With a lower than average income across all ethnic groups, residents in West Chester may find themselves struggling financially. If you find yourself with money worries, there are sources of help available locally. However, it is easy to tell yourself that your finances are not as big a problem as they appear and instead you may look to other ways to distract yourself from your troubles. One option that may seem tempting is to use recreational drugs to give you temporary relief, but using these addictive substances doesn’t actually help you and tends to lead to a range of issues that merely add to your difficulties. Therefore it is essential you think carefully before you dabble with the likes of marijuana or prescription drugs. If you have already started to use hallucinogens, stimulants or other substances to boost your mood and find that you can’t quit, it is possible to seek help with your drug habit in the local area. Steps to Recovery offers drug addiction programs near West Chester PA that have a proven track record for helping more addicts to get clean. With our assistance you can leave your drug taking behind.
Health Consequences of Drug Abuse
Even if you are in good health before you start abusing drugs, that is no guarantee that you will stay this way, as the addictive nature of these substances means that you soon start using them in greater quantities more frequently, which not only makes you more vulnerable to an overdose, but can also affect your long-term health. For instance, some of the negative health effects of drug taking include:
- Damage to your heart. If you take amphetamines, cocaine or ecstasy you risk a heart attack. Alternatively, if you inject heroin you are more likely to develop an infection of your heart valves, which is sometimes fatal.
- Damage to your lungs. Smoking cannabis, crack or any other drugs can irritate your lungs and place you at risk of some of the same conditions that tobacco smokers develop. With a pre-existing lung condition, you are even more likely to suffer from the effects of smoking drugs.
- Damage to your liver. As your liver processes toxins, drug abuse makes you susceptible to liver disease. Some of the drugs known to cause this damage are opiates, speed and crystal meth.
- Blood borne infections. If you share needles to inject drugs, infections like HIV and hepatitis are a real possibility. You may also develop these infections if you take risks by having unprotected sex when under their influence.
- Increased risk of injury. As you make poor decisions when you are high and your nervous system is affected by drug taking, you are more likely to be involved in an accident after using drugs. This is particularly the case if you decide to drive following drug use.
- Poor mental health. If you have previously suffered from a mental illness, using the likes of marijuana, MDMA, LSD, methamphetamine and coke can all increase your risk of a relapse. However, even if you have never had a mental health problem before, you may still develop anxiety, depression or a more serious mental illness following prolonged use.
The sooner you ask for help to quit your addictive habit, the lower the likelihood that your health will suffer. Enrolling on one of Steps to Recovery’s drug treatment programs West Chester PA can put you back on the road to better health.
West Chester PA Charities that offer Drug & Alcohol Counseling Services
Recognizing You Need Help with Drug Addiction
Knowing the negative consequences of your habit often isn’t enough to encourage you to seek addiction treatment. However, there are some clear signs that your drug abuse has got out of control and it is time to get professional help. If you can recognize any of the following behaviors, you should strongly consider getting in touch to discuss your options for drug rehabilitation West Chester PA:
- You want to stop using drugs, but you can’t help yourself from taking more
- You now use drugs more often and in higher doses than before
- You develop withdrawal symptoms if you don’t get a fix on waking
- You have to keep drugs in the house or you feel on edge if you haven’t any close to hand
- Your focus has switched to drug taking, so important aspects of your life, such as family, friends, college, work and hobbies, have taken a back seat
- You still use drugs even after a bad experience such as an accident while under the influence or an overdose
Choosing Drug Recovery Treatment West Chester PA
When you acknowledge that you have a drug problem, Steps to Recovery is able to offer you a choice of drug treatment programs near West Chester PA. We understand that our clients have differing needs, which is why we offer both inpatient and outpatient rehab programs, as well as partial hospitalization that combines the benefits of both. If you need help deciding which style of drug recovery best meets your needs, our helpful team is always available to provide you with more information about each option to help you come to a decision.
Residential drug treatment offers a high success rate thanks to the intensive addiction therapy and support you receive. This makes an inpatient stay the preferred option if you have relapsed after taking part in drug rehabilitation previously. However, this style of addiction program is also useful if you have limited support at home or your home environment means the temptation to use drugs is too great. If you are worried about being isolated from loved ones during treatment, this needn’t be a concern, as with drug addiction facilities close to West Chester PA your family can visit you each week. In fact, we encourage those close to you to get involved in your treatment program, as we offer family therapy as part of your recovery.
