Drug and alcohol use is rampant. Some people use substances under the pretext of partying. Others use them because they’re in pain and self-medicating.
Either way, drug and alcohol treatment is possible for those who go overboard with their indulgence.
Getting help becomes more difficult the further down the rabbit hole you go, though.
Let’s talk about why early intervention and seeking help from a rehab facility can make all the difference with problem drinkers and drug users.
If You Become More Badly Addicted, It’s Harder to Get Well
You might have a situation where you’re using drugs or alcohol, and for a while, you feel like you have it under control. Maybe you only drink or use drugs on the weekends. In time, that can change. You may start using drugs or drinking before or after work.
Crossing the line from use to addiction can happen gradually or suddenly. Regardless of the path you take, you might reach a point where you’re physically addicted to your drug of choice. If so, it’s going to be tougher getting clean than it would be if you had gone to a rehab facility and sought help earlier.
If You Refrain from Getting Help for a Long Time, You’ll Alienate Your Support Network
You might realize that you’re developing a problem with drugs or alcohol, but you don’t want to stop. If you don’t want to change your behavior, it’s likely you’ll hurt the people around you in one way or another.
If that happens, you might alienate your friends and family members before you’re ever willing to go into rehab. There’s nothing that says you can’t go into rehab once you’ve hurt those closest to you, but you’ll likely find it harder at that point. Some of your family members and friends might be fed up with your behavior once you finally agree to get clean.
Admitting to Yourself You Have a Problem is Always Preferable
You might comprehend that you have a problem with alcohol or drugs and seek treatment on your own. If so, that’s usually better than being forced into rehab by a court order or something similar.
If you let yourself go too far with alcohol or drugs, you might try to drive and run someone down. You may rob a convenience store to get the money to support your habit or do something else equally egregious.
A judge forcing you to go into rehab as part of a plea deal is a very tough thing to have to do. You’ll realize at that point that if you had sought help earlier, you wouldn’t be in this very difficult position now.
In short, seeking rehab earlier on in the addiction process is almost always preferable to waiting. However, some individuals don’t feel ready if they don’t believe they’re actually addicted.
Alcohol and drug use can be a slippery slope. Make sure to monitor your use carefully since a habit can become an addiction much faster than you anticipated.
