If you’re considering seeking treatment for your drug or alcohol addiction, you may have heard an astounding number of untrue things regarding addiction recovery. These myths can dissuade you from protecting your long-term health and can have devastating consequences. Understanding the difference between truth and hearsay is necessary for your recovery. By dispelling these myths, Broadway Treatment Center hopes to guide you and others towards the truth about drug addiction and recovery.
Myths Concerning Drug Addiction
Myth: Addicts can stop using drugs whenever they choose if they really want to.
Truth: If you are suffering from addiction, you might have heard that you have made a conscious decision to become addicted and that the problem is easy to fix. From the perspective of someone who has not been through addiction themselves, it might seem like you can easily stop using drugs. For an addict, this is not the case. Many people continue to abuse drugs despite the repercussions due to the addictive properties in the drugs and the terrible pain of withdrawals. Drug detox can be difficult to manage and the fear of it in addition to the uncontrollable desire to use drugs can keep many from seeking help.
Myth: Punishing somebody for their drug addiction is the only method that works.
Truth: Many people who have not suffered through addiction themselves will often say that those who abuse drugs have committed a crime and need to be punished. They thoroughly believe that this is a treatment method that is proven and works, but research shows that this is not the case. A significant portion of people who are arrested for drugs will end up back in prison within the twelve months on the same or similar charges. If we choose treatment over prison, the criminal justice system could save billions of dollars every year. Treatment should always be your first option.
Myth: It is easy to identify somebody who regularly abuses drugs.
Truth: Stereotypes lead many people to think that it is easy to identify someone who regularly abuses drugs, but this is not the case. While the stereotypical drug user is a male from a low socioeconomic background who is unemployed and has been arrested in the past, but this is not always the case. In fact, the rate of substance abuse and dependence amongst Hispanics and whites was around 8.5 percent for both groups. For African Americans, the rate was only 7.5 percent. Anybody can become addicted.
Myth: Rehabilitation doesn’t work if you’re severely addicted.
Truth: Rehab can be the best way to get the treatment that you need to recover. Residential rehabs are one of the most effective forms available for treatment and focus on changing both the environment the addict is living in that supports their addiction as well as their mental response to the substance. Professional residential rehab helps patients recover on mental, physical, and emotional levels when they need the support the most.
Myth: If you have relapsed, you have failed.
Truth: If you have relapsed in the past, you have not failed. Many people will feel shameful, guilty, hopeless, and anxious after they have relapsed and believe it’s a sign that they’re not strong enough to recover. This is not true. Not everyone can face their addiction on the first try, and relapse is a normal part of recovery. The key to success is to not let these failures dictate your future recovery.
Addiction Treatment in Huntington Beach
If you have stumbled in the past and need a helping hand to guide you through the process of recovery, Broadway Treatment Center can help you gain stable footing. Having a personalized treatment plan that is perfectly tailored to you and focuses on your strengths is the best way you can get started in the process of recovery. Contact us at 714-443-8218 today to find out how you can begin working towards a happier and healthier future for yourself.