Alternatively, if you do not need daily therapy sessions and you have sufficient support and structure at home, an outpatient treatment program is a viable option. This is also popular with people who have commitments with their family or work that they want to keep up while they receive therapy. The fact that you receive counseling several times a week and these sessions do not take up the whole day makes it possible for you to fit your responsibilities around your drug rehab program. Another style of outpatient addiction care is partial hospitalization. Like a residential rehabilitation program you benefit from daily therapy, but you do not stay within a treatment facility overnight, allowing you to return home to your loved ones at the end of every day.
Tailor Made Drug Treatment Programs
If you want to give yourself the best chance of kicking your drug habit for good, choosing a drug treatment center West Chester PA that offers personalized care is essential. This is because evidence supports the value of custom made care during recovery from drug addiction. However, not all rehab facilities offer individualized treatment, so by choosing Steps to Recovery you can gain access to therapy designed to help you quit. We make sure we get to know all of our clients when they enter drug rehabilitation so that they can receive a program of care tailored to their needs. This lets you receive the most relevant therapy and other activities that will put you on the road to lasting recovery.
Drug Addiction Therapy West Chester PA
Although some drug recovery centers offer either one to one or group counseling, we offer our clients both forms of therapy. This is because the two formats of counseling carry their own advantages, so by receiving both forms of therapy you get the most benefit. Then by taking part in family therapy you gain either further.
When you work on an individual basis with a counselor who specializes in addiction therapy this gives you the opportunity to discuss issues personal to your circumstances. Our clients all come with their own problems and triggers that have led to their drug habit, so these sessions are the time for you to get to the root of your substance misuse so that you can put a plan together for how you can resist temptation and take positive action to manage the difficulties you face. Receiving counseling one to one also means that the particular talking therapies used can be tailored to your needs.
Besides weekly one to one counseling, throughout the week you will engage with your peers in discussion during group therapy. These interactive sessions are designed to let you talk and problem solve around any areas relevant to your habits and getting clean. Through group counseling a lot of useful ideas are generated and you will also discover how much support you can get from your fellow clients, which supplements the support our dedicated team of therapists offers during private counseling sessions.
Finally, family therapy lets you renew your bonds with your loved ones. You may already have found that your drug taking has put tremendous strain on your relationships with loved ones, so family counseling is a chance for you to get back on track. During sessions both sides get to hear things from the others perspective, increasing your understanding of one another and making sure that you are in a good position to receive the support of your family once you complete drug rehab West Chester PA.
Additional Activities During Drug Recovery
On top of counseling sessions you will benefit from a varied program of activities when you receive drug addiction treatment provided by Steps to Recovery. By offering extra activities we enhance your chances of successfully beating your addiction for good. Some of the additional experiences you can take advantage of during your drug rehabilitation include:
- Complementary treatments. Whether you receive acupuncture or take part in yoga classes, these therapies are proven to help recovering addicts. They are especially valuable if you suffer from mental health problems, as alternative treatments can reduce stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, improving your quality of life and allowing you to participate more fully in addiction treatment. You may even find that these therapeutic practices can help you deal with cravings.
- Skills development. Whether you need help to cook nourishing meals or you need pointers on how to apply for and secure work, we can help you develop a range of skills while you complete a drug recovery program near West Chester PA. With an enhanced set of skills you can adjust to life more easily after your time in rehab, which makes you less likely to relapse.
- Leisure activities. From movie nights to adventure sports, you can participate in a range of pastimes each week on one of our inpatient addiction programs. In part these activities let you relax and enjoy some time with your peers. However, you will also appreciate from taking part in these that there is no need to turn to drugs when you want to have a good time, as there are so many wholesome activities you can enjoy.
- Exercise sessions. Attending the gym several times during the week enhances your physical fitness, which often drops off due to drug dependency, but building up your strength and stamina isn’t the only reason to take part in workouts. These are also a natural way to lift your spirits due to the endorphins you produce on exercise, so fitness training offers another option to boost your mood during and after treatment. If you can maintain your new exercise habits after completing drug addiction therapy West Chester PA, you also help yourself stay abstinent, as you are less likely to relapse if you have a healthy lifestyle.
