For something that so few have experience with, addiction recovery sure has it’s share of myths. Everyone knows that drug use is bad. Too often the public associates the problems of most addicts with drug abuse. More often it is the addictive nature of their personalities that causes the problems. Dangerous things can happen the first time. Usually though, it is the addiction over time that actually causes damage to the drug abuser.

The war on drugs was the big push in the 80’s and 90’s. While that movement was beneficial, it was mostly beneficial in showing us that we were attacking the wrong portion of the problem. We need to address the addiction as well as the drugs. We believe in this philosophy. Our treatment programs will address the drugs. It is important to know what the drugs you use are doing to your body. Being aware of the things that are going on with your mind and body when you use also helps you recover from the lingering effects of drug abuse.

The main focus of treatment though, will be the addicts personality. Addiction is after all the real source of the problem. Prescription pills, morphine, even marijuana all have medicinal value. It is the addicts mental outlook, as well as their compulsive behavior that ends up requiring drug abuse rehabilitation.

This type of knowledge and insight is important to those around the addict as well. It is the reason addicts can’t reasonably be expected to “tough it out” and go through substance abuse recovery alone. Some addicts may be able to tough out quitting a particular drug. They are likely to just fill that compulsion with another vice though. Usually the self managed recovery involves becoming a “dry drunk”. The term refers to the difference between managing to not use and finding real recovery. It is borrowed from alcoholism, but it fits for drug use as well.