People who suffer from substance use disorder or a process addiction have to suffer a great deal before they are identified with the problem and given proper treatment. However, rehabilitation does not work for everyone. There are a number of patients who fail it. But all is not lost. And while it may appear otherwise given their relapse, these individuals want to get better and reintegrate.
Rehab is their second chance at life – teaching them how to live again, how to cope in a healthy way, and how to exist without drugs and alcohol as part of their identity. And when it appears to fail, it may like the end of the world. But all hope is not lost. Rehab deserves another chance. You deserve another chance at living life fully.
Some people go to rehab and stay sober forever, other people need to go to rehab several times. Those who fail, need help in trying to identify why that was the case and figure out what might work better for them. They will likely need some motivation to be able to get back into rehab.They should be reminded that it is never too late to get sober and live a healthy life. For some people, it can feel otherwise, based on their age, or how many times they may have relapsed, but the reality is every moment you’re alive is another chance. Professional help is always available. All one needs to do is reach out.
This is something that can’t be overemphasized. Users tend to feel a void of self-worth when they’re in active addiction. They feel an overwhelming amount of guilt and shame about their addiction and all that it entails. But they need to be told that they’re worth it. And it is worth giving rehab another chance.
They need to believe that this is the time it works – this is the time they succeed at it. Clearly, it must be exhausting going in and out of rehab, trying to get sober, but failing. It is imaginable how one might want to give up after that. But one more try and it could be the successful one.
There is no alternative anyway. One can’t give up hope and live with an addiction for the rest of the days. Addiction can take us to the depths of despair and indeed becomes a matter of life and death.
One thing that really helps in this process is knowing about other people’s struggles and their paths to recovery. Addiction is lonely, and it might feel like nobody understands you. Drug rehab (which includes group therapy) provides that support and perspective needed to recover. As hard as it might be, the first step is to admit defeat and muster the strength to give it another chance, and if done the right way, success is within reach.
