Active drug addiction is a terrible disease to live with. It affects millions of people around the world, many of whom suffer in silence – too afraid to ask for help. Recovery on the other hand with the help of a professional drug addiction rehab, can be a new life of contentment, meaning and direction.
Some addicts realise the trap they are caught in and will try to stop using drugs independently. Most drug addicts will find that no matter how genuine their intention is to stop using they simply cannot get through the first few days. Only 4% manage to get a year long recovery from drug addiction without some professional help.
Drug addiction is characterised by a number of symptoms that can be either physical or behavioural.
Behaviours that could be used to diagnose drug addiction include compulsively using drugs despite negative consequences such as missing work or not attending to daily duties. In other words, some drugs do not lead to physical dependence but are still highly addictive.
In addition to the range of behavioural symptoms there are two physical symptoms – the presence of withdrawal symptoms and tolerance.
Withdrawal symptoms indicate that the person has become physically dependent on the drug. It is this physical dependence that can make it drug addiction detoxification so difficult to accomplish recovery by yourself. Withdrawal symptoms range from the uncomfortable to the outright dangerous. The milder symptoms could include muscle cramps, nausea and sweating. More dangerous symptoms could be convulsions and hallucinations. Drug addiction is therefore not an easy illness to start recovering from.
Whew! Drug detox sounds like a tall order just by itself and is really just the first step in beating drug addiction. Remember that detoxification is just preparation for the full treatment program which itself can be difficult to get through. From looking at all of this we can see why some people might feel unable to finish the treatment and recovery program.
It’s very important that you know the benefits of recovery from drug addiction. By knowing just how good life can be when you’re in recovery you’ll be more motivated to slug through the hard times. One good way to see the benefits of recovery is to go to a meeting of Narcotics Anonymous and look at the people who have been clean for some time. You’ll notice that they’re generally a happy crowd of people who express gratitude for their lives.
What exactly do they have that they’re so grateful for? How can they have escaped the misery of drug addiction and now be recovering so happily?
People in drug addiction recovery are free from the mental obsession and physical compulsion that used to drive their lives. This freedom is difficult to understand unless you have lived in the mental prison that addiction creates.
Instead of carrying a sense of shame about their past behaviour addicts in recovery find that they accept their past and are no longer ashamed of their drug addiction. They recognise their wrong-doing and make amends for their past misdemeanours. Instead of wanting to block out memories of their past they have come to terms and worked through them.
They’ll tell you that it’s often darkest just before the dawn and not to give up five minutes before the miracle! Recovery from drug addiction is a reality in millions of people’s lives today – it can be true for you too.
A person in active drug addiction can never be fully at rest. If they’re not using drugs they’re trying to find ways to get drugs. There are all sorts of problems that they face – anxiety and paranoia stalk addicts like beasts of the mind. For the first time in their lives an addict in recovery can find a sort of serenity in their lives.
Drug addicts often feel like they don’t belong. Even when in a crowd of people a person suffering from drug addiction can feel lonely and isolated. When they come into recovery addicts start to realise that they are able to be productive and acceptable members of society.
They realise that they can share about their hard times in active drug addiction and so help give hope to people that are still suffering. They can also share the skills and experience they’ve had to help other addicts get clean and into recovery.
If you’re looking for treatment options then please call one of our expert addiction counsellors and they’ll help you to make an informed decision. Our intake coordinators offer confidential advice based on years of training and research in the field and are waiting for your call.