Making the decision to do something about your chemical dependency represents a big step in your progress toward recovery. Once you’ve decided that you want to take positive measures to get your life back, you’ll need to establish a treatment plan. Will you detox at home, or enter a supervised detox program? Will you rely on your own resources, or get help from qualified professionals?

Fortunately, you don’t have to answer these tough questions alone. Addiction counselors and therapists are trained to evaluate your physical and psychological needs and to help you decide which treatment strategies will work best for someone in your position. Before you make any final decisions about something as important as your recovery, consider your rehab options carefully. 

The Power of Chemical Dependence

Chemical dependence occurs when your body begins to rely on a drug to produce specific effects. When you’re deprived of the drug, you may experience withdrawal symptoms and powerful impulses to seek or use the substance. In the early stages of drug use, you may be able to stop using for days or weeks at a time. Once you’ve become dependent, stopping on your own can be virtually impossible. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), a reference used by the mental health profession to define psychiatric and behavioral disorders, the signs of chemical dependence include:

• Tolerance. You become adjusted to increasingly high doses of the drug, and the doses you took when you were first using no longer seem effective.
• Physical withdrawal. You have unpleasant or dangerous symptoms when you stop the drug or reduce the dose, and you find yourself using the drug in order to manage these symptoms.
• Loss of control over usage. You consistently end up using more of the drug than you intended.
• Social withdrawal.  You give up your old activities and friendships in order to spend more time using the drug and to avoid criticism.
• Continued use in spite of the consequences. You know that drug abuse is undermining your health, your important relationships and your work. You’ve already had legal or financial problems because of the drug, yet you keep using. This is a strong sign of chemical dependency.

When you reach a stage of dependence, quitting without treatment becomes extremely hard. In fact, the failure to quit by yourself is one of the telltale signs that you’ve become addicted to the drug. In order to truly break the drug’s hold on your body and mind, you need physical and psychological support from a team of experienced addiction specialists. 

Choosing a Treatment Program

Treating chemical dependence effectively requires recovery tools that are just as powerful as the drug you’ve been using. When you’re choosing a treatment program, look for a rehab center that offers:

• Clinical supervision in an outpatient setting or an inpatient treatment center
• Intensive counseling and education in behavioral modification and relapse prevention
• Pharmacotherapy with anti-addiction medications like naltrexone or buprenorphine
• Evaluation and treatment for co-occurring psychiatric conditions, such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder
• Maintenance programs to support you and your family as you proceed from rehab to a sober lifestyle

Of course it’s possible to quit on your own. But according to Scientific American, you’ll have a better chance of staying clean and sober and avoid a relapse if you commit to a formal recovery program. Call the admissions team here at Axis to find out how you can get the personalized care you need to reach your goal of leading a sober life.