How to Stop Drug Addiction Without Rehab

Regular and ongoing drug use is guaranteed to have a negative impact on your life. If you’ve become addicted to drugs, continued use can destroy your finances, your personal relationships, your career, and more. Notwithstanding these things, you may be wondering if it’s possible to quit using drugs without having to go to rehab. Given the considerable impact that drug addiction has on the brain and the body, quitting “cold turkey” always presents an overwhelming array of both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.

For some substances, experiencing these symptoms alone can prove dangerous. In fact, for some people, abstaining without professional support can even deadly. However, it’s certainly not uncommon to have questions and fears about going to rehab. You may be worried about losing your independence while staying in an on-campus program. Many people want to stop their drug addictions without having to take time away from their families, their academic endeavors, or their jobs.

The good news is that there are many options in addiction treatment. You can choose from inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, and even a needs-specific blend of independent addiction support services. Although you may be somewhat convinced that you can muster your way through detoxing on your own, addiction itself is a complex, lifelong disease that always requires multi-pronged treatment and support.

Common Fears About Going to Rehab

Statistically, people who attend rehab have the greatest likelihood of both becoming sober and staying that way. Conversely, people who go cold turkey on their own often relapse within just a matter of months or even weeks. Although stopping drug use is certainly an important part of addiction recovery, it is only the very first step.

After people have successfully completed detox, they must go on to identify the underlying causes of their addictions and address them. People use drugs for a variety of reasons. For instance, you may have started using drugs to:

  • Fit in socially
  • Mute the pain of past traumas
  • Alleviate the symptoms of an undiagnosed and untreated mental health disorder
  • Dampen feelings of unresolved grief, guilt, or shame

Until these underlying issues are known and taken care of in healthy and sustainable ways, the desire to return to drug use will always exist. This is one of the greatest benefits of going to rehab. Rather than focusing solely on abstinence, rehab addresses addiction at its underlying causes. Outpatient rehab can be ideal for anyone who’s uncomfortable with the idea of being separated from family members while in treatment. With these programs, patients commit to spending between 12 hours and 36 hours per week in therapy and in other treatment-related activities.

Outpatient rehab offers many of the same services and support systems that inpatient, on-campus treatment provides. However, it allows for enough freedom that people can continue going to work, attending school, and taking care of their minor children among other things. You might be scared that inpatient treatment will entail a lot of physical and emotional discomfort. The prospect of detoxing with help can be intimidating for a variety of reasons. People who plan on going cold turkey at home often do so with the unconscious understanding that they can always back out of their recoveries when things become too hard. Inpatient rehab is actually designed to make detoxing as easy and comfortable as it can possibly be. From the moment that people check in to inpatient addiction centers, they begin receiving needs-specific medical support.

Check-in processes often include full medical examinations and psychological evaluations, and various strategies are used to both relieve early withdrawal symptoms and prevent more severe symptoms from occurring. Whether choosing an inpatient or outpatient program, going to professional rehab is always the safest way to detox. Various options in counseling are available with all rehab types. If you suffer from feelings of low self-worth, you may be able to benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This approach to promoting mental health and wellness teaches people new ways of thinking, and more positive ways of viewing their circumstances and their place in the world.

With CBT, you can start building a sustainable and healthy life while learning all-new strategies for coping with stress, temptation, and many other real-world triggers. Dual diagnosis therapy is perfect for those living with:

  • Anxiety disorder
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Schizophrenia

or any other mental health issue that have yet to be properly diagnosed and managed. When co-occurring mental health disorders are professionally treated, many drug users find that they’re able to effectively manage their emotions without having to rely on illicit substances.

Going to rehab is the absolute best way to beat drug addiction. Rehab programs are designed to offer customized, needs-specific support in ways that make recovery both comfortable and rewarding at every stage. If you’re ready to start exploring your options in addiction treatment, we can help. Call us today at 833-680-0165.