Yes, it is possible to get sober without rehab, but successfully doing so and staying sober without some kind of professional and social support is very rare. Drug rehab programs provide essential support, therapy, education, and life tools to help people get sober and maintain their sobriety long-term.
Full Answer
How long do people stay in sober living houses?
Retention of residents in the sober living houses was excellent. Average lengths of stay in both types of sober living houses surpassed the National Institute on Drug Abuse recommendation of at least 90 days to obtain maximum benefit. The average length of stay at ORS was 254 days (se=169 days) and at CSLT it was 166 days (se=163). Primary Outcomes
Is it possible to achieve sobriety?
These steps, when taken with commitment and hope, can result not only in achieving sobriety, but also in making sure it will be possible to maintain a productive, sober lifetime of recovery. The editorial staff is comprised of addiction content experts from American Addiction Centers.
Is it possible to stay sober after treatment?
The hope is that the individual will be ready to reenter typical daily life after treatment is over and manage the symptoms of the substance use disorder, staying sober for the long-term. The reality is that many situations can make it hard to reintegrate into normal life without some hiccups and potential for relapse.
How to get sober step by step?
How to Get Sober: A Guide to Sobriety 1 The First Half of the Battle: Recognizing the Need to Get Sober. ... 2 Reaching Out. ... 3 Finding the Right Treatment Program. ... 4 Withdrawal: Getting through the Symptoms. ... 5 Choosing the Appropriate Therapy. ... 6 Building Support for Recovery. ... 7 Aftercare: A Lifeline after Treatment. ...
What is the average relapse rate?
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, "Relapse rates for addiction resemble those of other chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma."1 In numbers, the statistics indicate that anywhere from 40 to 60 percent of people with addiction will experience a relapse.
Is sobriety a lifelong commitment?
Sobriety is a lifelong commitment that requires continuous change. Some of these changes may be more difficult than others, such as letting go of friendships or relationships. The challenges of staying clean from drugs and alcohol can become overwhelming.
Does sobriety improve mental health?
Better mental health, in general, is one of the most obvious benefits of being sober. The less you fill your body with chemicals and toxins that aren't supposed to be there–especially in excess, as it would be with addiction–the more you'll notice your mental focus and mental clarity.
How long does anhedonia last after sobriety?
For people recovering from addiction, milestones such as 3, 6, and 12 months of sobriety are when symptoms like anhedonia noticeably improve. Like most symptoms of PAWs, anhedonia comes in waves. For some people episodes of anhedonia fade after a few hours or days. For others, they can last weeks.
Is addiction life long?
The myth of the addictive personality It depends on which model of addiction and recovery you subscribe to. If you are a traditionalist who believes that addictions last a lifetime, that people readily substitute addictions, and that people have ingrained "addictive personalities," the answer is: absolutely not.
Why is commitment important in recovery?
Recovery and sobriety are two amazing things. When you are living a recovering lifestyle, commitment is going to mean everything. If you are committed to your recovery, you are more in tune with what is happening in your life. You are more likely to prevent a relapse as well.
What's the point of staying sober?
Getting and staying sober can be a catalyst to help you to change other areas of your life, including your overall physical health. Just getting sober does not automatically lead to health, but it can give you the ability to eat better, sleep better, and get more exercise.
How sobriety can change your life?
You'll Improve Relationships You will learn how to handle your own emotions, set healthy boundaries and form true connections with others. Sobriety helps prevent you from saying things you don't mean, acting in ways you normally wouldn't and making poor decisions that negatively impact your relationships.
Why you should live a sober life?
When living a sober life after addiction, your overall health improves immensely. This is because you're no longer attacking your body by putting dangerous amounts of toxic substances in it. Due to the toxicity level of alcohol and drugs, when you chronically abuse them, your immune system lowers.
Can you reverse anhedonia?
At present, there are no treatments aimed at anhedonia. It is commonly treated alongside the condition that it is part of — for instance, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are often prescribed for individuals with depression.
How long do dopamine receptors take to recover?
Many medical professionals suggest ninety days as a general estimate for dopamine recovery.
What is an example of anhedonia?
What's an Example of Anhedonia? Engaging in an activity that previously brought on a positive effect, but no longer elicits those feelings, is one example of anhedonia. If you used to enjoy playing video games every day after work, but now feel nothing when gaming, this could be a symptom of anhedonia.
What happens if you are sober and you are physically addicted?
If you’re heavily addicted and try to get sober on your own without medical assistance, you will likely experience extremely uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.
What is the best treatment for addiction?
Research-based and evidence-based treatment: A good addiction treatment program will have a positive track record with successful outcomes for clients. Drug detox and rehab programs that provide services and therapies based on research and evidence are much more likely to provide high-quality and effective treatment.
What is detox medical?
