What starts as recreational drug experimentation can over time become an addiction, which is hard to beat without specialist rehabilitation. Equally, it isn’t just the likes of heroin and crystal meth that are addictive, as you can become hooked on a wide range of illegal and prescription drugs. While recognizing that your habit has become a problem isn’t easy, once you acknowledge this you can start a substance abuse rehab program that will help you to free yourself from the hold of your addiction. You don’t need to travel far to access a drug rehabilitation scheme though, as Steps to Recovery offers treatment programs close to Chester. The close proximity of these rehab centers means that you are not limited to inpatient care, as commuting as an outpatient for treatment is a viable option.
Understanding Drug Addiction
It is a misconception that addicts are unable to quit due to a lack of willpower, as drug taking causes changes in brain’s structure and function that affect your decision making and self-control, which leads to uncontrollable drug seeking behaviors. Pharmaceuticals are able to do this as they disrupt the way your brain cells generate, receive and process messages, either by imitating your brain’s own chemical messengers or they flood your brain’s reward center with the feel-good chemical dopamine. Drug dependency is therefore far from just a social problem; it is instead a recognized medical condition. Thankfully, as with other health problems, substance dependency is manageable, though to achieve lasting abstinence a program that looks beyond the medical management of addiction is essential.
Some of the most common addictive substances are as follows:
- Opiates. Not only do these drugs offer pain relief, but they also produce intense feelings of pleasure. They include heroin, as well as prescription opiates like codeine and oxycodone.
- Stimulants. As well as boosting your mood, stimulants make you feel energized and alert. Cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine and amphetamines are all examples of stimulants.
- Hallucinogens. These alter your mind, changing your perception and the way you feel. Marijuana and LSD are among the most popular hallucinogenics.
However, you may also become dependent on other groups of drugs such as anabolic steroids, certain antidepressants and medications used to treat anxiety known as benzodiazepines.
Recognizing Drug Addiction
Although different drugs affect your physical and mental health in varying ways, there are some common signs that you are in the grip of an addiction. If any of the following signs sound familiar, it is a sign that you should strongly consider addiction rehab:
- You feel that you need to take the substance regularly, even several times daily, and if you don’t you develop withdrawal symptoms
- You have tried to control your habit, but find this impossible
- You have spent money on drugs, even if you do not have the finances to support your habit, and you may have considered other ways to get hold of the drug
- You have taken risks when you are high
- Your life is becoming increasingly focused on your drug habit to make sure that you always have a supply to hand
- Your relationships with loved ones has suffered and your social circle is now mainly other addicts
- You have neglected commitments such as your education or employment, and interests like hobbies have fallen by the wayside
Choosing Rehab for Drug Addiction Near Chester
When you realize that your habit has become a definite addiction and you are contemplating rehab, you will need to decide which type of addiction recovery near Chester will best meet your personal requirements. A residential stay may spring to mind, but you also have the option of outpatient therapy. You may prefer inpatient treatment if you are struggling to manage at home, have limited support available to you and would like to take advantage of the more intensive therapy on offer. An inpatient stay is also advisable if you have previously tried to kick your habit without success, as a more structured program of therapy will increase your chances of long-term abstinence. However, outpatient care is appealing if you want to fit your treatment around your family and work commitments, as you do not need to attend for therapy every day and you will usually receive a few hours of therapy on each visit. Some clients find that they like to combine the intensive therapy provided by a residential program with the chance to stay at home, taking part in partial hospitalization as a compromise. Steps to Recovery offers all three styles of program within reach of Chester, allowing you to choose the most compatible style of addiction treatment.
Steps to Recovery Addiction Rehab
When you opt to join one of our substance abuse rehabilitation programs you can benefit from a number of unique features, which allows our treatment centers to stand out and gives you a better chance of making a full recovery. Some of the advantages of choosing Steps to Recovery for drug rehab are:
- Our commitment to client-centered care
- Our emphasis on holistic treatment
- Our delivery of skills based activities on top of addiction therapy
- Our commitment to your recovery
- Our assistance to help you form supportive relationships
- Our programs show you how much enjoyment you can have when you are free from drugs and that you have a bright future ahead of you
Client-Centered Addiction Rehab
Although it is the norm for treatment centers to offer a generic rehabilitation program, at Steps to Recovery we always make sure we tailor the program of therapy you receive to your circumstances. This is because we work on the basis of providing evidence-based care and scientific research backs up the importance of individually tailored treatment during recovery from drug abuse. By providing you with therapy relevant to your needs, this increases the likelihood that you will succeed at kicking your habit with just a single course of rehab, and indeed many of our clients go on to achieve lasting sobriety after treatment with us. Higher success rates aren’t just down to the customized care that we offer though, as the range of therapies you receive also play an important role.
