Why Drug Addiction Rehab is Necessary for Recovery

Many people first experiment with drugs under the impression that they can control it, and that they can quit at any time. Even as the person becomes addicted to using drugs, they maintain this misconception and continue to believe they are in control.

Only when a person realizes that drugs have caused damage in their lives will that person be willing to acknowledge that addiction might be a problem, and even then a person may be unwilling to admit they need help to quit using drugs.

"Cutting back" doesn’t work. You can not 'ease yourself out' of a drug addiction.

The vicious cycle of addiction is prolonged by false hope that you can regain control on your own, or that quitting drugs is all it takes to recover from addiction. Addiction develops with physical, mental, and emotional elements and relapse is inevitable without the experienced guidance available in a drug addiction rehab center.

In fact, even quitting drugs can be almost impossible without structure preventing a person from ‘caving in’. Another reason why detox is important is that having medical supervision available makes it possible to reduce discomfort of withdrawal symptoms by providing medication.

In severe cases of drug addiction, withdrawal symptoms can be life threatening and it is very dangerous to attempt to physically withdraw from a drug addiction without medical assistance.

Once a person has successfully eliminated the physical controls of drug addiction, this is only the end of the beginning and if released at this point, relapse is still inevitable. It could take years, months, days, or even hours, but the addiction is still present unless a person commits to ‘going all the way’ and continuing their addiction treatment at a rehab center.

There are a variety of rehab choices available, and the two biggest choices are perspective (‘standard’ vs. Christian or ‘alternative’) and control (inpatient vs. outpatient). Each drug addiction program is tailored specifically for the needs and characteristics of each individual patient, but many of the guidelines are often the same.

Behavior modification is one of the strongest tools that a drug addiction rehab will provide, and without ‘outside help’ a person can not learn to recognize and defeat overpowering temptations and urges.

Addiction, a form of obsessive compulsion disorder, is often only a sub-problem of other underlying problems or disorders, and a drug addiction rehab will work to "dual diagnose" and treat any factors that may contribute to an individuals susceptibility to drug addiction.

Ultimately, you can live a healthy and happy life free from drug addiction, using the tools provided at a drug addiction rehab center. Trying to do it on your own, however, leaves you under the control of the vicious cycles of drug addiction.