Why Rehab?

The Need for Rehab

When the suggestion of rehab is made to most people dealing with addiction problems, they can feel a great deal of resistance to the idea. It can sound like such an extreme proposition and it can be hard for them to admit that they are unable to take care of this problem without help. The reality is that very few people who would benefit from rehab actually believe this in the beginning. There are a number of valid reasons for why this is such a good solution including:

• Addiction is a very serious business. If affected persons are unable to break away from this behaviour, it is highly likely to not only kill them, but also to cause them a lot of suffering along the way to this grim ending. The fact that this is such a serious condition means that individuals have to be willing to consider serious solutions.
• One of the trickiest aspects of addiction is that it interferes with people’s ability to make good decisions. By going to rehab, they can be supported in the right decisions until the mental clouds clear and they can see things more clearly for themselves.
• Many individuals that have reached a point where they are ready to admit that they have a problem will have already tried to quit before, or reduce their intake, alone but failed to maintain this. If they keep on trying to go it alone they may keep on failing, and all they will be doing is reducing their self-efficacy to quit.
• Many of the rehabs also act as a detox. This means that the individual will be supported with their withdrawal symptoms. The detox stage is where people are most likely to relapse. The symptoms are never usually much worse than the flu, but the individual knows that they can stop at any time by relapsing – this can be a hard temptation to resist without support. There will also be people, who are at risk of severe withdrawal symptoms that could potentially become life threatening, and they will need to be medically managed in detox – a good rehab will be able to offer this.
• There will be reasons for why the individual will have fallen into addiction, and if these reasons are not addressed, they will continue to cause problems for the individual. An important goal of rehab is to address these underlying issues, so that the person can become truly free.
• One of the most common reasons for why people relapse when trying to go it alone in recovery is that they feel unable to cope with life. In rehab, the individual will have the opportunity to develop some new coping strategies, so they can face what is going to come.
• It is common for people caught up in addiction to have a real problem with dealing with stress. In rehab, they will have the opportunity to develop some stress management skills.

Good Reasons to Overcome the Resistance to Rehab

Even after the individual is willing to accept that rehab can help them, they can still feel resistant to the idea. Here are a few good reasons for why the person should be willing to push against this resistance and go anyway:

• By going to rehab the individual will be sending a clear signal to the addictive part of their thinking that the game is up. It shows that the person is serious about making change, and this really does make a difference. In order to be able to break away from addiction the person needs to be willing to go to any lengths and to make it their number one priority.
• The individual will only be staying in rehab for a short period of their life, but it can have a hugely positive influence on the rest of their life.
• The person will be investing in their future. If they make the most of their time in this facility they will walk away with the tools necessary for building a success life. What is on offer is far more than just staying sober – the individual will be able to create a sober life that they will never want to lose.
• Going to rehab is a fantastic educational opportunity when it comes to breaking away from addiction. The individual has the chance to understand what is going on and how they can escape.
• If the individual chooses a luxury rehab they will feel like they are on holiday, and this can make the process even easier. There are luxury rehabs in exotic places like Thailand that are reasonably priced, and the individual does not even have to tell people where they are going.
• By entering rehab, the individual will have access to all the best resources for dealing with addiction problems. They will be surrounded by these resources, and they will be helped to get the most out of them.
• Going to this type of treatment centre can give the individual a running start in recovery. This means that they will be able to make better progress, and their sobriety will be stronger as a result.