Maybe you have read a book—or a number of books—in the popular “Choose Your Own Adventure” series. These books lay out a story for a page or two and then offer the reader a choice. Each choice is followed by a page number: If you want to do X, turn to page 23. If you want to do Y, turn to page 43.
Once you make that first choice, you read a bit more and then encounter another choice—and so on and so forth until you reach a happy ending or a not-so-happy ending.
When you are struggling with drugs or alcohol, you find yourself in a similar situation. You get to make a choice—and the choice you make determines how your personal story will turn out.
Let’s take a look at your two choices and the paths they will put you on. We are quite sure you will find one choice far more appealing than the other.
Choice One: Ignore the Problem
At first, it might seem like your substance use is no big deal. Maybe alcohol or one drug or another seems to help you relax. Maybe you feel like the substance or substances in question are not having any impact on your day-to-day life. You might continue to experience success at work, your relationships might still be healthy, and you might feel like you have everything under control.
But as time goes by, you will likely start to notice some changes. They might seem minor at first, but eventually, it will be difficult to deny that your physical health and your mental health are being damaged by your substance use. And soon enough, additional negative impacts—financial problems, broken relationships, physical harm to yourself or others, and more—will start to pile up.
At this point, you might be eager to give up drugs or alcohol. Unfortunately, however, you are probably going to find that difficult to do. When you try to give up the substances, you will find yourself experiencing withdrawal symptoms that will be extremely difficult to withstand. You are now caught in a trap: You know you cannot keep using drugs or alcohol. You also cannot quit using drugs or alcohol.
At some point, if you stay on this path, something truly tragic is bound to occur. When it does, it might be too late to change the plot of your personal story.
Fortunately, there is another option.
Choice Two: Get the Help You Need
Let’s go back to the first moment you suspect you might be developing a substance use disorder. Rather than ignoring it or making excuses for it, you might choose to get help right away. For example, you might pursue residential treatment.
Residential treatment starts with medically supervised detoxification in a safe environment that is free from temptation. A detox program provides the support and supervision necessary to see you through the rigors of withdrawal so that you can get the substances you have been using completely out of your system.
Once you have reclaimed your sobriety, treatment continues in a robust rehabilitation program. That program is likely to include group and individual therapy sessions. You will learn strategies for maintaining your sobriety over time. You may also receive treatment for any co-occurring mental health disorders (like depression, anxiety, or a disorder sparked by trauma) that are entangled with your substance use disorder.
When residential treatment comes to an end, a continuum of care will ensure you have ongoing support and access to resources so that you can begin your recovery story with confidence. And should you experience a relapse, you can return to treatment to restart your recovery.
That, we are confident you will agree, is a much better ending.
Reclaim Your Sobriety at The Aviary Recovery Center
At The Aviary Recovery Center—located near St. Louis, Missouri—we provide the services outlined above so that you can ensure your substance use story has a happy ending. We help people reclaim and maintain their sobriety—and we do it via a commitment to evidence-based practices informed by our expertise, experience, and empathy. We will see you through detox and rehab and provide ongoing support through our alumni programs as your recovery gets underway.
We are proud of the work we do, but you do not just have to take our word for the quality of our services. For the second consecutive year, The Aviary Recovery Center has been recognized as one of the nation’s best substance use disorder treatment centers. That means you can count on us to provide the highest level of care as we help you work toward your goal of lasting sobriety.
