Should I go to a Drug and Alcohol rehab?

A drug and alcohol rehab is a hopeful choice

There were some questions I wish I’d been asked or at least been able to answer honestly but it’s difficult to admit you have a problem and it certainly was for me. For me, my family knew that the answer to all of these was ‘no’ and it was with their help and support I came to an alcohol and drug rehab, a place I will forever be eternally grateful for as I come up to my 3^rd year in sobriety.

If you can answer these questions it becomes clear that a drug and alcohol rehab is a hopeful choice to make because help is what you need.

• Can I stop entirely? 
• If I can stop, can I stay stopped?
• Can I do this on my own?
• Has anything I have tried to ‘control’ my addiction worked?
• Is everything, including your drink or drug consumption getting worse, never better?
• Is it deeply affecting your life and those around you?
• Do you want to quit but can’t?

I certainly needed to be removed from the environment I was in and when I say that, I don’t mean there was anything wrong with it but I no longer felt safe with myself, all my attempts at controlling my drinking had long since become any sort of option for me and it was at this point severely affecting my life and the lives of those around me, especially as I lived with my husband and two children.

Rehab helped me accept the fact I am an alcoholic

As a result, I had to come to terms with the fact that I might be an addict and, in my case, an alcoholic. Although this was difficult to accept and it did take me sometime to truly face the truth about the severity of my drinking, I hit what I thought was my rock bottom.

I was unable to control my drinking

The external and internal consequences were racking up and I knew I needed more help than I was getting from a controlled drinking program that I was currently doing once a week through the NHS. The truth was, it showed me that I was unable to control my drinking. However, my pride and at this time was a huge barrier and it needed to be smashed, that and some denial over the reality of what was going on in my life at that time, all of these were behaviours and attitudes that rehab showed me I also needed to change for me to stay sober.

Despite knowing I couldn’t control my drinking, I couldn’t stop even though I wanted to but options at that time had run dry for me. My drinking spiralled even further to a huge mental rock bottom, which today I see as a gift of desperation. I didn’t think my drinking could get any worse, but it did. Fortunately, I had family around me that saw this, intervened and helped find me a rehab. I know this is not always the case for everyone, but it is possible to make that call for yourself and will be the best decision you will make for your life and your loved ones.

Now I know that this is a progressive illness today and it would get worse if I hadn’t received the help in rehab that I received at that time. It helped me build a strong foundation to my recovery, got me sober and helped me to address some behavioural issues. Simply just trying to quit never worked for me because nothing in me changed, rehab taught me that just stopping drinking wasn’t enough, I had to change.

Finding recovery through a drug and alcohol rehab

Finding recovery through an alcohol rehabilitation programme, attending AA and working a spiritual program has meant that I haven’t had to find out for myself if it gets worse and I don’t want to which I why I never get complacent. I would choose any given ‘bad’ day over my very ‘best’ day in active addiction. Today life is full of hope and I cope with whatever comes my way which is something I wasn’t capable of before recovery, let alone doing. I still need to ask for help and I still can’t do this alone but today I have learnt to reach out and ask. One of the joys of recovery for me has also been helping other alcoholics, giving back what I have received. My relationships have blossomed and the world has opened up.