Many challenges are associated with rehabilitation, addiction treatment, and recovery. Recovery is a highly personal experience, and your addiction treatment will vary depending on your needs, strengths, weaknesses, and goals. However, there are some addiction treatment challenges that nearly everyone faces at some point in the recovery process.
If you are ready to make a change, take the first step today. Northpoint Seattle offers effective addiction treatment for people struggling with drugs and alcohol. We also provide high-quality addiction recovery resources when you need them. Get started today by calling [Direct or contacting us online.
Common Challenges During Addiction Treatment
When you get sober and begin your life in recovery, you will have to overcome several hurdles on your way to a happier, healthier future. Some of these challenges include:
Getting Through Detox
The first, and perhaps hardest, step toward recovery is detox. Simply put, this is ridding your body of all drugs or alcohol. The longer you have struggled with addiction, the more complex this process will be. Withdrawal symptoms during detox include some or all of the following:
- Anxiety or irritability
- Insomnia
- Muscle spasms and sweating
- Lethargy and sleepiness
- Depression
- Feeling disoriented or exhausted
- Hypertension
- Difficulty concentrating
- Panic attacks
- Nausea
- Headaches
Learning Your Basic Needs
When you’re in recovery, you may become more aware of your needs as your cravings for drugs and alcohol diminish. In fact, this can be one of the most important addiction treatment challenges to master. Successful treatment does not focus solely on breaking your physical dependency on drugs or alcohol. The most effective addiction treatment also addresses your basic needs to recover completely from your addiction. These needs include:
- Overall health and nutrition
- Psychological and mental health
- Relationships with family, friends, and loved ones
- Emergency response to suicidal thoughts
Managing Your Emotions
Experiencing emotion is a normal part of being human. Going through addiction treatment and recovery may make many of those human emotions rise to the surface. People often have difficulty managing the anger, resentment, and sadness they experience during the early stages of treatment. While it is not healthy to shut these emotions down completely, a crucial element of recovery is figuring out how to manage them healthily. Physical sobriety is just one aspect of addiction recovery, and emotional sobriety is nearly as important. Emotional sobriety involves developing the following skills in managing your emotions:
- Understanding your emotions and how they relate to your addiction
- Being aware of how expressing your emotions can affect others
- Having the ability to reduce stress, anxiety, and anger instead of succumbing to these emotions
- Mastering communication with others in the face of high emotions
- Knowing how and when to use humor to diffuse a situation
Handling the Possibility of Relapse
Relapse is a genuine possibility for those in the recovery process, but it should not stand in the way of long-term recovery. Succumbing to relapse can be demoralizing if you are in addiction recovery, so knowing how to get back on the right path after this lapse in sobriety is essential. The key to overcoming relapse in recovery is the same as addiction treatment—reintroduce discipline into your life. Here are some tips for overcoming relapse on your road to recovery:
- Reach out for help immediately (from a friend, counselor, or sponsor)
- Do not skip treatment because of a relapse
- Avoid triggers even after relapse to avoid stumbling further
- Be honest about your relapse with others so that they can help you get back on the right path
Transition to Your Normal Life
For many, it can be challenging to go from the intensive treatment of an outpatient program or isolated residential rehab setting back to their home setting. People in recovery often face triggers, social pressure, and stress that they did not have during the early stages of recovery. This is where continued treatment and group support come into the recovery process, particularly for those who do not have a healthy home environment to return to. To help you make the transition from an intensive outpatient program or residential rehab back into your home environment, you should reach out to a support group in your area.
Overcome Addiction Treatment Challenges at Northpoint Seattle
If you are struggling with addiction, knowing you are not alone is essential. At Northpoint Seattle, our outpatient treatment programs help people struggling with drugs and alcohol. We know the challenges that arise during addiction treatment can seem intimidating, but we are here to help you overcome those hurdles. Get started today by contacting us online or calling 888.483.6031.