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If you want to stop using substances permanently, it isn’t as easy as simply stopping. These are stages that you must go to for you to do this. This blog talks you through what these stages are, and how you can pass through them successfully.
If you’d like more information on the 7 stages of addiction recovery, speak with Samarpan Recovery today.
The 7 stages of addiction recovery encompass the distinct stages you must go through to attain long-term recovery from drugs and alcohol. Read on to discover what these are.
It may be a cliche but it's true. The first of the 7 stages is admitting that you have an addiction. Without doing this, you simply can’t progress through recovery. If you’re unsure of whether you have a problem with substances, ask yourself if substances have harmed your life in any way. Perhaps you’re in financial difficulties. Maybe you have relationship issues. Or you might have lost jobs due to your alcohol or drug use.
If any of these are true, you probably have a substance abuse problem. Coming to terms with your addiction means that you can move on to the next step and start considering options for treatment.
At this stage, you still aren’t sure whether you want to get help, but you’re certainly mulling it over. You already know that you have a problem with substance abuse, and possibly acknowledge that getting help is a way that you can deal with some of your issues.
To move through this stage, ask yourself whether you believe you can stop using substances by yourself. If this is the case, try stopping by yourself. Perhaps you’ll be successful!
If you cannot stop by yourself and you want to stop, you will need assistance to do it. This brings us to the next of the 7 stages of addiction recovery.
Now you know you can’t do it alone, it’s time to look at what your options are. Here are three of the common paths that people go down when they are trying to quit using alcohol or drugs. You should consider these options when you are thinking about your strategy for quitting.
Support groups like Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, and SMART Recovery have helped hundreds of thousands of people get clean from drugs and sober from alcohol. These groups have programs that you can follow and offer support from people who have been through the process of stopping using substances.
Be aware that support groups like these are not able to help you deal with trauma or mental health problems, and they cannot provide you with professional detoxification support.
Therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) can help you address your addiction problems and also aid you in dealing with any mental health or trauma issues you might be experiencing. It is incredibly important to address both of these while you are getting treatment for your addiction, as not doing this often causes relapse.
The gold standard of addiction treatment is attendance at a rehab centre. Going for treatment at a centre like Samarpan Recovery will help you to deal with your addiction, and all the issues that you have that are causing you to stay locked in a cycle of addiction.
You’ll also be given detoxification medication by trained medical professionals, who can monitor you while you are going through detox. Detoxification from some substances can prove fatal, and you should not attempt it alone.
Rehab also has the benefit of allowing you to be around other people who are going through the same process as you, which can be immensely reassuring. Rehabs tend to have group sessions as part of their program, where you will be educated on addiction and how to stay clean and sober once you leave the rehab.
Once you’ve chosen your treatment method, it is time to go through detox. Some people consider this the most difficult stage of recovery. If you have been using large amounts of drugs or alcohol for a long period of time, you can expect to go through a significant period of withdrawal.
During withdrawal, you may experience a wide range of symptoms including intense cravings, sweating, nausea or vomiting, muscle pain, seizures, depression, fatigue or loss of energy, increased heart rate, intense dreams or nightmares, increased pressure, and more.
After you’ve detoxed, it is time to go for treatment. We suggest going to the same centre that you detoxed in, as this will reduce the risk of relapse when traveling between sites. The best rehabs usually offer both detoxification and treatment.
During this stage, you will be given all the information that you will need to live a life without substances. You’ll also be given counseling, which will help you to deal with any trauma, mental health problems, or faulty thinking that may lead to relapse.
If your treatment choice was rehab, following completion of the rehab program you can choose to go through aftercare. During this period, you may be able to go back to your rehab for further education on addiction and continue one on one sessions with your counselor. You may also want to have follow-up family therapy sessions at this point.
The last of the 7 stages of addiction recovery is the one you will be following for the rest of your life. Once you have some clean time under your belt, your life is likely to be going much better than it was when you were still using substances. But it is not time to take your eye off the road. Recovery from addiction is a life-long process, and you should continue to work on recovery to improve your life and avoid relapse.
While we can’t help you with the first 3 of the 7 stages of addiction recovery, we can certainly help you with the last 4. From the moment you walk through our doors, we will do everything we can to guide you through these stages so you can go on to a happy and life-long recovery.
If you’d like to know more about anything in this blog, or you are interested in treatment with Samarpan Recovery, please contact us today.
+91 81809 19090admissions@samarpan.in