By: Lakeview Health
According to the non-profit Center on Addiction, more than 40 million Americans suffer from substance abuse problems. That is a shocking one in every seven. Addiction affects more people every year than diabetes, cancer, and even heart disease. But only a tiny percentage of these 40 million will seek help and get treatment. This failure to act is in part because of the shame associated with addiction treatment. But many people never begin treatment because they do not know how to begin addiction treatment.
Maybe they are avoiding it because they are embarrassed and want to save face. Maybe they have been putting off getting substance abuse help because they feel that they are too busy. Maybe they know they need help, but don’t know where to start. Whatever the case, becoming familiar with the basics of how to begin addiction treatment is a good idea. And the difference-makers at Lakeview Health have been helping get people started for almost twenty years.
How to Begin Addiction Treatment: The Basics
If you have been wondering how to begin addiction treatment, let’s get one thing out of the way. You must get professional help. The problem is often that there is an enormous amount of information out there regarding the details of treatment. The following questions can help you make an informed decision regarding how to begin addiction treatment:
- What are your goals? What behaviors and substances do you feel you need to address? Where do you want to be at the end of your treatment?
- What level of care do you require? Is your addiction severe enough to merit medical detoxification or residential treatment? Or can you begin with outpatient care, continuing to live at home and attending group and individual therapy?
- Do you have a “co-occurring disorder”? If you have an underlying mental health issue that feeds your addiction, you will need a facility with experience in this area.
- Which of the negative effects of addiction do you most wish to address? Has your substance abuse gotten in the way of your social relationships? Has it disrupted your work life? Have you alienated your family? When exploring how to begin addiction treatment, it is a good idea to catalog the behaviors that you would like to reverse.
These are certainly not the only questions you need to ask yourself. But when asking how to begin addiction treatment, the above are a great place to start.
How to Begin Addiction Treatment: Choosing a Program
The next step in how to begin addiction treatment is choosing the facility that best suits your needs. There is a wide range of drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs in the U.S., and they offer an even more extensive range of services. As you make your choice, you should consider programs that:
- Have a multi-disciplinary staff that can treat every aspect of your particular case
- Use evidence-based practices
- Treat individuals suffering from co-occurring disorders
- Are covered by your insurance
- Have a family-care or family-counseling component
- A well-developed aftercare program
Of course, these are only a few of the issues to consider when exploring how to begin addiction treatment. But they are all excellent starting points as you being your journey to recovery.
Contact Lakeview Health Today
When determining how to begin addiction treatment, it is never easy to take the first steps. But at Lakeview Health, we believe that addiction doesn’t have to be the end of your story. Reach out to Lakeview Health today by calling [Direct]. When you are ready to begin, we’ll be here to help.
