| Fundamentally, it seems ridiculous, when all that's | | | | need professional help for any real hope at getting |
| needed is to just stop doing something harmful, why | | | | better. |
| can't you just do it on your own? | | | | Why does drug rehab help? |
| It's very hard for anyone who has never been | | | | A month or more of enforced sobriety gives us a |
| addicted to understand what the problem is, and | | | | great head start towards the healing of the mind, |
| when we start losing our careers, our families and | | | | and staying away from access and temptation for |
| even our health; why can't we just stop? | | | | the first period of abstinence gives us a far better |
| And the truth is, many of us who are addicted don't | | | | chance at making it through the very tough initial |
| have a good answer for this one; we just know that | | | | month. |
| when we try we fail, and we fail so badly that it all | | | | Additionally, although we cannot control what we are |
| just seems hopeless. | | | | not aware of, we can learn strategies to reduce the |
| There is hope; we just can't do it on our own. | | | | influence of our deep mind, and also strategies that |
| To get better, the vast majority of us need | | | | can save us from relapse if we do find ourselves on |
| professional care and therapy, and most of us need | | | | the brink of use. |
| it on an inpatient basis. | | | | Through the therapies of drug rehab, we learn how |
| Once drug or alcohol abuse progresses in severity to | | | | we must control not only our actions, but even our |
| addiction, there occurs a slight change in the | | | | thoughts if we want a real chance at sobriety. We |
| functioning of the mind. The pleasure and reward | | | | need to stop those thought processes that lead us |
| center of the brain exists deep within, in an area | | | | into trouble before they get us exposed to known |
| beyond our conscious control or awareness, and | | | | triggers to use. |
| once we are addicted it is the influence of this deep | | | | And since we cannot hope to banish all temptations |
| preconscious part of our mind that keeps us heading | | | | from our lives on the outside, we need to learn |
| back to use and abuse. | | | | concrete and effective strategies that will keep us |
| We can't control it, we aren't even aware of it, but | | | | sober, get us out of very dangerous situations, and |
| constant impulses from this area (the mesolimbic) | | | | leave us ready to fight another day. It does get |
| explain why although our actions appear willful and | | | | easier in time, but without the skills to get past the |
| decided, we truly act as though puppets; and the | | | | start, we can never make it through to the end. |
| drug is the puppet master! | | | | Some people can quit on their own, most of us |
| Now the brain does show incredible resilience, and the | | | | cannot. If your drinking or drug using is making your |
| brain will heal itself, but it takes time, and often many | | | | life unmanageable, and brings more pain than it does |
| months or even years are required to get back to a | | | | pleasure, you need to make a change. Try it on your |
| normal state of functioning. It's during these initial | | | | own, but if you can't stop, understand that you are |
| months of sobriety that we are at our most | | | | no longer in complete control over your actions, and |
| vulnerable to the impulses of our preconscious mind, | | | | get into a safe place to learn the things you need to |
| and because of these preconscious impulses...we | | | | know to get better. |