Addiction - Getting and Staying Clean and Sober
Addiction, whether it be to drugs, alcohol or another substance is not safe. Not only will addiction ruin your life with your family, it will also damage your health and cause stress over your life that is just not worth it. Getting help with addiction is the first step to overcoming your addiction. Though some are able to achieve sobriety on their own many find greater success when they have a means of support to help them get through the various phases of early recovery.
There are several options out there when it comes to dealing with your addiction. First off, your addiction may not seem bad to you, but it is really worse than you think it is. Think about it, the word addiction itself generally has no positive meaning. It will take a lot of will power to overcome your addiction, so it is important that you are dedicated before you begin your attempt to overcome your addiction. There are several different methods that you can use to get sober. There are many programs and means of self help. However, the best method is to wean yourself off your addiction slowly if you can without going backwards, for some though the cold turkey method is the best and only options as addictive personalities find it difficult to use their drug of choice moderately.
Quitting all at once will often lead to withdrawal symptoms but with support and encouragement as well as the desire to get sober you will be able to overcome the discomfort caused by withdrawal. When learning to get and stay sober there are many options and tools available to help you on this path!
While gently weaning yourself off your addiction does work for some addicts, other addicts need help to quit. There is never any shame in asking for help. One of the best ways to get help is to visit a professional rehabilitation center. These centers will be able to help you with medical needs, but more importantly the emotional side of your addiction. Believe it or not, talking about your addiction will help you. Going into a treatment program does not mean that you will have to go through the entire treatment.
However, if you want to kick your addiction to alcohol, or any other drug for good, you can expect anywhere from 30 days to six months of treatment before you are cured. Alcohol is a particularly addictive drug, and is extremely accessible as long as you have a large enough wallet and are above the legal age. Without help, you may not have a chance of stopping your addiction to alcohol.
Not all alcoholics will need a heavy duty program such as alcohol treatment, yet they will not be able to quit alcohol by themselves either. There is a middle ground that many people use to treat their addiction to alcohol. Alcoholics Anonymous and many other similar organization can help you get your life back on track. You will be able to talk to other alcoholics about the problems that you are encountering and get the support that you need to kick your addiction to alcohol for good. Alcoholics Anonymous does not take up months of your time, just one hour out of one day of your week. If you are uncomfortable at entertaining the idea of attending meetings then the sober resources online may be a good place to start.
There is an abundance of sober communities or sober forums with individuals participating on message boards while helping and supporting those struggling with getting and staying sober. The available sober resources available will also provide you with information on all the various addiction recovery programs available. Though Alcoholics Anonymous is the most favored program of recovery there are many other programs which may be more tailored to your personal needs, beliefs and still offer you the tools to help you on your road to recovery.
Resources: http://sobamesa.com http://ezinearticles.com/?Addiction--Getting-and-Staying-Clean-andSober&id=2298374