“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now”. That proverb’s origins may be lost to history. But its message is too fitting not to quote. Most people who go to an inpatient rehab facility wish that they’d made the decision to get help sooner than they had. Whatever their reason for waiting (pride, fear, loneliness, denial, despair at the possibility of getting better) most people wish that they’d gotten help before they ended up getting it.
Rehab is, simply put, just that powerful. Many people who exit an inpatient rehab facility despair at the time and life that they spent before getting treatment. But the question isn’t whether or not it’s too late to get rehab (spoiler: it never is).
Why go to an inpatient rehab facility
The question is whether or not it’s too early to go to rehab. If we accept (and we absolutely should) that everyone should get help when they recognize that they have a problem with substance use, the question is this:
- Do I have a problem with substance use?
- Will treatment in an inpatient rehab facility benefit me?
The easiest way to tell if you have a drug or alcohol problem is if your drug or alcohol use is having a negative effect on an aspect of your life. Here are some common examples of how this may look:
Common Negative Effects of Drug and Alcohol use
Loss of Control: You find it difficult to control your drug or alcohol use. You may use more than you originally intended. Or you may be unable to stop using once you start. Limits that you set for yourself are also pushed past.
Cravings: You experience strong cravings for drugs or alcohol. Pleasure found in other things dims in comparison to drug and alcohol use, limiting your contentment with other aspects of life.
Neglecting Responsibilities: Your drug or alcohol use is interfering with your responsibilities at work, school, or home. You might be missing work or school, neglecting household duties, or failing to meet deadlines. This may lead to various degrees of physical, mental, or psychic distress.
Health Issues: You are experiencing physical or mental health problems related to your substance use. Such as liver problems, blackouts, mood swings, or anxiety.
Tolerance: Over time, you need more of the substance to achieve the desired effect. This can lead to increased consumption.
Withdrawal: When you try to stop using, you experience withdrawal symptoms, which can be physical or psychological. These symptoms can be uncomfortable and they can even be dangerous.
Long term consequences
Neglected Interests: You’ve given up activities or interests that you once enjoyed because they no longer seem as important as using drugs or alcohol.
Social Isolation: You’re spending less time with friends and family or engaging in social activities because of your substance use. You find less satisfaction in your social relationships, and have difficulty cultivating new ones. And you have difficulty maintaining pre-existing relationships.
Continued Use Despite Consequences: You keep using drugs or alcohol even though it’s causing problems in your relationships, finances, or legal issues.
Secrecy: You may hide your substance use or lie about it to others. Especially if you’re already aware that people will disapprove of your substance use.
Loss of Motivation: You may lose interest in personal goals, education, or career aspirations.
If any of these signs ring true for you, or if you find that your substance use has created other negative effects in your life, it’s time to admit that you need help.
Can early treatment in an inpatient rehab facility help
The short answer is…yes. Early treatment is often the most successful treatment. You don’t need to wait for things to get untenable to get treatment. Waiting only makes the problem that treatment solves a chance to fester and grow. Here are just a few ways that early treatment can help:
Benefits of early treatment
Early Intervention: The earlier you address a substance abuse problem, the better your chances of successful recovery. Early intervention can prevent the issue from escalating into a more severe addiction.
Prevent Progression: Addiction tends to progress over time, leading to more significant physical, mental, and social consequences. But by seeking inpatient treatment early, you can head off the worst symptoms of substance use disorder.
Safety: In some cases, substance withdrawal can be physically dangerous, especially with certain drugs or alcohol. Inpatient facilities provide a safe and supervised environment for detox, minimizing the risks associated with withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms are generally milder and easier to overcome during the early stages of addiction. Just because withdrawal is milder does not mean that it can’t have side-effects or that it shouldn’t be undertaken without professional care.
Final thoughts
At Transformations Care, we want to emphasize that just because getting help early is beneficial, it’s never too late to seek help for addiction. Early treatment can lead to a quicker recovery, but recovery is possible at any stage.
Enroll in an inpatient rehab facility now!
If you need to make a change, we want to help you. It might be hard to believe that a different life is within your reach – one without drugs and alcohol. At Transformations Care, we’ve helped enough people get clean and sober to know that this decision can give you the life that you deserve. Everyone deserves this chance and, at Transformation Care, we’re here to make it happen.
If you’ve been thinking about getting clean and sober, or if you want to work on and strengthen the recovery you already have, it’s never been easier to do it through telehealth. Give us a call at (424) 339-0965, or head over to our contact us page on our website and fill out our 100% confidential information form and a compassionate member of our team will reach out to you.