Going through a substance addiction is no easy task for addicts or their family, and many people are left wondering whether or not jail is the best option for their loved ones. Many people disagree on the topic and don’t know what path makes the most sense when faced with bailing out a loved one, or leaving them to face their consequences.
Even though answering this question is difficult, facing the problem is the only way to find a solution, and everyone needs to work toward a better future for those who are suffering. Taking a close look at the pros and cons of facing addiction in jail will help paint a clear picture and enable you to choose the right path for you and your loved one.
Jail Removes Addicts From Temptation
Because of the powerful withdrawal symptoms that people face, combating their problem and overcoming their addiction won’t be easy without the right treatment. Nobody wants to watch their life fall apart because of drug abuse, but being addicted can change the way a person thinks.
When the cravings are at their worst, most people will surrender to temptation and seek another fix. Since those who are behind bars won’t have easy access to the substance to which they are addicted, they will have no choice but to physically accept the detox process. They will have likely made it through the worst of the withdrawal symptoms by the time that the legal system releases them from jail.
Of course, detoxing from a substance is only the beginning of the journey. Read on to learn more.
Jail Increases an Addict’s Odds of Survival
When addicts use dirty needles to inject a substance into their body, they are potentially exposing themselves to a range of harmful pathogens that could take their life. Also, people who use drugs on a regular basis will build a tolerance and require even more of the substance to reach the desired outcome, but those are not the only dangers.
Dealers will often use fillers in their products to make it appear as though they have more of the substance to sell, but the results can be deadly. Inconsistent dosing, the need to overcome tolerance and filler chemicals combine and increase a user’s odds of death. Each day that a person spends in jail is another day that they won’t die from an overdose. While knowing that your loved one is in jail can be stressful, you will know that your friend or family member is not dying on the street.
Jail Limitations
Dealing with addiction in jail offers clear benefits but is not without its share of downsides. You will need to take a look at the positive and negative factors when your goal is to make the best possible choice for your loved one. Most jails use a generic treatment approach to assist inmates facing addiction and withdrawal symptoms, and support groups are often limited to one per week.
As stated earlier, while detoxing in jail is likely, without appropriate treatment, a person suffering from addiction is likely to relapse once released. Unless they deal with the underlying issues in addiction, simply going through detox in jail is not enough. Not only that, but the stress that people face while they are in jail can increase their odds of relapsing once they regain their freedom. The time that they spend behind bars gives them the chance to detox and then ultimately think about their lives and choices, but a lot of inmates dread facing their friends and family after being exposed. When they finally get out, their substance is often the only source of comfort, causing the cycle to repeat.
Addiction Treatment at Ocean Hills Recovery
Jail might have its pros and cons when it comes to helping people escape from the cycle of addiction, but going to jail is not an easy fix to combat addiction. When you want to give your loved one a fair shot at making a full recovery, reach out to Ocean Hills Recovery for support and guidance.
We care about the people who come to us and will stand by their side and guide them through each step of addiction treatment. The programs that we offer will help people understand their problem and the factors that have contributed to it so that they can uncover a viable way to enter into recovery.
Substance abuse impacts addicts, their families and society, so we must work together to stop this issue in its tracks. You can pick up the phone or visit oceanhillsrecovery.com if you would like to get started or to learn more about us and what we can do to help.
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