Calling in hungover to work. Blacking out and missing band practice. Forgetting or straight-up skipping your friend’s birthday because you’re drunk, high, or trying to be. If your drug or alcohol use has turned you into a massive flake, you probably hate yourself just a little bit right now — even if you’re not really willing to admit it. No one wants to be known as that shady friend, the person you can never count on, but drugs and alcohol make it pretty much impossible to be a dependable adult. If you’re ready to change that, it’s not as hard as it might seem. Starting a new life in addiction recovery can be as easy as three steps.
1. Admit You Have a Problem With Drugs & Alcohol
This should be obvious, but you don’t have even the smallest hope of getting clean and sober if you don’t think your drinking or using is a real problem. No matter who is pressuring you to get clean, or why, it won’t stick if you don’t want it. There will always be an excuse.
Not sure whether you’ve really got an issue? Check out some of our blog posts about signs it’s time to get clean and sober, HERE or HERE. If that doesn’t do it, you could ask a friend or family member if they think you have a problem. But, you probably already know what they’re going to say. And, at this stage, it’s not their opinion that matters. You’ve got to believe it deep down in your soul if you want to have a shred of hope to get clean and stay that way.
2. Believe That Addiction Recovery Is Possible
Addiction recovery is like electricity: You don’t have to really understand how it works. You just have to understand that if you flick this switch, the lights will come on. (And, you have to be able to follow direction and not stick your finger in the outlet.)
If you’ve never been clean and sober for any given period of time, you might not have a clue as to how to get there. The good news is, you don’t have to. You just have to see recovery in other people’s lives, want it, and believe that it’s possible for you, too. The how will come later.
How do you even get to meet people in recovery if you’re surrounded by drinking buddies and enablers? An AA or NA meeting could be a good start. You never know what you might find there.
Or, put your trust in the hands of a reputable addiction treatment center. Generally, the staff at rehabs have either been through recovery themselves, or seen it in a loved one. They can give you a map to follow until you know the way.
3. Ask For Help Getting Clean & Sober
You might want to be clean and sober with all of your heart, but nothing will happen until you ask for help. No matter how painful that may sound, the reality is that if you could do it by yourself, you would have already.
Plus, asking for help doesn’t have to mean calling your mom or driving yourself to treatment. Even Googling or reading an addiction blog post (hello!) is a way of seeking support. You can even chat with someone anonymously right here on this website, or call our team for a low-key, no-pressure conversation about what’s going on in your life.
Your path will look different depending on what you’ve got going on, but it really is that simple: Make a different choice, get a different life. Choose recovery. Call us today.
GUIDE
Getting Clean & Sober at Home
Today, more than 75% of hospitals and healthcare providers offer access to telehealth treatment, with 29 states having gone so far as to enact telehealth parity laws, which force insurance companies to reimburse patients for telehealth at the same rates as they would for in-person treatment.
If you’ve been thinking about getting clean and sober, or if you’ve been wanting to work on and strengthen the recovery you already have, it’s never been easier to do it through telehealth.
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