If you need help with drug addiction, you need to read this article.

Drug addiction is a serious condition that is extremely hard to treat.

Hardly anyone says as a child, “When I grow up I want to be addicted to heroin.” Genetic and environmental risk factors can make a person more susceptible to the disease of addiction; however, it is a disease that doesn’t discriminate.

You don’t have to have had a bad childhood or been a victim of domestic violence to be a drug addict. People start using drugs because they like the way they make them feel. For many, it gets out of hand and becomes a major problem that has a negative impact on all areas of their lives.

When a person suffering from drug addiction has had enough, they may decide they are going to quit for good and for all. But what if they can’t stop on their own? What if nothing, including the threat of a judge, CPS cases, divorce, career loss, or physical health, can make a person stop using drugs?

Many people will find that they need help, sometimes lots of help with their drug addiction. Luckily there are plenty of resources to help someone recover from their addiction and find a new way to live: happy, joyous, and free.

Where a person should start on their road to recovery depends on how long they’ve been using and how much they are currently using on any given day. In this article, you’ll read about the best resources available to addicts who are “sick and tired of being sick and tired” and how to get help with drug addiction.

At ASIC Recovery, our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is dedicated to helping individuals develop healthier habits and build a life in long term recovery.

Click to learn more.

Getting Help With Drug Addiction — Detox/Residential Treatment

The idea of going to a facility to detox can seem very scary for a person who’s starting their recovery journey. A medically assisted detox will actually make the inevitable process (of detoxing) less scary.

Some drugs, like benzodiazepines and alcohol, can actually kill you during withdrawal. Other drugs, such as opiates, make a person very ill when they try to stop. Their chances of staying stopped on their own without going into a detox facility are very slim.

A detox facility will make the process of withdrawal as comfortable as possible.

After detoxing, the next phase of treatment would be residential treatment. Many residential treatment facilities also offer detox services. This is convenient since you wouldn’t have to move to another facility.

Many things are available to you at residential treatment facility, such as:

  • Lectures on chemical dependency
  • Self-help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or SMART Recovery
  • Group therapy
  • One-on-one therapy
  • Sober recreation
  • A well thought out discharge plan

All of these types of programs are specifically designed to help with drug addiction.

Partial Hospitalization Program

A partial hospitalization program, or PHP, is a small step down from residential. You will no longer be living at the treatment center.

Usually, you will attend the same hours of programming (lectures, therapy, etc.) during the day as in residential, but you will get to go home afterward.

If you aren’t in need of medically assisted detox, then you could perhaps skip right to PHP (as it’s usually considerably cheaper than residential).

PHP can keep you accountable by giving you random drug screenings, helping you find self-help groups to attend, and aiding you in finding a sponsor or recovery mentor.

Depending on where you do PHP, a psychiatrist may be on call as many addicts also suffer from mental illness. If new medications were prescribed while you were in inpatient treatment, the psychiatrist on-call can make adjustments as needed.

Intensive Outpatient Program

An intensive outpatient program (IOP) is the next step down from PHP.

IOP usually occurs 3 days a week for 3 hours at a time (9 hours a week). There is usually a morning group and evening group available so that people who are returning to their jobs can plan accordingly.

The 3 hour IOP sessions are usually as follows:

  • First Hour – Participants will meet in a group with a counselor to do check-ins. This is where you can talk about your job, family life, meeting attendance, and how you are feeling overall.
  • Second Hour – Group therapy continues where participants may present assignments their counselor gave them. Sometimes, this is when a person shares their story about what led up to them deciding they needed treatment.
  • Third Hour – Typically an educational lecture will be given. Topics may include cognitive distortions, the effects drugs have on the brain, and coping techniques.

Sober Living Can Help With Drug Addiction

While you are inpatient, more often than not counselors will suggest moving to a sober living home when you leave as these can help with drug addiction by giving you more time to practice staying sober.

Even if you already have a home, a family, etc., sober living can still be a good idea. Perhaps your family situation at home can be triggering to you, especially in early sobriety.

Sober living gives you some time and space to work on your recovery. Usually, weekly meeting attendance and random drug screens are required. This added layer of accountability provides a much-needed structure for an addict in early sobriety.

Rent is affordable and sometimes can be paid on a week-to-week basis.

However, make sure the sober living home you’re going to is a safe and healthy environment. Some sober homes have no rules or structure at all and even have residents who are regularly getting high in them.

So remember, get a referral.

12 Step Fellowships and SMART Recovery

Going to self-help meetings on a regular basis will help with drug addiction — plain and simple.

12 step fellowships, such as Narcotics Anonymous, offer a spiritual program of action as a means to recover from active addictions.

They offer a practical approach for getting connected to a Higher Power that can direct your life and change it for the better. Helping other addicts by taking them through the steps is a huge part of the 12 step program of recovery.

SMART Recovery is a recovery method that is more science-based than traditional 12 step programs.

In these meetings, you will learn about how to retrain your mind to get out of the addictive way of thinking.

This is done by making use of cognitive behavioral techniques (CBT) techniques. SMART Recovery is also a fellowship based on helping others and spreading the message of recovery so that it’s available to anyone who wants help with drug addiction.

Every Journey Starts with the First Step

Breaking the cycle of drug addiction is no easy task. It’s definitely not something you want to take on by yourself.

From inpatient treatment to sober living, there are many resources available to help achieve long-term sobriety. Getting sober can seem like an extremely overwhelming task, but it only has to be overwhelming if you go it alone.

There is help for drug addiction out there — you just have to take action.

IOP at ASIC Recovery

At ASIC Recovery, our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is dedicated to helping individuals develop healthier coping skills and build a recovery supportive network in all aspects.

Click to learn more.