Quitting substance abuse by myself?
Have you ever asked yourself: Do I need to spend money on treatment? Do I really need to spend months away to get better? Can I quit by myself? You might be wondering if you can do it all yourself and quit cold turkey, without having to go to the “extreme” lengths of checking into a treatment center.
The answer? Having an experienced team help you on your path to sobriety can be a great benefit in accomplishing long term sober living. Not only is the detoxification process in itself risky, it comes with many side effects and sometimes can be fatal. Having medically trained assistance is a great help in getting through the initial phase of shedding your dependency on drugs and/or alcohol.
In addition to the dangers of detoxification, many people choose to try to become sober by themselves due to the cost of treatment. If you’re worried about cost or are not sure if your insurance covers the cost of treatment, our admissions specialists are on hand 24/7 to have a confidential conversation with you to work out these logistics.
Dangers of detoxing alone
Withdrawing from drugs and alcohol can come with serious side effects, including death. We are here to assist with monitoring your detoxification and administer medications that can alleviate some major symptoms during this process, making it a more comfortable and pleasant experience as opposed to doing it alone.
There are some common symptoms that can affect you both psychologically and physically, while your body rids itself of the dependency to drugs or alcohol on your body.
Psychological symptoms that may affect you:
- Bad Dreams
- Fatigue
- Rapid Emotional Changes
- Anxiety, shakiness, feeling jumpy or nervous
- Troubles with thinking clearly
- Depression
Physical Symptoms can include:
- Tremors of your hands
- Involuntary and abnormal movements of your eyelids
- Abnormal movements
- Lack or loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Headache
- Clammy skin
- Excessive sweating on your palms and/or face
- Paleness
- Unequal pupils, enlarged or dilated pupils
- Inability to sleep (insomnia)
Delirium Tremens
A more serious side effects of alcohol withdrawal is delirium tremens. Delirium tremens is a serious medical emergency and can be fatal. It is also very uncomfortable, and there is medication and supervision available in our treatment program that can help you get through it.
Some common physical symptoms of delirium tremens may include:
- Confusion, which may become severe
- A general feeling of restless, or short bursts of feeling energetic
- Sensitive to stimuli like touch, light and sound
- Long periods of sleep that last for 24 hours or more
- Tremors
- Excessive sweating
- Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- Hallucinations
- Agitation
- Fever
- Seizures
The risk of relapse
You’ll need support in your recovery, and a relapse after a period of sobriety is unfortunately a common occurrence. Having the support in place to lift you up after your relapse is essential in achieving long term sobriety.
Signs that can indicate your potential for an upcoming relapse are:
- Not making your sobriety the top priority. “I can stay sober by myself without any help.” Without that commitment, you are taking a chance of falling back into old bad habits. To have the most success, you’ll have to put in the hard work to stay sober.
- Lack of support. “I don’t need anyone to help me stay sober, I can do it by myself.” A newly sober person needs a support system in place, it can be a big factor for having accountability and not slipping back into addiction.
- Not wanting to quit. “I am not addicted.” Some people enter into treatment to please their family, and don’t want to truly stop using. It’s important to find that certain things such as dysfunctional families, toxic friendships, social isolation and unhealthy routines can trigger substance abuse.
- Poor preparation. “I don’t need any aftercare, I can stay sober by myself.” Not being prepared for post-treatment, and having a prevention plan as you reenter your life can be damaging. It’s very important to understand how certain behaviors and situations can sabotage your sobriety. Having the tools to identify this is essential in your life long commitment to staying clean.
Getting to the root cause
Addiction is a symptom of a root cause, and you need to treat both the addiction and the root cause or else the cycle will begin again. Addiction began while dealing with a problem in life through poor coping skills. It can happen from a emotionally traumatic event, stress from school, or from pain from an operation where prescriptions were legally and appropriately prescribed.
To escape the pressure and confusion of the problems, many people self medicate to numb any pain or negative thoughts. This use of the drug or alcohol will give a temporary escape from these problems, but when the effects wear off, the problems are still there and can worsen.
Finding and addressing the root cause of a person with substance use disorderion is the cornerstone of a treatment program. Managing the trauma from the root cause and identifying triggers that make you start using are the benefits of the therapy that will be provided by trained professional. Simply “drying out” may not lead to long term sober living, but dealing with the issues of what caused the addiction will lead you towards the path of taking your life back from the control of alcohol and drugs.
About Cliffside Malibu
If you’re asking yourself, “Can I quit my substance abuse by myself?” then just remember that the most important part of dealing with addiction, is making you the most important part. Putting complete focus on your problems and facing the issues that got you to where you are is the gateway to finding a new life free of addiction. Making sure you are safely and comfortably weaned off drugs, put on a sustainable path to lead a healthy life and given the tools to succeed can only be done in a treatment center.
Each patient is then matched with one of these five stages of the Transtheoretical Model: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action and Maintenance. An individualized treatment plan is created based on their current stage of change. This process is in place to ensure that all our patients receive the best treatment path possible for their own specific need. Our goal is to move individuals through their treatment by assessing their readiness for change and formulating stage-matched interventions in order to move them through their respective stage.
It is the policy of Cliffside Malibu to ensure that all individuals who present with chemical dependency issues are assessed for the appropriate level of care. We strive to provide continuum of care including medically supervised detox, residential treatment, day treatment and outpatient services. Services are provided to individuals with a primary diagnosis of substance abuse and/or alcohol addiction. Individuals seeking treatment are assessed by qualified staff to ensure program criteria are met and that each individual admitted is placed in the appropriate level of care for treatment. The program is designed and structured for individuals who are in need of a supportive environment in order to maintain Sobriety.
For more information on Cliffside Malibu, visit cliffsidemalibu.com