Considering addiction therapy can be frightening if you’re currently in your active addiction. One of the primary reasons for this fear is that addiction drastically changes your brain. It affects the part of your brain that controls your survival needs, like food and water. The issue is that this part of the brain now process drugs or alcohol as a necessary part of survival, making sobriety seem terrifying. The good news is that you’re not the first person to feel this way, nor are you the first person to seek help.
Seeking drug addiction recovery at Crestview Recovery is one of the easiest and most challenging things that you’ll ever do, but it’ll be worth it. Early recovery can be difficult for many people, but every obstacle you overcome strengthens your sobriety. Those who give a recovery program a chance often see how much better life can be when sober.
Physical Issues in Early Drug Addiction Recovery
Many people are scared to get sober because of the uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms that come along with not drinking or using. The symptoms of withdrawal can indeed be very harsh, which is why you should go to a detox facility. This type of facility will treat you for your symptoms to make the process much easier. Crestview Recovery works closely with a drug detox center that will make it easy for you to transition to addiction treatment once you complete detox.
Crestview offers a partial hospitalization program (PHP) as well in case you have any lingering symptoms of withdrawal. It’s important that you seek this type of care because you may experience some post-acute withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can be very minor, but they can happen after the initial withdrawal period is over. Some post-acute withdrawal symptoms can include:
- Nausea
- Cold sweats
- Shaking
- Cramping
Facing Your Past in Addiction Recovery
A famous quote from AA literature says, “We don’t regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it,” which is true. Those who are attempting to recover from active addiction most likely have things in their past that are upsetting. However, in drug addiction recovery, you’re going to learn that your past is your ally and your greatest teacher. Part of the therapeutic process is learning how to face your past and heal from it.
There are some people who prefer not to discuss their traumatic pasts, even though denying past experiences is often what keeps people sick. Opening up in addiction treatment programs allows patients to process the situation and learn to overcome it. Others have things they’ve done in the past that they regret, and it’s important to discuss these as well. By talking about where addiction took them, they begin to see that it’s nothing they want to go back to.
Progressing Through Addiction Recovery
While you’re in treatment, you’ll begin to progress, and this progression means that you’ll transition to new levels of care. It’s extremely important to maximize the length of your stay as much as possible, so you have this opportunity. The transition process is crucial because it allows you to ease into a new life of sobriety slowly. A common mistake people make is going from partial hospitalization treatment to their old lives too soon.
The best way to transition is to go from partial hospitalization treatment to an intensive outpatient program (IOP). This way, you get more freedom than in partial hospitalization treatment, but you maintain safety and accountability.
We’ll work diligently with your insurance company to help you make sure you get the maximum amount of benefits. Call us today at 866.262.0531 for insurance verification.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
