The job of a drug rehab counselor is to guide you and inform you, but the last thing they should do is mislead you.
Rehab is a big step and you’re on the right track but be wary if a rehab counselor tells you these things:
You have to use drugs to combat drugs.
Certain drugs are used at some rehab facilities during detoxification. However, it has been proven that natural, drug free alternatives are available so you do not have to trade one habit for another. You can beat addiction without using more drugs.
Someone else is responsible for your drug addiction.
Accepting responsibility is half the battle in drug addiction rehab. The addict must take responsibility for their actions. The addict must also learn new ways of handling stress and coping with stress to avoid relapse.
Being addicted to marijuana is better than being addicted to cocaine.
Different drugs have different effects on the body. Coming off of an addiction may be different for the marijuana user than for the cocaine user, but an addiction is an addiction. One drug addiction is never “easier” to beat than another.
You’ll be out of here in a couple of weeks.
For the majority of people who successfully beat drug addiction, 90 days of treatment is not uncommon. It is not a race, it is a process and no two people go through that process in the same amount of time.
Drugs/Drug abuse made you a bad person.
It may very well be true that you did some very out of character things while you were addicted but the person you truly are is still there. It is just a matter of getting rid of the drugs, from your body, mind and life. There may be actions you will need to account for but drugs did not make you a “bad person” even if it caused you to do bad things.
You aren’t responsible for what you did while high.
Well, yes, you are. You are responsible to the point where you are going to have to be accountable to your family, friends and loved ones. You may even be held accountable in a court of law. Drugs can cause people to act in very uncharacteristic ways but you still have to atone for what happened during those drug binges.
Your life will be just the way it was before drug abuse.
Drug abuse changes lives. Yes, there can and for the most part is happiness after beating drug addiction, that doesn’t mean that you can pick up life where you left it and carry on. Things have changed, you have changed.
Everyone will forgive you.
Drug counselors are highly trained. However, they are not trained to read minds. While most people probably will forgive a person who was addicted to drugs for their actions, not everyone will. Respect may have to be re-earned and in some cases, it may be gone for good.
Detox and rehab are a breeze.
It’s not the old sweat and strain method of years gone by, but detox and drug rehab are not easy. Easier maybe, but not easy. You will have to come to grips with a lot of things about yourself that you may have been avoiding and ridding your body of the drugs may be uncomfortable but in the end, you have a chance at a brand new, drug-free life.
Nick Hayes is a graduate of the Narconon drug rehab program in 2005. Nick takes much enjoyment in writing, and feels there needs to be more information about drugs and alcohol provided to the people of the world. He believes nobody should have to go through an addiction.