Talking Therapies During Rehabilitation
Both our inpatient and outpatient programs place an emphasis on talking therapies, both on a one to one basis with a therapist and as part of a group. You will receive weekly personal counseling sessions and a significant amount of your therapy will take part through interactive discussions with your fellow clients. Individual and group counseling offer their own benefits, which is why we make sure that every client participates in both forms of therapy during their rehab.
Therapy on an individual basis allows therapy sessions to be tailored to your needs. You will work with a counselor to discover the specific triggers to your habit and what has stood in your way of giving up drug taking, and then develop strategies for overcoming these difficulties. With all counseling sessions confidential, this gives you the chance to talk openly about your struggles and bring up issues that may be less appropriate for group discussion. One to one therapy also gives you a chance to review the progress you have made and adjust your specific treatment plan if necessary.
Meanwhile, group therapy is an important learning experience. It lets you learn more about yourself, as it gives you a better appreciation of the impact of your actions on others, but also allows you to learn from others through the positive contribution that your peers make to the group. Your fellow clients are additionally another source of support during addiction treatment, as they are able to identify with your situation and offer encouragement, spurring you on to achieve your goal of abstinence from drugs.
Comprehensive Approach to Drug Treatment
While some recovery centers focus purely on talking therapies, we like to offer therapies beyond these that are also proven to help addicts during their time in rehab. We believe that this holistic approach to addiction, which addresses all aspects of your well-being, makes you even more likely to quit your habit for good. You can therefore benefit from complementary treatments that are known to improve your mental wellness and also help directly with your ability to resist temptation. For instance, acupuncture can lift your mood and relieve anxiety. This is helpful if you already suffer from these mental health problems or you find that your mental wellness deteriorates following detox, especially as poor mental health is a known risk factor for substance abuse and relapse. Enhancing your well-being allows you to cope better during treatment and so you are in a better position to turn your life around. There is also evidence that complementary therapies like yoga are a useful tool to manage cravings for addictive substances, so participating in these during rehab and beyond can help you to stay on course.
Developing Practical Skills During Rehab
People who receive inpatient care for addictions can find it particularly difficult to adjust to life when they return home, but at Steps to Recovery we make sure that you build on your skills to ease your return after rehab near Chester. Drug taking can make you more likely to neglect yourself, so you may need to work on your skills related to meal preparation and tasks around the home, but these are not the only areas we can help you with. We’re also well aware that substance abuse can make it more difficult for you to find work and hold down a job, so if your past experience in the workplace is limited, we can help you develop in areas related to job seeking. For example, you may need help with creating your resume, knowing how to best complete applications and how to perform well when interviewed, and we can assist you with all of these. Besides these practical skills, you will also develop your transferrable skills, such as communication and working as a team, during therapy and these are highly attractive attributes when it comes to securing employment.
Unrivaled Commitment to Our Clients
Although some therapists are committed to their work as they want to do a good job, our team of specialist counselors and support staff are genuinely interested in helping you to get clean and stay sober, so we are here to support you throughout your journey to recovery. From a warm welcome and a listening ear to practical help, we are ready to support you in whatever way we can, and our favorable staffing levels make sure there is always someone available. With personal experience of addiction rehab ourselves, we are also perfectly placed to understand your concerns on entering treatment, so can emphasize greatly with your situation.
Help to Build Your Support Network
Even though you can always count on our staff to be there for you during addiction rehabilitation, it is important that you have other sources of support available to you, and this becomes increasingly important once you leave drug treatment near Chester. Rehab is therefore the ideal time to work on building supportive relationships and your family offers the obvious option. If your relationship with them is presently strained, you are not alone, as drug abuse often damages previously good relationships with loved ones. However, we can help you repair the cracks to strengthen the bond you have with your family through targeted therapy sessions. This counseling improves everyone’s understanding and makes sure that your family is ready to offer the backing and encouragement you need after rehab is complete. Additionally, if you are staying residentially at Steps to Recovery, weekly family time is another opportunity to work on restoring your family bond.
Learning that You Can Have Fun when Sober
When drugs have provided you with pleasure for so long, it is difficult to remember that you can seek enjoyment from other sources. This is partly why we timetable in leisure activities every week, giving you the chance to have fun with your peers, and show you how good you can feel when you are active and have a positive social circle. Certainly when you leave our care we would encourage you to factor in weekly leisure time, especially as this is a great way to expand your social network and avoid contacts you associate with drug taking. When you stay upbeat and have positive influences in your life, you are a step close to lasting recovery.
To discover more about the addiction rehab programs we offer in the Chester area, contact our friendly team for further information and confidential advice.
