Why Rehab is Essential For SUD. The vastly influential Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh once said, “When you love someone, the best thing you can offer is your presence. How can you love if you are not there?” This concept can be found at the core of rehab and recovery from substance use disorder. Rehab is a fundamental way of showing someone that is struggling that they don’t have to go through recovery alone.
Some people that struggle with substance use disorder (SUD) believe they can overcome their addiction alone. While this may actually be true for some individuals, the vast majority need outside help. The important thing is that when they reach out for that help, someone is there to give it. That is what you can expect from The Phoenix Recovery Center. In the most distilled terms, we help struggling people get better.
We don’t hold a monopoly over recovery. There is no one way to recover. However, some methods are more effective and successful than others, especially in terms of individual needs.
Community: You Don’t Have to Struggle Alone
For those going through active addiction, life can feel like an endless cycle of toxic behaviors that compound upon each other until the cycle begins anew. This is a lonely and isolating way of life, and it is one that many people struggling with SUD cannot find their way out of. This is why it is critical for people to understand that there are safe spaces like rehabilitation centers that can help them break this cycle.
Most people in the recovery and rehab industry now agree that some type of outside intervention or help can be crucial for successful long-term recovery. As the old adage goes, “it takes a village.” However, it can also take a community to help a person recover.
Many people are hesitant about going to rehab and are concerned about some of the stigmas they see associated with addiction recovery. While it is true that some stigma still exists surrounding substance use disorder, this fear is unfounded, though these feelings should never be minimized.
Also, fear of stigma should never be a reason to stop someone from getting the help they need. This is where the recovery community can interject and help someone struggling to understand these significant truths.
Rehabilitation: Treating Substance Use Disorder
The National Institute on Drug Abuse discusses an array of reasons why rehab is integral to those struggling with substance use disorder. Some of these integral reasons include, but are not limited to:
- Treating the symptoms of withdrawal: This includes both physical and emotional symptoms, such as disruptions in sleep patterns and dealing with anxiety and depression.
- The ability to get proper medication if needed: Some withdrawal symptoms can be best treated with medication, which can be responsibly administered in a clinical rehab center.
- Professional help: Accessing professional help and assessments can help someone come down slowly and responsibly from the physical side effects of substance withdrawal.
- A recovery plan: Creating a plan for long-term recovery to support an individual after they leave their initial rehab facility is vital.
This long-term planning can be extremely beneficial to those in recovery because it can help avoid future relapse. Thus they can also avoid the entire rehab cycle from happening again, and as anyone who has been through it knows, rehab is something that is preferably experienced only once.
Long-Term Recovery: Living Life to the Fullest
Rehab can be critical for recovering from the physical symptoms of withdrawal from substance use disorder, but it can also be critical for getting to the root causes that often underly addiction. Most rehab centers have therapists on staff that can help people struggling with addiction address the emotional components that come along with recovery.
The idea of recovery is not to “white knuckle” through a life of sobriety. Recovery should not be considered a chore; it should be reframed as a blessing. After all, for many struggling with active addiction, rehab was the alternative to much more drastic consequences. In 12-Step programs, they refer to these alternatives as “jails, institutions, or even death.” A good rehab can help illustrate this point to someone struggling with SUD.
Contribution: The Positive Cycle of Recovery
With a good rehabilitation facility and a positive support system, those “white knuckles” of strained sobriety can turn into the open hand of recovery for someone else. Helping others is one of the most beautiful aspects of healthy recovery, which is why you can find so many people in the recovery industry that have been through it themselves.
Yes, rehab can stop the endless cycle of loneliness that comes with substance use disorder. Even better, rehab can lead to a new cycle of helping others get through that loneliness as well, and that is a wonderful legacy.
