Drug Rehab

When do I need drug rehab?

You need drug rehab when you’re addicted to alcohol or drugs. These substances stimulate your brain’s pleasure or reward system. As a result, the system releases a surge of brain chemicals that boost your mood, make you feel good, and take away your pain.

With ongoing exposure to drugs and alcohol, the structure and function of your brain changes. That’s when your brain becomes dependent, leading you to develop cravings you can’t ignore, and you have withdrawal symptoms if you try to stop.

At this stage, your brain gets used to the usual amount you consume, and you need to take more to get the same pleasurable feelings. This is when you have a firmly established addiction, and you need drug rehab.

What symptoms indicate that I need drug rehab?

In addition to uncontrollable cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and the need to take ever-increasing doses, you may have symptoms such as:

• Poor performance at work or school
• Changes in your relationships
• Giving up activities you once enjoyed to use drugs
• Continuing to drink or take drugs despite memory blackouts or health problems
• Using alcohol or drugs when it’s not safe, such as while driving

It’s also common to stop taking care of yourself. For example, you may wear the same dirty clothes day after day or stop showering.

Why do I need drug rehab to break an addiction?

Addictions are virtually impossible to break on your own. Even if you have the willpower, you quickly encounter withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawal can take 4-21 days, and your symptoms can range from flu-like symptoms to severe seizures. In some cases, going through withdrawal without medication is life-threatening. With drug rehab, you can safely detox without suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

What type of drug rehab is medically assisted treatment?

The team at First Step Recovery Center offers drug rehab using medically assisted treatment (MAT). MAT allows you to safely detox with carefully monitored medications that prevent withdrawal symptoms and take away cravings. During MAT, you also have addiction counseling. 

In many cases, MAT is an outpatient treatment program, so you can live at home and keep working or going to school. But when you need more intensive care, First Step Recovery Center offers residential treatment.

First Step Recovery Center also provides services that support your long-term rehabilitation and recovery, including medication management, therapy, and life skills and workforce development. 

If you want to learn more about drug rehab, call First Step Recovery Center or book a consultation online today.