7 Reasons to Go to Rehab Now Not Later

March 21, 2017 - Addiction Treatment, Detox & Withdrawal - 0 Comments

If you or a loved one is addicted to a substance, rehabilitation and addiction treatment can save your life. Today, over 23.5 million Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol, and only 1 in 10 ever seek or receive treatment. If you are addicted, you aren’t alone, but you are putting yourself at risk of mental and health problems, including a risk of death and overdose.

While addictions are expensive, difficult to manage, and detrimental to jobs, educations, and family lives, many people continue with them because they either cannot admit that they have a problem or because they are ashamed of having an addiction. Many addicts fear the stigma of their addiction becoming known, and use this as an excuse to avoid rehab for the long-term, but this problem only worsens over time.

If you are addicted, it is crucial that you seek help. Here are 7 reasons you need to go to rehab now and not later.

1. The Longer You Wait the Worse It Gets – While it’s easy to put addiction treatment off, this likely makes your problem worse and not better. The longer you remain addicted, the more your brain changes, and the more problems your substance use will cause to your health. Prolonging an addiction causes more problems with your finances, your relationships, and your physical health, and this is perhaps the most compelling reason to get help. If you wait, whatever problems addiction has caused, even if you haven’t noticed them yet, will get worse
2. Your Friends and Family Deserve Better – If you have friends, family, or loved ones, your addiction takes a toll on them. Even if you are a high functioning addict and can work and take care of your family, they will suffer. Addicts often black out, respond with anger, lie, cheat, and even steal to get more of their substance, and this can be detrimental to your relationships and your family.
3. Your Life Is on Hold Until You Recover – Addiction recenters your priorities so that you place your substance abuse as your priority. While you still might go to work and perform well, your substance is largely what you spend your time thinking about. Until you choose to go to rehab to recover, that will remain the same. Any goals or plans that you have for the future will likely be unattainable until you get clean or sober.
4. You’re Not Really Happy – No one becomes addicted to a substance because they’re happy with their life, but substances don’t make you happy either. While most addictive substances create a sense of euphoria through the dopamine and serotonin rush to the brain, this artificial high does not last. At the same time, your addiction will cause you to make your real life worse and worse so that you become more and more unhappy and more reliant on your substance for any high at all. The only way to be happy is to get clean or sober.
5. There’s Never a Better Time – While many addicts put off addiction with phrases like “I’ll go tomorrow”, “After New Year’s”, “after my birthday”, etc., this never really helps. There is no time that will be better than now, because you will always have the same obligations from work, family, and your life. This kind of avoidance is a natural result of most addictions. If you need time away from work, you can take up to 12 weeks of FMLA Leave for family or health purposes, without telling your employer why.
6. Your Health Is Important – Addiction causes numerous problems to the heart, lungs, brain, liver, and stomach. For example, 70% of people with substance use disorders suffer from vitamin D deficiency, which causes depression-like symptoms. Alcohol and opiates damage the gastrointestinal tract, causing semi-permanent and permanent damage. And, most substances damage your liver. Taking control of your addiction allows you to reverse many of the negative effects to your health before they get worse, so that you can correct them and live as healthy of a life as possible.
7. You Get to Choose the Time and Situation of Your Rehabilitation – Addiction causes many of us to make poor choices, to be reckless, and to break the law. The longer you hold on to your addiction, the higher the chances of your being arrested for something related to that addiction. In most cases, it is better to make the choice for yourself to go into therapy and seek addiction treatment than to attend it while serving time for a criminal offense. This is especially important if you still drive or operate machinery, as it can prevent you from harming others. Choosing to go to addiction treatment of your own accord gives you power over your situation, so that you can stay in control and choose where and how you want to get clean or sober.

Rehabilitation can help you through every stage of addiction recovery. In most cases, you will be guided through physical withdrawal with medication and medical assistance, so that you can safely recover. You will then be given the tools to get your life back through nutrition, exercise, and cognitive behavioral therapy. While the exact circumstances of your addiction treatment will depend on the treatment center you choose, you will get the mental and physical tools you need to get your life back.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction to any substance, please contact Lighthouse Treatment Center today for help. One of our experienced treatment advisors will be happy to provide a no-cost, no-obligation consultation. Contact us today.