Three mistakes to avoid in treating addiction to medicine or any other drugs.

Three ways to make a mistake on choosing a treatment facility are:

1. Going for the short-term solutions.

The addiction didn’t develop overnight and resolving it won’t be quick either. The addicted person has been using for years. The changes in lifestyle, the hiding and all the other aspects of being an addict are now more than just habit, some of them are now ‘hardwired’ into the person’s nervous system. Spending money on a quick fix may be more attractive at the moment, but in the end is more often a waste of money and time.

2. Looking for a treatment facility in you neighborhood.

This is a common mistake and one that can be the difference between success and failure. A change of environment during treatment has long been known to be an important part of successful therapy. The person recovering from drug dependence or addiction will do better in environments without constant reminders of their former problem. Until their strength returns, it’s far better to keep away from as many “triggers” (people, places or situations that remind them of times they used drugs in the past) as possible. While it may seem like a benefit to have regular visits from friends or family, it is actually more often a detriment to recovery until the addict regains more strength.

3. Throwing more drugs at the problem.

The trouble in the first place was the person trying to solve their problems through the use of drugs. So now we’re going to “solve” this problem with more drugs?  That anyone would even suggest this as a solution is mind boggling.

Although it is occasionally necessary to help them over the initial withdrawal period with medications under close medical supervision, drugs are never the treatment for addiction to drugs. To simply replace one addiction with another can only perpetuate the person’s dependence on drugs and never leads to a cure.

DrugIndependence.org