You have vowed to stop drinking or using drugs. You have managed to stop. However you cannot stay stopped – after several days, weeks or even months you are back on it. You are back where you were, feeling low, guilty and ashamed. The people who love and care about you are upset, disappointed and even angry. Or maybe you are isolated, alone and lonely.
So how do you get back on track again?
The simple answer is that you must stop drinking or using as soon as possible, before the alcohol or drugs get a grip on you and you have a physical dependency. This will take will power and determination. However, if you have never had help for the psychological side of your addiction then it is likely that you will stay on the stop start merry go round till you do. You need to go to private drug and alcohol rehab (unless you are fortunate enough to find a funded place but these are few and far between).
Getting the help you need
At private alcohol or drug rehab you will get the help you need to finally stop drinking and using. Not only will you be given any detox necessary so you can stop drinking or using safely and comfortably, you will look at the psychological side of your addiction. You will discover the reason for your addiction whether for example it is because you are a particularly anxious or stressed individual, or someone lacking in confidence or with low self worth. It may be because you have some sort of painful experience or trauma in your background, that you had a difficult childhood or have experienced recent loss / grief issues. All this can be dealt with in therapeutic treatment. In rehab you will also be taught the benefits of total abstinence and will get the tools to deal with life’s ups and downs without needing to resort to a drink or drug.
If you have already been to rehab then you should know all this. So it is more a case of you getting physically clean so that you can decide what has gone wrong and start putting the necessary action in. You should have been advised to attend 12 Step Fellowship meetings, get a sponsor and work your programme with that sponsor. You should have an aftercare service available to you from the clinic you attended.
Dig deep
If you have been to rehab and know what you should do – and really want to get well and stay well – then you will need to dig deep to get yourself clean and sober again. You will either need to decide to just stop (if it safe to do so) or to cut down and detox yourself. If you are in the midst of an alcohol binge, please be aware that it may not be safe to just stop: you could be at risk of having an alcoholic fit / seizure which can be life threatening.
See your GP if you need help – or if you are really desperate and cannot stop then it could be back to rehab for you!