Do I Really Need Addiction Treatment? Can’t I Just Do It On My Own?

Drug addiction treatment isn’t easy. For this reason, many people try to find ways to justify avoiding seeking the care that they need. However, an addiction is a serious disease and you wouldn’t avoid seeking cancer treatment or treatment for heart disease just because it required a lot of struggle and effort, would you?

You aren’t alone in trying to find an alternative to treatment. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 22.7 million Americans aged 12 and older needed treatment for addiction in 2013. Of those people, only .9 percent (2.5 million) actually received care at a rehab facility. That means that 91 percent of them either tried an alternative form of treatment or did nothing.

Obviously, refusing to treat the problem leaves the addiction in charge, but trying to work around formal, professional treatment (rather than with it) also does the same thing. You truly need addiction treatment and you cannot do it on your own. The following discussion should help to make that clear.

If you are left with additional questions about treatment, you should give us a call at 800-430-1407Who Answers?. Our experts can help you to understand the benefits of treatment and even walk you through the process of choosing a treatment program. Call now.

I Should Be Able to Control My Addiction, Right?

Addiction is a brain disease, not a loss of willpower.

If you are thinking about treating your addiction yourself, you are preparing to fight a losing battle. If you had the power to stop drinking or using drugs all on your own, you wouldn’t be thinking about treatment because the problem would already be solved.

It’s a misconception that addiction is a loss of willpower. The National Institute of Drug Abuse defines addiction as “a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.” You will notice the use of the term compulsive. Compulsions are traditionally beyond our control, even when there is a terrible price to pay.

Also worthy of examination is the idea that addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease. Like any other chronic disease, it deserves to be treated and doing so independently isn’t the wisest choice. A structured drug treatment program is staffed by experts in their field, who have studied treatment in depth. Can you say the same? Are you truly in a position to treat the disease? It’s chronic nature means it will need a lot of management and may never truly be cured.

Why Don’t I Just Go to a 12 Step Program?

Support Groups actually have a lot to offer, so considering one isn’t a bad thought. In fact, they are often incorporated into addiction treatment programs. However, few people who use them effectively do so without some other form of treatment.

In 2014, Alcoholics Anonymous (the first 12 step program ever) did a survey of its membership. More than 6,000 members from the US and Canada responded. Of the respondents, 59 percent had received treatment prior to attending AA and of them, 74 percent said it played a vital role in directing them to AA. Additionally, 58 percent of respondents received treatment after coming to AA and 84 percent of them said it played a vital role in their recovery from alcohol addiction.

So, you can see that even people committed to a 12 step program don’t rely upon it alone to treat their disease.

Self-Help Treatment or Inpatient Drug Rehab for Addiction Recovery?

But, Why Do I Need Formal Treatment?

As mentioned earlier, it is likely that you lack the expertise it would take to properly treat your addiction alone. Now, what if you also had another condition linked to your addiction?

People with a mental or physical disorder in addition to addiction have what is known as co-occurring conditions. One will affect the treatment of the other. For example, if you were to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, you may have a hard time with support group meetings that require you to remain very still and to listen.

If you are treating yourself, you may not know how to deal with both conditions and the relationship they play in the treatment of each other. But, a professional will. And, that’s important because people with mental conditions are more likely than the average person to suffer from addiction and the reverse is true as well.

If you are still debating, you should take time to consider whether rehab is the right choice and talk to one of our representatives. We can talk to you about the benefits of professional treatment and explain what will happen when you are getting treated. Call 800-430-1407Who Answers? today.