Survival Guide: 6 Key Points to Remember When Battling an Addiction

Battling an addiction comes at a great price for most individuals. It is never an easy task and requires commitment and determination. The first step for the individual to realize and accept that there are a problem and help is required. When taking that first step, the addict has made a choice to seek help and make the necessary changes to recover. Addicts and families who are working together to achieve success review the 6 key points to remember when battling an addiction.

1. Addicts Need Professional Help

Starting a recovery program gives the addict the professional help needed to recover successfully. The first step of the recovery program is detoxification, and the patient is required to remain in the facility throughout the process. Detox often leads to dehydration and requires IV fluids to rehydrate the body, and patients are monitored regularly. 

At the end of the detoxification process, the patient starts individual counseling with a licensed therapist. Family and friends aren't allowed to visit the patient during detox, and the staff searches through all of the addict's belongings to ensure that no drugs or alcohol were brought to the facility.

Individual counseling is necessary for finding the origin of the patient's addiction. Typically, the source is trauma that requires the individual to find better coping mechanisms that don't involve drugs or alcohol. One on one counseling helps the patient work through problems and find a resolution. 

The program offers regular counseling with the therapist along with group therapy that introduces the addict to others who are suffering from the same problem. As the patients progress through the program, the family is invited to participate in family counseling.

The counselors help the patients prepare for life after rehabilitation, and a plan for success is forged. Patients are encouraged to make lifestyle changes while in recovery that is easier to follow. Lifestyle changes often include diet and exercise plans to keep the individual healthier. All patients continue therapy after rehab, too. It has been proven that individuals who continue therapy and work through the recovery steps achieve a successful recovery and overcome their addiction. Addicts who need help are encouraged to review available services from arcproject.org.uk.

2. Don't Play the Blame Game

Playing the blame game is a lose-lose situation for everyone. Families often blame the addict for the addiction and look down on the individual. Patients also point fingers at their family members. In truth, the blame game gets the addict and their family nowhere and fast. It is possible for the addict to suffer a trauma related to a family member and use drugs or alcohol to cope with the trauma. Through therapy, the individual discovers better ways to cope with the past and trauma.

During and after recovery, the patient needs a dedicated support system. In fact, most recovery centers want to know that the patient has a support system in place before leaving the center. This is why family therapy is urgent during a recovery program. 

It allows the patient to own their truth and face anyone in their family who hurt them or whose actions were the original cause of the addiction. The center gives the patient a safe environment to discuss issues with their family and work out a resolution when possible. Family therapy gives the patient a chance to make amends with family members who were hurt or wronged due to the addiction.

When possible, the programs reunite families after recovery and correct issues effectively. However, the recovery program cannot fix broken homes and guarantee that home life will go back to its original state before the addiction. It is up to the patient and their family to build a bridge and find a way back.

3. Avoid Self-Deception

Avoiding self-deception helps the individual succeed and recover from the addiction. Self-deception is common among addicts and alcoholics and drives the individual to believe that there is a way to control the addiction without help. For alcoholics, the individuals believe that drinking a smaller quantity of alcohol absolves them of the addiction. 

Some studies show patients who went to such extremes in self-deception, that some have even attempted to pump their own stomachs after binge drinking for days. The attempts were unsuccessful and just led to further health risks.

The denial of health risks is another form of self-deception, and patients develop a medical crisis due to the addiction. Cirrhosis of the liver, cardiovascular disease, and cancer are diseases that develop due to addiction to drugs or alcohol. The diseases are life-threatening and in some instances generate fatal results. Addicts and alcoholics deceive themselves into believing that these diseases won't affect them or develop at all.

However, statistics show that about 30% of all alcoholics develop cirrhosis. 30% of alcoholics and addicts develop aortic stiffening. Alcoholics are at the greatest risk of cancer. In fact, alcoholics are most likely to develop cancer of the throat, mouth, esophagus, and liver. Women who are alcoholics are at a greater risk of developing breast cancer.

4. It's All Up to the Addict

When it comes to recovery, success or failure is up to the addict. The family cannot achieve this aspiration for the individual. Patients learn in rehabilitation programs that it is possible to lean on family and discuss issues with a sponsor or therapist, but the addict has to do the work to recover successfully. 

Programs offer steps for the patients to follow that help with the process. Families often want or expect the individual to go from rehab to a completely recovered addict, and this just isn't realistic for anyone. Family members can encourage the patient, but no one can make the patient succeed when battling an addiction.

Starting small gives the patient time to take the baby steps to a successful recovery. Each patient works through issues and learns new coping mechanisms that are healthy and steer the patient toward the right path. Working through the steps give the patients the support needed to battle addiction and restart their lives.

5. Some People Aren't Meant to be in Your Future

Some people aren't meant to be in the addict's future and cannot continue to stay in the patient's life. During addiction treatment, the patient is asked to make a list of people with whom the patient has used drugs or alcohol. Friends or family members who are enablers are just a part of the problem, and the individuals will derail the patient's recovery. All friends and family members who are a part of the problem will never be a part of the patient's solution.

When the patient leaves the rehabilitation center, the patient is advised to cut ties with anyone who could hinder their recovery. These are often hard decisions for the patient, and some patients don't listen to the therapist's advice initially. According to statistics, 40 to 60% of recovering addicts are likely to relapse after leaving rehab. A prevailing cause of the relapse is the company that the individuals keep. 

When battling an addiction, the patient has to follow the advice of their therapy to achieve a successful recovery. Eliminating negative people who encourage or lead to patient to relapse helps the patient achieve their goals and recover completely. However, for most, it is a lifelong process in which the individuals struggle to abstain from using drugs or alcohol.

6. Stay Strong and Don't Give Up

Staying strong and refusing to give up gives the patient the motivation and courage to battle their addiction and recover. This is another reason why a support system is critical for recovery. The patient's support system offers encouragement and allows the patient to lean on them at weak moments. After leaving the rehabilitation center, alcoholics are advised to find a sponsor. 

The most effective way to find the right sponsor is to attend alcoholics anonymous meetings. For those with drug addictions, narcotics anonymous offers a similar program and helps them find a sponsor. The patient contacts their sponsor at any time that the addiction takes over and the urge to use is overwhelming.

Sponsors come to where the individual is and helps the addict move passed the urge to use and find a healthier outlet. Each patient is armed with healthy coping mechanisms. Typically, the therapists provide a new outlet for the patient to work through issues and avoid using drugs or alcohol. It is mutually beneficial in most cases since sponsors are often former patients themselves.

Drug and alcohol addiction takes over the individual's life and too often leads to a fatality if the person never seeks help. A multitude of strategies helps when battling an addiction. The first is to find a recovery program that works for the patient. Next, the patient needs a support system and a sponsor. 

All patients work through their issues through counseling individually, as a group, and with family members. Successful recovery depends on the individual's determination and commitment to their recovery.