Addiction treatment is a topic that quite a lot of people are talking about lately. There’s no lack of information, and unfortunately misformation, uninformed opinions, and outright myths about addiction treatment out there. How can you tell the truth from the false when it comes to treatment for addiction?

This Achieve Wellness and Recovery article sets the record straight and dispels myths about addiction treatment.

Addiction treatment is professional medical treatment for an addiction and/or physical dependence on drugs (including alcohol). Addiction treatment comes in many forms, but the primary categories are:

Depending upon what substances a person is using, they may or may not require a medical detox to safely “step them down” for their safety and comfort. After that process is completed, they will usually progress to one of the other forms of addiction treatment listed above.

Maybe the most common and most damaging myth about addiction treatment is that you don’t need it. Countless people suffering from addiction cut themselves off at the knees every day by remaining in denial about their addiction and insisting they can stop anytime they want. They convince themselves that addiction is a choice and they continue to use, despite terrible consequences, simply because they want to. That is a lie. No sane living thing that is in control of itself and its faculties purposely chooses to keep ingesting poison and even risking death daily. What kind of sense would that make? None. It’s not logical, because it’s not a choice. It’s a disease.

Make the decision to be honest with yourself about addiction. Whether it’s your addiction or a loved one’s, denial is deadly. Whether or not you decide to get help today is up to you. But at the bare minimum, you owe yourself (and your loved ones) the truth. Admit that choice is no longer a part of the equation. A person with addiction has lost the power of choice about their use. They need help.

This is a persistent myth about addiction treatment that seems to persist no matter how many times it’s been busted. Detoxing yourself at home is never a good idea. The reality is that certain drugs, including alcohol and benzodiazepines, can be dangerous and even deadly in withdrawal. Many others, like heroin and opioid painkillers, come with extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Even if a person has gotten a hold of some detox medications, like Suboxone, this does not mean they know how to administer them properly. Used incorrectly these medicines can throw a person into precipitated withdrawal.

Consult an addiction treatment program, like Achieve Wellness and Recovery, and ask for an evaluation before you make any decisions about addiction treatment for yourself or anyone else. They will be able to let you know if a medical detox is necessary and help you make an informed decision about treatment.

While there are certain program elements you are likely to find in many, if not most addiction treatment programs — not all drug and alcohol rehabs are created equally. You should insist on a program that has been accredited by The Joint Commission and which is fully licensed by the State of New Jersey. This ensures they are upholding important standards. Beyond that, it’s a good idea to look for a program that offers dual-diagnosis treatment for any co-occurring mental health disorders, like depression or anxiety.

Read reviews of the facility. Google is a great place to start for that. See how many reviews they have and what their average star rating is. Remember that 8 5-star reviews do not carry as much weight as 50 4.5-star reviews. Finally, trust your gut. How friendly and helpful are they on the phone? Do they sound well-informed about addiction?

This is another very dangerous myth we keep encountering time and time again. People hear that someone went to treatment once or twice and relapsed and they conclude “drug rehab doesn’t work”. That’s nonsense. The fact is that addiction is a chronic disease of the mind. We do not, as of yet, have a cure for addiction. However, we do have effective addiction treatment. Addiction is complicated. So are the solutions to it. Recovery doesn’t happen by JUST going to treatment or JUST going to meetings or JUST abstaining from drugs and alcohol. For most people, it takes a combination of things, and not everyone gets it the first time around.

There is no such thing as getting “too much help” for a problem. But it’s very easy to not get enough help — and sadly millions of people make that mistake every year. Don’t settle for less addiction help than you or the person you love deserves. Do it all. Go to a reputable alcohol and drug rehab and go to meetings. Do 90 meetings in 90 days or more. Get a sponsor and do outpatient treatment. Take all the help you can get and you will improve your odds of success. If you pursue your recovery with the same vigor you pursued your drug of choice, your chances of successful recovery are excellent.

If your loved one is in the fight of their lives with drugs or alcohol — Achieve Wellness and Recovery can help. We’re only a phone call away.

If you have questions about addiction treatment in NJ, we’ve got answers. Achieve Wellness and Recovery is dedicated to providing a safe place where people can heal and recover from addiction and live better lives.

Get the substance use disorder treatment in New Jersey your loved one deserves. Give Achieve Wellness and Recovery a call at (833) 680-0142

You can also click here to find out how our program can work with your insurance.