right now, you probably don’t have anyone who looks up to you and respects you, or if you do, you feel deep down that you don’t deserve that respect. The only way to feel deserving, to earn other people’s respect, and to build up your own self-respect, is to seek substance abuse treatment.

10. To create stability

A life controlled by addiction is chaotic and unpredictable. And while sober life isn’t guaranteed to always be smooth sailing, substance abuse treatment will give you the tools you need to create stability in your life. You will learn how to be emotionally and financially secure. Imagine how good it will feel to be able to trust the solid ground beneath your feet.

11. To make good memories and keep them

Drugs and alcohol abuse can create a lot of bad memories, and can erase a lot of memories entirely, both good and bad. Addiction can also cause you to miss out on important events and quality time with the people you love. Isn’t it time for you to start making good memories that you can hold onto and revisit whenever you want?

12. To benefit from peer and professional help

Not only does substance abuse treatment provide you with expert guidance from professionals who have years of education and experience in the field of addiction help, it allows you to benefit from connections with others who are also transforming their lives. People who are further along in their recovery can inspire you, while giving you advice and insight they learned from personal experience, and anyone who is also struggling with addiction will be able to understand where you’re coming from better than anyone else. That kind of understanding and peer to peer support can be just as healing as the expert assistance you’ll get from doctors, counselors, and therapists.

13. To learn more about yourself

Being lost in an active addiction can make you a stranger to yourself. You do things you don’t understand, for reasons you aren’t even aware of. All you know for sure is the need to get drunk or high. Substance abuse treatment will help you get to know yourself in new ways, finding out why you started using in the first place, and what has kept you from quitting until now. Addiction treatment professionals know how to guide you through this kind of self-discovery, and how to teach you to best use that knowledge to create a better way of living.

14. To get out of trouble

It might be a cynical reason to seek substance abuse treatment, but it is also a practical one. Checking into a rehab facility after you’ve been suspended from your job, or after being arrested, can be a very good form of damage control. Just make sure you go in with an open mind and give the program a chance. Faking it won’t please whoever it is you’re trying to pacify, and your life will get a whole lot better if you accept the help you’re given.

15. To learn how to manage difficult situations

Your life will improve in many ways after substance abuse treatment, but no life is perfect, and you need to learn how to cope with challenges in healthy ways that make situations better and not worse. Your counselors and fellow patients will help you learn new ways of looking at and reacting to your problems. Learning better ways of handling your emotions and new techniques for dealing with difficulties will not only keep you sober, it will improve your day to day experience of life.

16. To become a better person and regain your self-esteem

Whether you’re aware of it, or the feeling is hidden deep down, you want to change. You don’t like letting people down, acting in ways that aren’t true to who you want to be, or losing track of the dreams that used to matter to you. Substance abuse treatment will give you a way to transform yourself and your life, so you can look in the mirror and like who you see. You already have all the strength and talent and ability you need to succeed in life waiting inside of you—you just need help to learn how to access and use it. Recognizing the value that already lies in yourself is an important part of healing.

17. To get your life back—or to make a better life

It can be difficult to imagine a life without drugs or alcohol when you’ve been relying on them all the time in every way for so long, and that uncertainty can be terrifying. But getting your old life back, or creating a new and better life, will allow you a level of honesty and peace that is so fulfilling, you won’t miss your old life of addiction at all.

18. To finally find peace

Even if you have no idea what you want out of a future free from drugs and alcohol, you probably long for a way of living that isn’t so damn hard. The cycle of addiction is exhausting. You are always looking to get high, getting high, or recovering from getting high while trying to fix problems you created thanks to substance abuse. There is a constant chaotic scramble that can only be relieved for a very short time with toxic chemicals, before the stress and chaos comes rushing back in worse than before. It’s time to surrender to substance abuse treatment, and finally find peace.

It Starts with Detoxification

A professional, medical detoxification is the best way to start your recovery journey, followed by at least 90 days of treatment, starting with an inpatient program before moving on to outpatient treatment. A medical detox is easier on you physically, emotionally, and psychologically, and being inpatient at a substance abuse treatment facility will allow you to get counseling right away, laying a firm foundation for your recovery. To find a quality treatment facility to see you through, consult our rehab directory or call one of our addiction recovery specialists today 800-996-6135(Who Answers?) .