7 Reasons You Need To Go To Detox Right Now
Although “rapid drug detox” is rightly controversial when it refers to chemically induced withdrawal under general anesthesia, anyone with a drug dependency problem should be detoxed as “rapidly” as possible. When you suspect you have an addiction, the temptation is to tell yourself, “I can handle it, it’s not that bad” and (if you decide to do anything about it at all) to assume private responsibility by setting limits on how much you’ll take and when. Sometimes these limits even work. For a while.
But invariably, the problem continues to get worse—and, eventually, you have to face up to the dreaded question, “Do I need professional help with drug detox?”
If you even suspect you have an addiction, assume you do in fact need evaluation and treatment at a professional drug detox center. And get that treatment right now. Don’t wait until next week, next month or “when I have time,” because:
Your Work Performance Is Deteriorating
Of the estimated $740 billion spent in the U.S. each year to deal with drug addiction and its effects, about $81 billion is due to “lost work productivity.” Though you may think you’re doing your job as well as ever, with regular drug use your performance and your ability to judge that performance begin to decline early on. If you don’t think drug use is affecting your work, ask yourself honestly:
- Have I missed any work days in the last three months due to a hangover or other drug effects?
- Do I regularly leave as early as I can get away with, thinking only of my after-work drink or fix?
- Have supervisors hinted that I’m slowing down or losing my focus?
- Am I finding it harder to get along with coworkers?
- Have I gotten less conscientious about maintaining a professional image?
- No matter how “good” your reasons for answering “yes” to any of the above, they all indicate your drug use is already causing problems. Continue ignoring the situation, and you may lose your job—and with it, employee health benefits that could help pay for drug detox.
The Stress Is Hurting Your Loved Ones
No one likes being “nagged” by family—but family is right more often than we like to admit. Even if your loved ones suffer in silence, they’re still suffering. They may even be taking it on themselves to clean up your messes and make excuses for you, while inwardly making themselves sick with resentment and worry. Whatever your family’s specific dynamics, it’s nonsense to assume you’re “hurting no one but yourself”—the effects of addiction are also placing those closest to you under serious stress.
If you love your family, go to a drug detox center for their sake.
Your Life Is Losing Its Purpose
When drug addiction starts taking over your life, everything else recedes into the background. If you continue ignoring the problem, you’ll also end up ignoring your friends, your hobbies and your goals—until they (and your sense of identity) disappear from your life or die of neglect, leaving you only with a numb sense of trudging in circles from one drug dose to the next.
If you care about living and not just existing, you need drug detox to help you take your life back.
In order to have the most effective treatment, medical monitoring of addiction related care is essential. Addiction is a medical and mental health treatment plan, it is essential therefore to collaborate and follow medical monitoring of symptoms.
Lisa Bahar, MA, CCJP, LMFT, LPCC, https://www.lisabahar.com
Hesitating Just Makes It Easier To Talk Yourself Out Of Doing The Right Thing
As recently popularized in bestselling book The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins, many people have found the simple technique of “counting down” (5–4–3–2–1–Action) to be an effective cure for procrastination. The idea is to grab a point of focus and act on it before you have a chance to talk yourself out of acting.
Most people who come to drug detox programs have already “thought about it” quite a few times over the past months or years—have thought about it too much, always giving “what if” questions and points of pride the chance to help procrastination reclaim the upper hand. If you suspect you have an addiction, just go straight to detox now—the logistics will work out as you progress.
The Longer You Wait, The Harder It Gets
When addiction goes untreated for years, procrastinating in seeking detox treatment becomes more than a problem—it grows into a way of life. Everyday performance deteriorates, and more and more mistakes are made, until the drug user finds it all too natural to think in terms of “I’m a failure, I never get anything right.” And if you’re predestined to fail at everything you try, why try detox? What can it offer you except new miseries and new humiliations?
Besides the increasing psychological difficulties caused by delaying treatment, procrastinating too long usually means more painful physical struggles in withdrawal and in avoiding relapse.
The Longer You Wait, The More Damage Is Done
Everyone who follows celebrity news can cite examples of famous entertainers dying of liver cancer, early heart failure, hemorrhagic stroke or other medical problems brought on by years of drug use. Sometimes, serious physical damage can manifest even in a person who stopped actual drug use years earlier.
So go to detox right now to improve your chances of living long and healthy—and while you’re at it, get a thorough physical checkup to catch any damage that’s already been done. Especially if you’re under 35, many drug-abetted physical problems are treatable.
You Can Take Back Control Of Your Life
Even acknowledging all the above, you may worry that a drug detox program will try to force you into a mold of conformity: one tightly regulated approach, one set of “marching orders,” no consideration for your individual personality, interests, values, religious beliefs or special difficulties.
Good news: that’s not how detox programs work. They’re here not to take control of your life, but to help you take control back. While the famous 12 Steps talk about “admitting you are powerless” and “turning your will and life over to the care of God,” they also talk about knowing yourself and planning for the long term. And if you still dislike the 12 Steps, drug detox programs come in many other formats and approaches—somewhere, there’s a center with a program that will work for you.
With determination and help, you can take back your life from addiction and start becoming the you that you were meant to be. That’s too important to put off—get started today!
If you or a loved one are struggling with the decision to get drug detox treatment, call Inland Detox today at (888) 739-8296. We’ll help you make the right decision and take the first steps toward building an addiction-free life.