95 - No More Excuses - Three reasons people won't get SOBER

Today I will talk about the most common rehab myths, boil down the real issues, dissect and talk about each myth piece by piece.

You may give yourself excuses as to why you don't want to be clean and sober. There are reasons which may be playing over and over again in your head, which are preventing you from getting clean and sober. Or maybe you are the person who loves an addict, and you are making excuses for them not to enter rehab.

The biggest fear I commonly hear about from clients is the fear of the withdrawal process. More poignantly, the first five to ten days of recovery. This is the most intense part of the recovery process. Other factors that affect withdrawal are the types of drugs used, the frequency and amount of drugs used, the combination of drugs and alcohol, and prescription medication addiction. These are the most common factors which will play into how long and intense the withdrawal process will take for an individual.

While the withdrawal process may be uncomfortable, some tools can assist you in moving through the process to get to the other side. I know from personal experience, this process cannot be bypassed.

The two most intense addictions to move past are alcohol and anti-anxiety drugs. You can die from detoxing from these two if you do not have medical supervision when you are moving through this withdrawal. Removing these chemicals from your body is hard on your brain, and there can be medical effects such as seizures.

Heroin, crack cocaine, and opiate addiction are going to be more of a "psychological detox". There is very little chance of dying from these types of detox. Under medical supervision, the process can be better with detox medication in a detox facility. I believe these medications should be used only in a medical environment.

These reasons are not an excuse to not go through the detox process. Ultimately, I ended up realizing withdrawal is going to happen, but that it's better when you can go through this process at a facility.

If your only rehab option is to detox at home, here are guidelines to follow for recovery:

• Stay hydrated with water
• Ask the family to remove alcohol from the house
• Take away all temptations of drugs and alcohol from your home
• Ask your family members not to do drugs or drink around you
• Find a supportive community, a support group or other people who can help you through the process

I talk about how people say they aren't like other people who are addicted. The common identity is you and the other people at the center have had drugs and alcohol destroy their lives. If you are thinking you are not like the others in recovery because you have a job or a car and you're not homeless, you may never be able to get sober. This is a barrier and insecurity to sobriety.

Others say they won't know who they are without drugs and alcohol. The person on drugs isn't the emotional or mental person you see before you- this is the person who is addicted. Decision-making is fueled by their addiction. When you have been driven by drugs and alcohol for years, the person you see is not the real person inside. The fourteen years I spent drinking had molded me into somebody that didn't know life without alcohol. I had to get sober - I had to submit to the fact that I had to learn how to relive my life.

People who get sober come from all walks of life. From janitors to car salesman to executives are all "cut from the same cloth." We are all human, and there is going to be conflict; however, this is a part of life. You learn how to be challenged and overcome these challenges.

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Show Notes:

• [03:30] Reasons you could be playing over and over again to prevent you from being clean and sober.
• [05:02] The withdrawal process is uncomfortable, but with the right tools, you can move through the process.
• [10:05] Wanting to avoid the fallout of detoxification from withdrawal is not an excuse to avoid getting sober.
• [11:37] Guidelines to follow for recovery if you are detoxing outside of a medical facility
• [14:31] You're in the same boat as others who are going through and have been through recovery.
• [16:57] What addicts who are not successful think about.
• [21:56] My personal example of how I became an alcoholic.
• [24:48] How my life revolved around drinking and how I had to reinvent myself.
• [28:04] These things are easy for me to say now, but not easy for me to go through ten years ago.

Links and Resources:

• Real Recovery Live Chat
• Real Recovery Talk on the Web
• Real Recovery Talk on YouTube
• Leave Real Recovery Talk a review on iTunes
• Rock Recovery Center