If you are like the countless other people who are battling addiction and looking for a way out, you are likely wondering if addiction self help books can allow you to break free from the habit.
Although books are a great resource and will provide you with useful tips and tricks, the information you get from books won’t be enough to solve the problem for good. You will probably make some progress at the start but relapse after a short period unless you take the proper steps to cure yourself. The following guide will show you why self-help books won’t be enough and how a rehab center can more than fill the gap, empowering you and giving you the support and tools to move on with your life and begin a long-lasting recovery.
Overcoming Addiction Requires More Than Motivation
Most self-help books that you will find at stores and online talk about finding your motivation to overcome your habit, which sounds like a solid strategy on the surface. They will ask you to list the top problems you will face if you don’t get your addiction under control right away. A lot of books will then tell you to think of the benefits you will gain once you rid yourself of the addiction.
Drugs create powerful reactions in the brain, and you will experience strong cravings when you try to quit using them. Unless you have stronger willpower than 99 percent of the population, the desire to use your drug of choice will overpower your motivation to quit, resulting in a relapse. If you opt for addiction treatment at an inpatient rehab center, you will remove yourself from temptation and be in a safe, relaxing environment.
Withdrawal Symptoms Make it Hard to Resist Temptation
Even if you are lucky enough to resist the temptation to use drugs for the pleasant feelings they offer, the withdrawal symptoms are the next challenge you will face. Depending on the drug to which you have become addicted, you may experience severe pain, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia and more.
As the hours and days progress, the symptoms will become increasingly intense. While some withdrawal symptoms can be painful, others can be deadly if you try to face them without professional guidance. Many addiction treatment centers also offer medically supervised detox programs to make the first step of recovery as comfortable and safe as possible.
Addiction Can Cloud Your Judgement
When you read through self-help books for the first time, a lot of the advice will make sense, and most people are tempted to try it on their own. The problem is that addiction can cloud your judgment and make it hard to plan for the future. You will then be at risk for making careless choices that will increase your odds of returning to bad habits, and the cycle will likely repeat several times as you try to escape from the downward spiral.
Combating Addiction Requires Several Lifestyle Changes
When you are trapped in addiction and want to get your life under control, setting goals and thinking positively is necessary but alone it won’t be enough to overcome the cravings and withdrawal symptoms that you will face. Even once you make it through the most challenging phase of recovery, being around other people who drink or use drugs will increase your odds of a relapse. The path to recovery requires some lifestyle changes that can be difficult to make, but the team and therapies offered at a rehab center will give you the tools required for success.
Long-Term Recovery Requires an Outside Perspective
Many people facing addiction have trouble looking at their situation from an objective stance, which makes it much harder for them to work toward a solution. If you can relate to that problem and don’t want to take unneeded chances, getting an outside perspective is critical. An impartial addiction and recovery counselor will look at your life and choices to help you decide what options will give you the best results.
Taking the Vital First Steps
Reading this short guide is an important step in the right direction if recovery is your No. 1 goal. We invite you to take the next step by reaching out to one of our caring professionals so that we can assess your needs and help you overcome your addiction. In addition to treating addiction, our staff is well-versed in dual diagnosis treatment, which helps to identify and treat the root cause of addiction. Even though addiction is a powerful disease that has impacted many lives, we can defeat it when we stand together, and we can begin right away.
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