Medical detox provides professional management of drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms to make the process easier. Your program will be managed by a team of doctors, nurses, and clinical professionals to treat any physical or psychological withdrawal symptoms and ensure your comfort. During detox, individual and group therapy will help you address your current psychological symptoms as well as prepare you for the next stage in the addiction treatment process, which is rehab.
Why do we need drug rehab?
Drug rehab programs provide essential support, therapy, education, and life tools to help people get sober and maintain their sobriety long-term. To fully understand the need for drug rehab programs and centers, first, you have to understand how addiction works. Drug and alcohol addiction has several aspects that contribute to a person’s ability ...
Why is it important to go to rehab?
If you choose to forego a professional drug rehab program, you’ll miss out on very important education, family therapy, and counseling from professionals who are trained to help you overcome your addiction. Just as getting physically sober is important, it’s also essential that you address the other factors that have contributed to your addiction, such as physical or emotional abuse, low self-esteem, and shame. However, it can be difficult to grow and change in these areas without a third party to guide you.
How long does it take to recover from addiction?
Addiction recovery doesn’t just happen overnight. It is a long-term process that requires time and commitment. Research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found that individuals who remain in treatment for at least 90 days have a higher chance of sustaining positive treatment outcomes.
What are the factors that contribute to a person's ability to get sober?
Drug and alcohol addiction has several aspects that contribute to a person’s ability to get sober. 1. Physical dependence and tolerance: A person who is physically dependent on a drug needs it to feel normal or good.
What is sober living?
A sober living home with experienced healthcare staff helps you stay substance-free by offering treatment when needed. Also, your aftercare services may include prescription medications. By having medical staff onsite to administer and monitor medications, you can maintain a prescribed dosage schedule while eliminating the temptation to abuse these drugs.
Why is it important to live in a sober living facility?
When you’re transitioning from addiction treatment to regular life, it’s important to consider a sober living facility to prevent relapse and provide the support needed to continue a lifestyle free from substance abuse. If you lack a stable living situation that’s free of alcohol and drug temptations, you’ll face obstacles to remaining sober. Anything less than a sober living environment is an uncontrolled and potentially harmful situation that can derail your recovery, even if you’re highly motivated to stay away from substance use.
How to prevent relapses?
Ensure that you get the help you need from an outpatient or support group program. Address your relapse as honestly as you can to prevent future relapses.
Can you live under a rock in residential treatment?
Not every one that is fresh out of treatment can just go live under a rock. That is why in the residential treatment center we teach you skills to live in the real world and cope with stress in a healthy way. Being more mindful and accepting help when you need it can prevent relapses from occurring.
Why is sobriety important?
For people who care deeply about their work, sobriety is the opportunity to excel in areas that once seemed overwhelming. Transferring the energy needed for an addiction to your work allows you to greatly improve your performance. You’ll be more engaged with co-workers and less likely to procrastinate small, tedious tasks. You’ll also find that your strengths become even stronger.
What does sobriety mean?
Sobriety Means a More Engaged Life at Home and Work. Addictions take up a large percentage of a person’s bandwidth. Someone with a substance use disorder is always devoting part of their energy and mental capacity to their addiction. They think about their next use.
How does addiction affect people?
Addictions force people to devote much time and energy toward using drugs and alcohol. Think of all the things a person sacrifices to accommodate their substance use disorder. They sacrifice their relationships, career goals, interests and health to make room for their disorder.
What happens when you remove addiction from the equation?
When you remove addiction from the equation, you set the stage for the things most important to you. In recovery, you’ll likely come to realize just how deeply your disorder has kept you at arm’s length from meaningful connections. You’ll be more present in your life and more effective at work.
What does it mean to be substance free?
Substance-Free Living Means Better Physical Health. One of the most common tools used in recovery is focusing on your physical health. Not only does a person rid their body of harmful substances by becoming substance-free, they also begin diet and exercise routines that improve physical and mental health.
What happens when you use a substance?
Substance use creates barriers that prevent a person from fully experiencing life.
What is spontaneous recovery?
The Spontaneous Recovery Studies suffer from differences in the definitions of important terms such as “addiction,” “treatment” and “recovery.”. The use of reports of past behavior and relatively short follow-up periods are problematic as well.
Who is rehab counselor?
Rehab counseling at some centers is often practiced by “veteran counselors” who overcame substance abuse problems of their own. These counselors may fervently believe in their methodology, even as state governments (like Oregon) have started to cast a skeptical eye on some in the industry.
What is the treatment for Sheff's son?
For Sheff, who spent years searching for the right rehab facility for his son, successful recovery involves ongoing sessions with a psychiatrist who treats his son for all conditions – his bipolar disorder, addiction, and depression.
How many questions are asked in the substance use evaluation?
The evaluation consists of 11 yes or no questions that are intended to be used as an informational tool to assess the severity and probability of a substance use disorder. The test is free, confidential, and no personal information is needed to receive the result.
