It is important to understand that the decision to go to a drug and alcohol rehab is never an easy one to make. Drug and alcohol addiction is something that some people struggle with for years before they decide that getting sober is not something that they can do on their own. It is also important to understand that having a drug addiction is not something that you should be ashamed of. In fact, making the decision to seek out drug and alcohol rehabilitation for your drug or alcohol addiction is quite courageous. It says a lot about your inner strength that you are able to say "I cannot handle this by myself. I need help."
Drug Treatment Centers know that you are probably frightened of what will happen after you pick up the phone to set up your rehabilitation program. The staff of addiction and health experts at centers for drug and alcohol treatment know that, especially in the beginning, many people struggling with drug and/or alcohol addiction are afraid of what they will encounter at drug rehab. It is because the staff is so compassionate that they will do everything they can to ease the transition from struggling with sobriety in the "outside world" to detoxing and regaining your sobriety in a carefully controlled and supportive environment.
It is all fine and good to know that you will be treated well once you've made the decision to go to drug rehab. The problem arises when you aren't sure if going to drug rehab is the right decision. Here are some of the signs that you should look for that will tell you whether or not you are equipped to deal with your drug addiction yourself:
1. The amount of drugs that you need to get drunk, high or stoned has increased dramatically since you first started using. For example-it used to take only a few drinks to get drunk. Now you're downing entire bottles of hard liquor before feeling even buzzed.
2. You start to have physical withdrawal symptoms when it's been a while since your last "fix". Your hands might shake, you might get cold sweats or heart palpitations, you might feel nauseous, etc.
3. You cannot stop yourself from using after "just a little bit." You might intend to just hang out with friends, but you wake up the next morning not remembering the night before.
4. You find that you don't have time for your other interests because getting wasted is more important and you don't have time to do both.
5. Your level of paranoia has increased to the point where you are sure that each person you pass on the street can tell that you have a drug or alcohol problem and you've become very defensive.
6. You are moving up the chain of drugs. While you might have just needed a couple of beers to get wasted when you first started using, now you need pills or other, harder, substances to have the same effect.
7. You have started to take drugs to cure you from the effect of other drugs. Amphetamines in the morning to cure a hangover from the night before. Valium to calm down from too much speed, etc. You cannot let the drugs leave your system naturally.
8. Your family and friends keep trying to get you into a drug or alcohol rehabilitation treatment program.
Overcoming drug addiction and working toward sobriety is difficult, but that is not nearly as difficult as making the first phone call in which you admit that you need help. Asking for help is the strong and sensible thing to do.
