Are you ready to get your life back on track? Here are five steps to help end substance abuse. 
Let’s take a quick look at the stats. In 2013 only 11% of 22.7 Americans who needed drug or alcohol treatment, got it (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). Many avoiding it by choice and because of the difficulties that come with finding the right option. Yet, nobody’s drug or alcohol problem goes away on its own. From 1999 to 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the death rate from overdoses more than doubled (most of them from opiates). According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than two million Americans abuse prescription painkillers. In 2012, physicians wrote 259 million prescriptions for pain killers. This is enough to give a bottle of pills to every adult in the USA.
Have you reached that point where you are tired of wrestling with your substance abuse? Admitting it is an important stage. And know, you are not alone. But it’s hard to get yourself into treatment and to make such big changes in life. And it can be a challenge in finding the right treatment for you. We outlined a few steps that you can take to help get your life back on track. Break it down. Process it. And give us a call to get started.
Step One. Admit, even if it is just to yourself, that the problem has gotten out of control. That there are negative repercussions surrounding your use of drugs or alcohol, and yet you keep using.
Step Two. Recognize that you’ve succeeded at a great deal in life and you can succeed at this as well. Examine what barriers exist in your life that are keeping you from quitting or getting help. Time? Crazy Schedule? Stress? Fear? These are all things that can be dealt with and overcome.
Step Three. Be willing. You have to want this for yourself. Reach out to a professional to help design a drug and alcohol treatment plan that is conducive to your needs.
Step Four. Take action. Commit to a treatment plan and go for it. Surround yourself with people who motivate you and inspire you. Detox with NTR to get your brain and body at its best for these big changes.
Step Five. Look to the future, live in the present. Understand recovery is an ongoing process. Even after your initial treatment protocol, there is work to be done. Maintenance is important for relapse prevention.
