Drug Rehab: How Low Must You Go Before You Hit Rock Bottom?
Anyone who has ever been the victim of or who has even been around someone who is the victim of drug addiction has heard the term “rock bottom.” It’s a phrase that has long been used to describe the place in which an addict must make it to before they begin to turn their life around and find recovery from drug addiction. But how low must an individual go before realizing that they have hit rock bottom and must begin to come back up in life? That depends on what rock bottom means to you.
The Rock Bottom of Drug Addiction
Everybody and every addiction is different. For one, rock bottom may be getting a DUI as a result of driving while under the influence of alcohol. For others, this may be just the beginning of a long term addiction to alcohol that results in damage to the liver and kidneys, multiple DUIs and even additional alcohol related consequences before the individual hits rock bottom and begins to seek recovery from this addiction.
Consider a drug addict that has already lost custody of her children and now only has occasional visitation with the children as a result of her addiction to drugs. She knows that she could get her children back if she just would stop using drugs but her addiction still continues to control the things that she does. Despite the fact that she must stop using drugs or else she will never see her kids again, she realizes that she stills sees the children occasionally right now so she continues to use. The drug addict feels as though things are bad but they aren’t all that bad…she does still see her kids after all. She hasn’t hit “her” rock bottom yet.
So what’s your rock bottom? How low must you go before you seek treatment for drug addiction? That answer depends on the stronghold of the addiction and on your own thoughts on what rock bottom is. If you feel like things aren’t all that bad and could still be much worse than you likely have yet to hit your rock bottom.
The downside to this thinking is that addicts tend to feel like they have time, they don’t need to seek help until they hit rock bottom and that as long as things aren’t absolutely as bad as they can get than their addiction is not out of control. Unfortunately, rock bottom for some is death and once you hit this rock bottom there is no coming back. It’s important for addicts to realize that drug addiction can be treated during all phases and that hitting rock bottom is not absolutely necessary before an addiction may be treated.
Drug addiction recovery is a huge change that may be scarey for an addict, especially someone who has been doing drugs for so long that they have difficulty fathoming life without the drugs but recovery is possible. It is possible to begin the journey through recovery from drug addiction without first hitting rock bottom, losing everything in life that matters to you and then trying to pick up the pieces. In fact, if you can realize the need for help then you can begin to recover from drug addiction before you actually hit rock bottom.
Not Sure What Your Rock Bottom Is?
If you aren’t quite sure what rock bottom is to you, try this: Write down a list of everything that matters in your life (besides drugs or alcohol). Maybe it’s your children, your family, your home, your job, your education, you life…now take that list and think real hard about not having any of that! That’s your rock bottom and that list is as close as you ever have to go to hitting your rock bottom. You have the ability to stop the free fall toward your rock bottom. You can control whether or not you ever see the day when your drug addiction results in you losing everything that matters to you. You are not alone, thousands are seeking help and recovery from drug addiction. Contact a drug rehab center today to get help and treatment for your drug addiction before you hit rock bottom.