If you are suffering from drug or alcohol addiction and you believe it is time to clean up your act, you should enter a professional drug or alcohol treatment program. In this program, you will learn that rehab recovery consists of four stages that you will learn to develop in order to live a clean, healthy and sober lifestyle.
Treatment Initiation
The first stage of your recovery begins the moment you seek help for your drug or alcohol problem. Whether it was done by your own free will or was forced to seek help, the process of recovery begins when you reach out for professional treatment.
At this stage, it is only natural for you to have some second thoughts about giving up drugs or alcohol and you might even think that you can control your addiction. Be resolute about your decision to seek professional help as denial is the worst enemy of your recovery.
Early Abstinence
Once you have decided to fully commit yourself to the treatment of your addiction, you are now in the second stage of your recovery which is known as early abstinence. For most recovering addicts and alcoholics, this is the toughest stage to overcome because of some factors like withdrawal symptoms, psychological dependence and physical cravings which can threaten your recovery and tempt you into a relapse.
It is usually during early abstinence that you are taught by a trained addiction counselor about the coping skills that you will need in order to start leading a sober lifestyle. These set of coping skills will aid you greatly throughout your recovery.
Maintaining Abstinence
After 90 days of total abstinence, the time has come for you to move towards the third stage of your recovery, which is maintaining abstinence. If you happen to be in a residential-based treatment program, it is now time for you to move on to the follow-up counseling phase of your recovery program as an outpatient.
There is only one focus of this stage of recovery and that is maintaining abstinence by avoiding relapse. It is also at this stage that you will learn the signs and missteps that usually lead to a relapse.
Advanced Recovery
If you are able to successfully maintain your abstinence for five years, you will enter the final stage of your recovery, which is advanced recovery. At this point in your recovery, you will use all the skills you have learned during the treatment program so that you can lead sober, satisfying and fulfilling life.
