Life After Addiction

It is a common misconception that weakness or lack of willpower are the causes of addiction or relapse. Exposure to addictive substances may cause neural damages and can even cause changes in brain chemistry. Due to the chronic and pervasive nature of addiction it is considered a chronic disorder. The longer the exposure to substances, the more severe the potential damage.

Those who have experienced addiction or substance abuse may have difficulty fighting the urge to go back to the use of drugs and/or alcohol. Though addiction is powerful, you are not powerless. Recovery is possible and is often more sustainable through the help of a qualified therapist.

Sustaining the Effects of the Treatment

Recovering from addiction may be a long term journey. This chronic disorder is not stopped by simply discontinuing the use of the addictive substance or going through medically-assisted detox and/or treatment. Though these steps are necessary and monumental, they can be only the initial stages of recovery from the psychological and physiological impacts of substance abuse.

To sustain the desired effects of the treatment, most treatment plans integrate rehabilitation, as well as aftercare support. This is the basis for long-term programs running between 120 and 180 days to 12 months. After which, you are often expected to resume a normal life. However, statistics show that 50% to 90% of those that complete treatment can relapse after recovery.

Staying Away from What Brought You to Addiction

Statistics like the above mentioned can be frightening. It may lead you to believe that trying and failing seems “almost” a certainty and part of a normal process. What the figures don’t say is that relapse may be more likely for those who are not continuing therapy during and after recovery, or that relapse may be avoided by strongly committing to aftercare treatment. In fact, there are a number of those who successfully escaped relapse after their first treatment episode, though this can require a great deal of effort.

Certain triggers or cues can make you feel the irresistible urge to go back to the substance you were addicted to. It can be anything – places, feelings, people or memories – that remind you or put you back in the same situations that you tried to escape from before. These same triggers may contribute to your relapse. To avoid relapse, you may find that you need to stay away from the people, places or things that trigger urges to use.

Your Assistance is Close to Home

An outpatient therapist can help you to learn to make more positive decisions and change problem behaviors that may have contributed to your substance use. An outpatient treatment setting is often preferred by most individuals as it tends to be more cost effective and will often times allow you to remain closer to home.

If you live in or close to Fuquay-Varina, call Carolina Counseling Services – Fuquay-Varina, NC. There are licensed, independently contracted therapists/counselors/psychologists who can provide you the aftercare that you may need to achieve the recovery that you so rightfully deserve.

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