10 Reasons to Get Treatment for Addiction

Recovering from addiction is a life-long process. Sobriety requires long-term maintenance in order to maintain and it can be difficult to manage alone. In order to improve recovery outcomes, professional treatment can help you overcome significant challenges and develop relationships within the sober community.

While many can be reluctant to go to treatment at first, there are a number of reasons why engaging with treatment can improve your experience in recovery. With the help of treatment professionals, you are able to assess your physical, mental, and emotional needs in a constructive way and develop the foundation to support sobriety long-term. Addiction develops over time and successful treatment will take time as well. Professional treatment can help address addiction in a variety of ways. Some of the most impactful aspects of professional care include its ability to help with the following:

1. Repair relationships: Addiction can cause numerous problems in relationships. It can cause broken trust, resentment, anger, or guilt to manifest. Repairing relationships damaged by addiction is a critical component of the recovery process. This not only helps the person in recovery make amends with those who have been hurt by their addiction, but it also is vital to the healing process for loved ones. While they may not be affected in the same way, the family and friends of those with an addiction must also work through difficult emotions and experiences in order to recover. Treatment facilitates this process through the utilization of many therapy approaches, including family therapy. Family therapy can help mend relationships and educate loved ones on the nature of addiction.
2. Physical health: Addiction causes a plethora of physical health issues. Depending on the duration of use and the types of substances abused, a variety of health issues may develop that can cause long-lasting consequences. Abstaining from substance abuse can help a person’s body recover from the damage caused. Sobriety can improve mental functioning, increase energy levels, and lead to an overall improvement in general health.
3. Mental health: Mental health is closely tied to substance abuse. It can exacerbate symptoms of existing mental health conditions and many side effects of addiction can impair mental functioning. Drugs and alcohol can rewire the brain and cause it to prioritize substance abuse over everything else. With a clear mind, a person is able to focus on their needs in order to support sobriety. Once the mind is free of all mind and mood-altering substances, recovery can focus on addressing a person’s underlying psychological needs that may have influenced the development of addiction to begin with.
4. Develop a true identity: Many people find that through sobriety they are able to learn more about themselves. When substance abuse is the primary motivator and area of interest for a person, other interests, activities, and opportunities may fall off over time. It is not uncommon to find that many people have a significant increase in free time through achieving sobriety, but they do not know what to do with it. Sobriety gives you the opportunity to explore new interests and find what really speaks to you. You are able to rediscover yourself, find what motivates you, and pursue new goals.
5. Cultivate confidence: Addiction can cause a significant amount of negative feelings to surface. Guilt, worthlessness, self-doubt, and anxiety are common emotions that many people struggle with in recovery. Over time, achieving sobriety can help you develop the confidence to overcome the negative emotions that may fuel continued addiction. Hitting goals, achieving milestones, and making progress can help cultivate self-worth and increased confidence in your abilities.
6. Build a sober support network: Achieving sobriety can be difficult when you continue to surround yourself with enabling peers in environments that facilitate substance abuse. Entering treatment can help provide a layer of protection from relapse by removing the person from negative influences. In treatment, you are surrounded by peers who share similar experiences looking to achieve the same outcomes. With supportive staff and resources, a person is given the tools to achieve sobriety and develop relationships that support it. Connecting with the sober community is an important aspect of recovery as it can help many people overcome challenges throughout every stage of their journey.
7. Detox safely: You may feel ready to start your journey towards sobriety, but in many cases, professional help is needed for your safety. Initial recovery requires detox in order to start treatment, but the process of withdrawal can be uncomfortable or dangerous. Depending on the duration of use, the types of substances used, and other individual factors, withdrawal symptoms can cause a number of health concerns that can be life-threatening. It is important to engage with a treatment facility from the beginning to ensure the process is as safe and comfortable as possible. This also ensures that a person can be moved immediately into treatment following a successful detox.
8. Improve financial situation: Substance abuse can create financial strain. In many cases, addiction can cause a person to prioritize substance abuse above everything else. This can put employment, housing, and other responsibilities in jeopardy, especially from a financial aspect. While looking at the cost of addiction treatment may feel like a substantial expense, in the long run, the price of treatment adds up to savings in virtually every area of life.
9. Increase work productivity: Addiction causes a person to prioritize substance abuse over everything else. Because of this, a person’s job can be put at risk. Not only does substance abuse have the potential to negatively affect a person’s quality of work, it also can cause them to miss days at work or frequently arrive late, putting them in danger of losing their job altogether. Obtaining sobriety can improve job performance, increase productivity, and allow a person to become more reliable.
10. Save your life: Above all else, long-term substance abuse can have detrimental effects on your health and may put your life at risk. Asking for help and entering treatment can help you take back control of your life. Through sobriety, you can discover new interests, cultivate healthy relationships, and find fulfillment through a variety of different avenues. While the journey can be difficult, continuing to abuse substances will only lead to the development of more issues that become increasingly difficult to overcome with time. Entering treatment puts you in the position of saving your own life.