If you find yourself in the pit of drug or alcohol addiction, trapped in a cycle of using, seeking out more, and never getting enough, you’re not alone. In 2023, an estimated 48.5 million Americans 12 and older were struggling with some kind of substance use disorder to either drugs or alcohol, or both, but only 23% got treatment through a drug addiction specialist for it.
Untreated addiction all too often destroys lives, leading to failed relationships, lost career aspirations, family strife, and even death. It might feel like an impossible situation, but the good news is that help is available to get you out of this pit of despair and get you back on track toward recovery.
At a top Los Angeles drug rehab center like Muse Treatment, teams of experts will be on your side during each step of your recovery journey. Addiction treatment programs require help from a whole team of professionals, including support staff, therapists, and drug addiction specialists who understand the unique challenges and most effective treatments to combat drug or alcohol abuse.
Let’s explore the reasons why addiction can be nearly impossible to defeat on your own and the unique role that drug addiction specialists play in helping you get better.
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Why Is It So Hard to Overcome Addiction on Your Own?
The truth is that addictions, clinically known as substance use disorders, are complicated. These medical conditions are chronic, meaning they can be treated and managed, but they can’t be cured. They’re also complex, with addictions happening due to a mix of factors like changed brain chemistry and function, physical dependence on substances, and underlying mental health struggles that likely contributed to the substance use in the first place.
While it might be tempting to try to learn how to get sober and do it yourself, this most likely won’t work out well for you in the end. All too often, people who try to get through a white-knuckle self-journey to sobriety will experience distressing or even dangerous withdrawal symptoms and extremely strong cravings to use the substance again. Most likely, quitting on your own will end with a relapse in the near future, and that can make the whole situation seem even more hopeless.
That’s why it’s far better to reach out to the experts for help. When you instead decide to get treatment at a drug or alcohol rehab center, you’ll get access to evidence-based treatments that are proven to be safe and effective for every step of your recovery journey.
You’ll be able to get medically supervised drug detox if necessary to get through withdrawal symptoms and physically stabilize, then advance to a comprehensive drug or alcohol addiction treatment rehab program where you’ll work with experts and drug addiction specialists to address the physical and mental aspects of your addiction. With expert help, you can get through the early days of sobriety while learning new skills and strengths that will help you remain in recovery long after you’re done with rehab.
What Are the Risks of Going Through Detox Without Medical Help?
There are many risks of trying to go off drugs or alcohol all on your own. Some substances, including alcohol, can cause highly distressing, uncomfortable physical and emotional problems once you stop using them. Your body has become used to the presence of these drugs, and when you no longer use them or drink alcohol, your body can reel as it tries to adapt to this new normal.
In some cases, this can lead to severe or even life-threatening problems, such as delirium tremens, that can happen when heavy drinkers quit using alcohol. Other withdrawal symptoms can include things like paranoia, hallucinations, nausea and vomiting, body aches, and even rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, or labored breathing. The withdrawal process can be awful without help and medical support, and it can put you at risk of major medical problems if you try to get through it alone.
When you instead turn to the experts for professional help, you can access medical detox programs that provide medication and round-the-clock medical support that can help you minimize or better manage withdrawal symptoms and get you through this brief period.
With our help, you can safely detox from drugs or alcohol and get stable and ready to start a rehab program where you’ll work on addressing all aspects of your addiction. We can also help you develop coping skills that will assist you with resisting cravings or urges to use again in the future.
How Do Addiction Specialists Create a Personalized Treatment Plan?
Once you decide it’s time to get help, you’ll start thinking about some of the many details leading up to your treatment. You might wonder what to bring and not bring to treatment, for example, or want to verify your insurance coverage for rehab before you get started, so you know exactly what you’ll be expected to pay.
What you may not have considered is how important it is to get help with a personalized treatment plan developed to meet your specific needs. When you get started with addiction treatment, you’ll work closely with medical professionals, therapists, and drug addiction specialists as they learn about your past history of drug or alcohol use and other mental or physical health struggles you have, as well as your goals for your future.
With all of this information, they’ll develop a carefully tailored plan for your overall treatment that will guide you through therapy, medical detox, medication-assisted treatment, aftercare support, and other components of a comprehensive addiction treatment program.
What’s the Difference Between an Addiction Specialist and a General Therapist?
You might think everyone who works at a drug or alcohol rehab center is doing the same job. Still, this complex medical condition requires a range of interventions and help, and that’s why your team of treatment providers will approach your condition from different angles.
For example, the American Board of Medical Specialties recognizes Addiction Medicine as a subspecialty, with Addiction Medicine specialists helping prevent, evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients who have substance use disorders. These physicians can also help family members who are affected by the addiction.
Substance abuse counselors are also specifically trained to help patients with addiction with concrete work and steps to help them develop goals for their treatment and work to come up with a plan of action to get stable and ready to deal with future challenges without turning to drugs or alcohol. Drug addiction specialists are trained to know how to deal with the specific challenges of drug or alcohol addiction to help patients get started in recovery and be less likely to relapse in the future.
Get Help From a Drug Addiction Specialist at Muse Treatment
Addiction can destroy lives, and it’s unlikely to get better on its own. That’s why you need to get help today to leave drugs or alcohol in your past and get on the road to the brighter, healthier future you deserve. In California, Muse Treatment is a top provider of comprehensive addiction treatment that can safely and effectively help you achieve your goals and overcome your addiction.
Our team of compassionate caregivers and drug addiction specialists knows what it takes to get through this critical period of time and learn new skills that will guide you for years to come. Call Muse Treatment in LA at 800-426-1818 to learn how we can help you get started today.
External Sources
- National Institute on Drug Abuse – About the Addiction Medicine Subspecialty
- National Institute on Drug Abuse – Why Are Drugs So Hard to Quit?
- HCI College – What Is the Difference Between a Substance Abuse Counselor and a Therapist?
