A LCOHOL & A DDICTION An A to Z of Rehab

S YNOPSIS Addiction Rehabilitation: The Process from Beginning to End Key Steps of Recovery Alcohol Treatment: Relapse Prevention When Should You Go to Rehab for Addiction Life After Alcohol Treatment

A DDICTION R EHABILITATION : T HE P ROCESS FROM B EGINNING TO E ND What happens in rehab? The processof recovery starts with the decision to take the journey to recovery. Once you enter an addiction rehabilitation center, they sit you down and do an intake. They need to get to know who you are and why you have come to them and why you decided to do it now and much more. The intake is also the point when they tell you about the center, and inform you of the program they recommend you follow while you are there. The first step, intake completed, next starts the next step, detox. Detox is every addict's enemy. Detox is the phase that comes with withdrawal symptoms while getting over whatever addiction ailed you. The severity of withdrawal depends on your level of dependency on your addiction. The more you dependent on your addiction, the worse it will be. Most often the detoxification process is done under supervision. After getting through detox, you can start the process of rehabilitation.

A DDICTION R EHABILITATION : T HE P ROCESS FROM B EGINNING TO E ND Rehabilitation Rehabilitation is the part of the process where they begin the deep healing.This phase is when an individual goes to an individual, group and family therapy. During these therapy sessions, professionals speak about triggers, problems and possibly other more appropriate coping mechanisms. Once knowing what triggers the dependency on the addiction, this allows you to see your triggers as they come up and avoid the issue. Recovery Once you have gone through detox, rehabilitation you have made it through a good portion of the process and the shortest part of the process. The longest and hardest part of the process is recovery. Recovery for most recovering addicts is a lifelong task. It consists of knowing your triggers, preventing relapse, and handling your problems without going back to the addiction. At this point, if you were in a facility, this is the time to go home, get your life together and learn how to live on your own and see the triggers. This time is also the time to find places to go, and people you can talk to that can help you continue growing, moving forward and the recovery process.

K EY S TEPS OF R ECOVERY How can rehab help people? Rehab is a process that starts with realization. Because of the different forms and stages of addiction, there are many types of treatment processes. Each process needs to be personalized to the participants and supported by family and friends, or staff. Why are rehabs considered a cure for addiction? Rehab is not a cure, but more of a milestone to help people towards recovery. If a rehabilitation center is a good fit for the participant, the participant is more likely to stick with the treatment. When a participant sticks with treatment, rehabilitation is more probable to be reached. If the patient rehabilitates, the treatment has broken the harmful bond between the patient and the addicting substance or activity. The broken bond prevents more lose, especially if replaced with more healthier bonds such as companionship. How do you know if a rehabilitation center is the perfect for you? First, you must consider the financial policy (Is it affordable? What are the payment options? What type of insurance does it accept?). Once you have figured out your financial arrangement, what offerings are essential to you? The offerings, such as the food, quality of housing, and comforts, the program has will affect how comfortable you are in the program and whether you will stick with it.

A LCOHOL T REATMENT : R ELAPSE P REVENTION How does a prevention plan work? A relapse prevention plan basically works based on knowing your triggers. It is a step by step guide to help you, and it is by you. With every trigger, you have a plan of action for you to use to overcome the trigger and stay sober. So, like any other plan, it will need to be changed and revised as life changes and time goes on. No plan is perfect, as you will need to revise it from time to time as something you had planned may not have worked but at the moment, you found another way, a better way. Creating a prevention plan for yourself A great way to help ensure your success at preventing a relapse is to create a prevention plan. You can do this plan alone, but you need to know all of your triggers. The best way to ensure that you have done a good job and something to consider is to have a professional look at it. The best professional to consider looking over your plan or to ask help to create this plan, would be the professional you spoke with who helped you identify why you were an addict and how you came to be an addict. They may not be a professional at building these plans, but they knew how to identify your mental triggers, which lead to your physical trigger, doing the actual deed of the addiction. Knowing your plan The most important part of having and building a relapse prevention plan is to know your plan. Knowing your strategy is only half the battle to put the plan into action when things get hard, and you begin to crave your addiction. Remembering that plan will help you react in a reasonable time, and accordingly giving you a better chance of preventing the relapse.

W HEN S HOULD Y OU G O TO R EHAB FOR A DDICTION Addiction rehab is for addicts during any stage of their disease. Some people have struggled with addiction for years, others may have been able to find some success and become sober but have a lapse and need support. Remember that much like many disorders or diseases, addiction is diagnosed on a spectrum. But it is a steadily worsening disease, and should not be left untreated. If you have any of the typical signs of addiction, you should seek treatment right away. While not an exhaustive list, some of the common symptoms are below:  Having intense cravings  Going to great lengths to acquire the addicted substance  Relationship troubles  Withdrawal symptoms  Increased tolerance

W HEN S HOULD Y OU G O TO R EHAB FOR A DDICTION Addiction rehab is a place where addicts can go to fully recover from abusing substances. If you are abusing a substance, odds are it is negatively affecting your life, whether it is affecting your friends, work life, or any other aspect of your life. Once people cross the line from occasionally drinking to frequent drinking, or doing addictive drugs, there is a spiral where they slowly lose the ability to say know. It is important to understand that even if you haven’t hit the bottom of the barrel, you are still in need of help through a rehab program. Many people spend far too long convincing their selves that they are “not as bad as they could be”. This is a dangerous way of thinking and just leads further down the path of addiction.

L IFE A FTER A LCOHOL T REATMENT Taking back control of your life After going through all the treatments, from detox to peer support groups. The best way to get and keep control of your life from alcoholism, you must speak with a professional as to why and how you became dependent upon alcohol. Preventing relapse After all the hard work and dedication, people feel strong and positive that they will not relapse. The truth of the matter is that, whenever things get hard, it is easy to be tempted to slip back into being an alcoholic. After speaking with a professional about why and how you became an alcoholic, you should be able to recognize what drove you there and prevent putting yourself in that situation again. Preventing relapse is preventing the triggers that pushed you to drink. Beginning of a new life Once you understand, what triggered the alcoholism, you can take back your life and begin anew. Find new ways to cope. Remember to love who you are and that you always have someone to talk to.

T HE E ND For more details, please visit – addiction-treatment/