Many times people know they really need to go a drug or alcohol rehab program, but they can’t quite make the decision to go. Many times it might be denile or some misguided belief that it’s not really their problem. There are however a significant number of people who on some level know and accept they need a drug rehab program, but still won’t go. There is a logical explanation for this and a logical solution as well. Choosing one of the many rehabs available means a journey into the unknown. It also represents change.

I have said many times that one of the main reasons people return to drugs and alcohol is stress. Well the unknown and change are very very stressful. This is especially true for someone with addictions. The stess of thinking about going to a rehab facility may cause enough stress to drive a person towards their drug of choice. This makes the thought of stopping using even a more frightening possibility which leads to even more stress. This sets up a loop which actually drives someone thinking about treatment away from rehab.

The best way to handle stress is to plan for it. It you are thinking about entering a drug or alcohol rehab, know that it will initially increase the stress in you life. You may want to find a counselor and see them several times in the week before you head off. They can work with you in some stress reduction exercises. Planning you detox carefully and safely will also decrease the stress. Knowing that you will be cared for safely and humanely will also go a long way to decreasing the stress. Taking care of your finances and ensuring you kids are well taken care are also important. The key is to think ahead about the stresses you have in your life and deal with them. Less stress means you won’t crave your drug of choice so much. This means a greater chance of success in rehab and after.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 6th, 2006 at 10:48 pm and is filed under Drug Addiction, Drug Rehab. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.