Millions of people suffer from various addictions. Drug and alcohol abuse receive the most attention because of the potentially dangerous consequences. Battling an addiction can seem overwhelming. There is an uncanny sense of hopelessness. However, there is a solution.
The solution is found in recovery. Recovering from a substance abuse disorder requires a commitment on your part. Many begin their recovery journey by completing a rehab program. Treatment programs are not a guarantee for lifelong sobriety.
However, often they are a critical first stage in recovery. But how many times must someone go through rehab to stay sober? The answer to this question is in your control. Let’s look at some aspects of treatment and rehab programs that can actually limit the number of rehab stays to one.
You Are a Miracle
This is something shared across thousands of recovery fellowships. The feeling of a miraculous change in your life does not have anything to do with how many times you relapse. You are a miracle of recovery the minute you choose to live clean and sober.
Now, there are thousands who lose sight of this concept. For whatever reason, the initial attempt at treatment doesn’t seem to work. It’s not the treatment that has failed. Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol are cunning and baffling foes. The disease of addiction will never leave you.
Through recovery, you arrest your disease from controlling your life any longer. That monumental achievement in and of itself is a miracle. Those fortunate enough to complete treatment and stay sober forever are true miracles.
However, that doesn’t reduce the miraculous achievements of those who lose their path along the way. It is a miracle to make it back into recovery after a relapse. The fact is, anyone who accepts their powerlessness over drugs and alcohol, and seeks help, is a miracle. Now, how might you become one of the miracles who only needs one rehab experience?
How to Remain a Miracle
Recovery fellowships call them one-chip wonders. There are thousands of people who begin their journey in recovery and never look back. They commit themselves to do whatever it takes to stay clean and sober. You can do it as well. Here are a few suggestions to help you stay sober after completing a rehab program.
Establish a Support Network and Use it
As soon as you reach out for help for a substance abuse disorder, you’ll be starting to establish a support network. That first caring person on the other end of the phone will be your first experience with how vital this support system is in recovery.
Your rehab program experience will continue to build this network of support. In addition, you will be offered helpful suggestions for maintaining a support system throughout your lifelong recovery journey. The key is to use it.
Build a Structure for Your Recovery
There is a saying often spoken in recovery circles. People with many years of clean and sober time insist that if they do tomorrow what they did today, there is a strong likelihood that they will remain clean and sober.
During your rehab program, you will be gifted with guidance and direction on how to develop a stable recovery structure. There will be things that you need to do daily. There will also be things that you are cautioned against doing. Build a structure for your recovery, and stick with it.
Remain Teachable and Open to Change
Life is a constant series of challenges. Even though you successfully complete a treatment program for addiction, that alone cannot guarantee lifelong sobriety. You must remain teachable and keep an open mind to change. Recovery is a lifelong journey. It is not like a job or difficult assignment in school.
It is something you should enjoy. By keeping an open mind to new ideas and accepting suggestions, you can help guard yourself against a dangerous relapse. After your rehab is completed, remain teachable and open to change to become one of the miracles who never has to go back to rehab.
Drug and alcohol addiction are diseases that can devastate your life. If you think you have a problem with either, there is a strong chance that you need help. Help is available. All you have to do is reach out and ask. Your journey may begin with a rehab treatment program.
You may wonder if the first time will be enough. Even if you relapse, hope is not lost. However, if you follow a few suggestions and the advice of professionals, you can stay sober after one try at rehab. The choice is up to you. Reach out for help today and launch your journey into a new way of living. Call us at 732-392-7311.
