Seven Reasons Why Addiction Treatment is Better Than Doing it on Your Own

If you have come to realize you have a problem with drug or alcohol abuse, you might be tempted to keep it a secret. You might be embarrassed or ashamed about your actions, and to protect your reputation and that of your family, you might not want to admit to a problem. But hiding an addiction will keep you from getting the help you need. You can try to get sober on your own, but addiction won’t go away simply by wanting it badly. If you are an addict, get help. Trying to quit on your own can easily lead to relapse, frustration, more consequences, and you are highly likely to end up back with your substance anyways.

Some people try to get better on their own. They might read some self-help books or talk to friends that have recovered. They might start attending 12 Step or Recovery meetings. Sometimes they just quit cold turkey and try to rely on willpower to stop using. These ways might work for a few people, but for most people, a real addiction treatment program is much more effective, a lot easier, and longer-lasting.

Still not sure if you want to go through a treatment program for your addiction? Here are seven reasons why addiction treatment is better than doing it on your own:

1. It’s not going to happen otherwise. Quite simply put, if you could easily do it on your own, you would have already done it. It’s time to get help.

2. Get Away from the Substance. After admitting you have a problem, the next major step is getting away from the addiction object/chemical. Most people need a supervised setting which keeps you away from the destructive addictive object and lessens the temptations to use the addiction object.

3. Get a Coach. We get coaching or advice in many areas of our life because we are not the expert. We go to the dentist. We go to an accountant or financial planner. We go to our doctor when feeling sick. We get a teacher to learn how to play a musical instrument. We go to camp or get a coach to learn how to play a sport better. We get a physical trainer to help us lose weight or get stronger. We get a physical therapist to rehab an injury. So treatment gets you a professional coach.

4. Leave It To the Experts. Your brain is your most precious gift, and you are not an expert in how to retrain it to make more healthy decisions. In fact, you might actually be learning how to “correct” it the wrong way. This is often why addicts exchange one addiction for another. It is best to let someone who knows about how your mind and brain circuitry function help you recover in a way that will prevent relapse.

5. Enlist the Help of Others. It is hard to work out regularly on your own. Some days you are motivated and on the top of your game and can get to your workout and maximize it. Other days you aren’t as motivated. Having a workout buddy gets you some external motivation, accountability, encouragement, cheerleading, and energy to get you going. Being in a treatment program or facility is like getting a workout coach and workout partners for your brain and increasing your decision-making strength and power.

6. Give Yourself the Best Possible Chance. You have encountered a number of small and major losses and consequences already. Why would you sign up to have more consequences and losses? Even if going to treatment were overkill, wouldn’t you rather err on the side of over treatment (not much downside) rather than on the side of under treatment (high risk of more loss and consequences)?

7. Keep Yourself Safe. Lastly, and most importantly, trying it on your own could be deadly to you, loved ones around you, or innocent victims. Premature death from substance abuse or the accidental deaths of yourself or others are a common occurrence, and no one knows who will be next.

Getting help for an addiction is as easy as a phone call. Let Lighthouse Network help you. Call us at 844-LifeChange (543-3242) today to find a drug or alcohol treatment program.