Opiate addiction can be devastating to many areas of a person’s life. As such, the idea of overcoming an addiction to narcotics can be overwhelming. But how many steps should it actually take, and how should you go about your recovery?
Opioid Addiction Recovery Isn’t Easy
If it were easy to recover from long-term substance abuse and addiction, the issue of relapse would not be as serious or as widespread. But unfortunately, many people experience issues with recovery in some form of another, including relapse, during their time in and after treatment. This is because the way that consistent opioid abuse affects the brain, people who take this drug and end up becoming addicted to it lose their control over their substance abuse and experience a compulsion to use (National Institute on Drug Abuse).
Seeking addiction treatment is often not only helpful but also necessary to a safe, effective recovery. However, once you finish your treatment program, this does not mean you are out of the woods. According to the NIDA, “Most patients need long-term or repeated care to stop using completely and recover their lives.”
Where Do I Start?
Overcoming an addiction is a journey with an often unknown number of steps.
You may be feeling overwhelmed now, but it is important to remember one thing: opiate addiction treatment and recovery does not follow an exact series of steps that must be obeyed thoroughly to the end. Being able to overcome addiction is a difficult road, but you shouldn’t be looking ahead to its conclusion, counting the steps you have to take. Instead, the process is actually a long journey that should be specific to your needs and situation, and focusing on each step as it comes is more important than creating a to-do list of steps to the finish line.
The First Step of Overcoming Opiate Addiction
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the highly popular 12-step process for substance abuse recovery begins with admitting your powerlessness over the addiction and the issues it has caused in your life. If you are reading this, it is likely that you already understand this truth deep down and that you are ready to make a change. Therefore, the first step you can take toward a safe, effective recovery is to seek help.
Addiction treatment is necessary to a strong recovery. As stated by the NIDA, professional treatment programs help patients
- Stop using drugs
- Decrease their criminal activity
- Improve their occupational, social, and psychological functioning
While every patient needs their own specific treatment program and will have their own outcome, seeking help is always the first step to addiction recovery because you have already admitted that you cannot do this alone. And with the effects that opioid abuse has likely had on your life and your willpower, you shouldn’t expect yourself to. There are times in all of our lives when we need to seek help, and it is important to recognize these for what they are.
How Can I Find Help?
You can find safe, reliable rehab centers by calling 800-442-6158 Who Answers? . This is the first step to recovery because you are both admitting that you need help and actively seeking it. We want to ensure that your future is exactly that––yours––and allow you to create the life you want to lead.
When you call, you will be able to speak to one of our treatment advisors and begin your journey of recovery.
- Your advisor will ask you for specific information about your history of substance abuse, the severity of your condition, any co-occurring disorders you may have, etc. They will also need to know about your insurance plan, so it is important to have that information ready.
- Once you have given your information, your advisor will be able to match you with rehab centers that will fit your needs. These programs will be effective for your specific situation.
- Then, if you choose a rehab program from those presented to you, your treatment advisor will be able to give you information on how to be admitted to the program of your choice.
Don’t forget: the process of overcoming opiate addiction isn’t a 50-step checklist. It is a step-by-step journey that takes as long as it needs to, and the very first step is seeking help. Call 800-442-6158 Who Answers? today.