Is addiction a problem in rehab?
The insidious nature of addiction adds to the problem of defining success in rehab. Some patients simply go through the motions of treatment, doing and saying anything just to graduate from their program, if it means getting back into the outside world where they can resume their drug consumption.
Is there a standard definition of rehab?
There is no standard definition of rehab, so there is no standardized way to measure the success of addiction centers. Many base their success rates on unreliable metrics, such as: A better approach involves judging the actual quality of care a facility provides, both during and after the formal treatment period.
Is there a 12-step program?
Joining Johnson’s voice, many who object to the rigid principles of 12-Step programs (for example surrendering to a higher power), point to cases of “spontaneous recovery,” as evidence that 12-Step is only one approach in the mix. Many cite a small 1985 Journal of Studies on Alcohol study in which drinkers were able to walk away from their behavior of their own volition via a combination of willpower, developing a physical aversion to alcohol after bottoming out, and experiencing some kind of life-changing experience to support the idea that 12-Step or rehab in general isn’t a must in every case.
What is the recovery rate for alcoholism?
Yet the overall recovery rates are still high, in fact higher than the rates for alcoholism (the currently recovered rate for alcoholism is about 75%, and for drugs it is about 80%).
When does alcohol abuse peak?
Meanwhile, the NIDA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that peak abuse of and dependence on drugs and alcohol occurs from ages 18 to 25, and declines by a third after age 25, and by half after age 30.
Does never treated alcohol lead to relapse?
Likewise, the “never treated” individual has less exposure to the all or nothing recovery message that a single drink will lead to full alcoholic breakdown/relapse, and accordingly, more of them fit into the area between the 2 poles of dependency and abstinence.
Can you end addiction without treatment?
The recovery culture claims that you cannot end your addiction without treatment or 12-step meetings, but the facts show that a higher percentage of people end their dependence without ever getting this kind of “help”. Moreover, in raw numbers, most people stop without treatment.
Is sober living a good idea?
Sober living is an excellent option for people in recovery who have a solid foundation based on medical and psychotherapeutic care as well as a rough idea of the direction they would like to head next in recovery. It is not, however, a treatment for addiction – but it’s also not a forever solution to housing post-rehab, either.
Is it better to live in a sober home or a less regimented home?
On the other hand, if you are just in need of a home that is safe and guaranteed to be sober while you work on finding a job to support you and a new home that will be equally drug-free, then a less regimented sober living home may be better suited to your needs.
What is a sober living house?
Sober living houses (SLHs) are alcohol and drug free living environments that offer peer support for recovery outside the context of treatment. Characteristics of Sober Living Houses. Sober Living Houses are structured in a way that avoids some of the limitations of halfway houses.
How long can you stay in a halfway house?
Despite the advantages of halfway houses, there are limitations as well (Polcin & Henderson, 2008). First, there is typically a limit on how long residents can stay. After some period of time, usually several months, residents are required to move out whether or not they feel ready for independent living.
What is the second phase of recovery?
The second phase allows for more personal autonomy and increased responsibility for one's recovery. Curfews and requirements for 12-step attendance are reduced. All residents, regardless of phase, are required to be active in 12-step recovery programs, abide by basic house rules, and abstain from alcohol and drugs.
Can you relapse after abstinence?
Some may have had negative experiences in treatment and therefore seek out alternative paths to recovery. Others may have relapsed after treatment and therefore feel the need for increased support for abstinence. However, they may want to avoid the level of commitment involved in reentering a formal treatment program.
What is the purpose of a substance abuse treatment program?
For that reason, if the individual is not ready or willing to stop substance abuse, part of the treatment program is to develop and support that willingness and readiness by providing a level of care that improves the individual’s motivation and commitment to sobriety.
Why is support needed in addiction?
Support isn’t just needed to get a person started on the path to recovery from addiction. As stated above, support can help the individual stick to treatment through the duration of the program. In addition, having a support network once treatment is over can ease the transition from rehab back to daily living.
What is research based treatment?
Research-based treatment elements are those that have, through scientific studies, shown the ability to respond to the realities of addiction as a chronic brain disorder, and therefore give the best chance at preventing relapse to substance use.
What to do if you don't have friends or family?
If the person doesn’t have friends or family who are able to support the process to get sober, another direction to reach out for support is to find medical or addiction treatment professionals who can direct the person toward resources for recovery.
What is motivational therapy?
Motivational Therapy: methods to keep the person committed to staying sober, such as rewards for staying sober over a certain time period. Family Therapy: for individuals who are dealing with family issues that contribute to continued substance abuse, including enabling behaviors and codependency.
Can you be sober in a residential program?
On the other hand, for severe addiction issues, sobriety may only result from a fully managed residential program.
Can you reintegrate into normal life after substance abuse?
The reality is that many situations can make it hard to reintegrate into normal life without some hiccups and potential for relapse.