When You Reach Bottom – Don’t Give Up

The bottom is different for everyone. What constitutes the absolute last straw in one person’s life is not the same as someone else. One thing is constant, though: it feels the same. You feel as though you’re worthless, untrustworthy, a liar, a cheat, unloveable. You hate that you’ve let your loved ones down, maybe even destroyed your relationships with friends, family, co-workers and others. Perhaps you’ve brought financial ruin or social disgrace on the family. You may have spent time in jail or are facing felony or misdemeanor charges for your actions committed while you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The thoughts and feelings that are overwhelming you at this point are perfectly understandable. Many individuals who are addicted to alcohol and/or drugs and have reached bottom feel that the world and their family would be better off without them. They may consciously or subconsciously try to end their life – by overdosing, or engaging in further self-destructive behavior that is almost guaranteed to prove fatal.

Does This Sound Like You?

Are you even close to this self-loathing and lack of will to live? If not, be thankful that you still have an innate will to survive. If it does accurately describe your current state of mind, you need to know there is help available. No one, repeat, no one, wants you to die. Even if your loved ones express strong emotions and say hurtful words, it only means that they love you and are frustrated by how the situation has gotten out of control – how you have gotten out of control.

Bottom looks bleak, make no mistake about it. There’s no sugar coating that can change that. When you reach bottom, you either pick yourself up or get help, or you quit. The end of that road is ultimately death, not life, and that is not the kind of option you want for yourself and your family.

Where to Turn For Help

In order to change your life around, you need to first acknowledge that you have a problem with alcohol and/or drugs. In admitting this, you then must fully commit to seeking help and going through whatever it takes to get yourself clean and sober. Take the following steps, modifying them to fit your circumstances.

• Tell Your Family – It’s important that your family support you through your detoxification, treatment and recovery from alcohol and/or drugs. You need to tell them that you know you have a problem and you want to get treatment. The fact that you are being proactive about your problem will indicate to them that you’ve made a huge decision. If the decision was semi-forced on you through an intervention, it is still proof that they love you. But you are the only one who can make the decision to fully commit to getting clean. No one else can do it for you. In fact, if you only go along with the family’s wish for you to go into detox and rehab, it likely will fail. Why? Because you have no vested interest in getting clean. You, and you alone, are responsible for your decision to quit alcohol and/or drugs. Tell the family and go from there.

• Find A Treatment Center – You can’t get clean without professional assistance. To find a treatment center near you, use the substance abuse treatment facility locator accessible through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website http://www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov/. The locator has more than 11,000 addiction treatment programs, including residential treatment centers, outpatient treatment programs and hospital inpatient programs for drug addiction and alcoholism. The SAMHSA facility locator listings include treatment programs for marijuana, cocaine and heroin addiction and drug and alcohol treatment programs for adults and adolescents. You can also contact National Treatment Referrals at 1-888-762-3750 or visit their website at http://www.nationalhotline.org/. Do a Google search for alcohol and/or drug abuse treatment and you’ll have numerous options. The key is to start somewhere to get information. You may also obtain referrals through your family physician, minister, family member or community resources.

An important point to remember is not to let financial considerations keep you from entering treatment. Many insurance policies cover some portion of drug and alcohol treatment programs, and there are also federal, state and community resources that can be of additional assistance.

• Get Into Detox – After an assessment of your particular situation, you will next need to go through detoxification. This is mandatory before any further treatment can begin. Recognize that the length of time for detox varies depending on the substance, alcohol or drugs or a combination, how long you’ve been using, the strength, purity, how often you use, your age and physical health outside complications caused by the substances. You will have professional medical assistance and supervision during the detox period and will be made as comfortable as possible to minimize side effects.You can also look for an inpatient drug rehab that includes a medically supervised detox as part of the program.

• After Detox, Treatment Begins – The next phase of your recovery is the treatment process. Again, this will be customized to your particular situation. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment program. What they do have in common is individual and group counseling, and various multi-disciplinary approaches that can be used. Your treatment program may include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps you identify triggers that cause you to use, and helps you learn new behavior and techniques to avoid those persons or situations, to cope with the cravings, and to abstain from alcohol and drugs.

Treatment length for an inpatient drug rehab program also varies, but to be effective, is at least 30 days. Many are 60 to 90 days, or longer. A key part of the treatment process is the gradual understanding that your recovery will always be ongoing – and is a part of your life from now on. There are also programs that include family counseling – which is very important. You will need your family’s continued support once you have completed treatment and are in recovery. Once the formal treatment program ends, however, that doesn’t mean that you’re finished with meetings. These are just starting.

• Aftercare Support and 12-Step Groups – Experts in drug and alcohol recovery recommend that clients join and participate in continuing counseling as well as 12-step support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous and others. There are many meeting locations to choose from nationwide, so there’s always support nearby wherever you go.
• Rejoining Family and Starting Your New Life – After you’ve completed treatment and are back home with your family, you’re embarking on your new life – free from drugs and alcohol. It’s vital that you maintain your practice of attending support group meetings, at least for the first 6 months following your discharge from treatment. Many recovering addicts find it helpful to continue regular meetings as a kind of follow-up practice. Think of it as a group of friends that continue to support each other. When the cravings crop up in your mind, and they will, you can rely on your training, coping skills and the members of your support group to help you overcome them. You’ll have to ditch the old ways, the old drug- and alcohol-using friends. But the good news is that you have an entirely new outlook, free from all the old guilt and shame.

Look Around At The New You

Embrace the new you. Look with confidence and love at your family and thank them for their love and understanding. Give yourself the credit you deserve as well. You did this yourself. You had the strength and courage to pick yourself up when you faced the absolute bottom of your life. You went through detox, treatment and are in recovery. Life is good and it will continue to get better each and every day of your recovery.