Three Doors - Jails, Institutions & Death

Jan. 6, 2015 - PRLog -- Far from being a lack of willpower, a moral dilemma or a result of one bad decision too many, substance abuse is a progressive disease without a cure. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.” Some question whether or not it’s a choice, while others consider it to be a symptom of deeper psychological problems.

The Authentic Treatment Center in Los Angeles, California is an addiction and dual diagnosis treatment center. The basis of their treatment philosophy is rooted in the idea that many people exhibit signs of a substance abuse disorder because of issues related to dual diagnosis. In other words, they believe that many people essentially abuse alcohol or drugs to self-medicate underlying psychological or psychiatric conditions.

Whether or not the medical community and other specialists involved agree on the causes and conditions and treatment methods for drug and alcohol abuse, one thing is for certain: simply put, things gets worse over time, never better. And no one, not even the addict, can quite wrap their head around the insidious, self-destructive nature of an ailment characterized by isolation, self loathing and self-centered fear. It tears apart families, damages the liver and every other internal organ and destroys any sense of self.

When it comes to treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, it can run the gamut from expensive “resort” style California rehabilitation facilities by the ocean to bare-boned, extremely modest places off the grid. What most have in common is a program of abstinence-based recovery. And considering the compulsive nature of addiction, abstinence is has been shown as the most effective plan of action.

There is a story in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous known as “the jaywalker.” A man is obsessed with jaywalking in front of speeding traffic. He gets a thrill out of it, until he gets hit a few times and eventually breaks both legs and gets a fractured skull. No one can stop him. His wife divorces him. He puts himself in a mental facility, but he breaks his back the day he gets out running in front of a fire engine.

Does this sound crazy? Or does it paint an accurate picture of addiction? And if it’s progressive and incurable, should you even bother signing up for drug rehabilitation in an effort to achieve any level of sobriety, or just you just end it all, jaywalker style?

In 12-step groups, they say there are three final outcomes for someone with advancing addiction issues:

Jails. If you carry on drinking and drugging for long, you’re pushing your luck. Be honest: are you drinking and driving? Do you have illegal drugs on you? If the answers to these questions is no, you might want to add the words “not yet” onto that, as in “no, I haven’t gotten a DUI—yet.”

Institutions. Detox centers. Drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Depending on the possibility of a co-occurring psychological condition like depression or borderline personality disorder, you may have come to be familiar with the inside of psych wards.

Death. Addicts OD. They get in accidents, and commit suicide. Whether or not they’ve been to alcohol and drug treatment, they may not have fully surrendered and embraced recovery. And that’s the most baffling dilemma of all: why do some people get clean and sober, and some don’t?

You might think of these final three doors as drastic scare tactics. Unfortunately, this is where substance abuse can lead. And it’s never too late to ask for help to start a new, clean and sober life.

For more information please visit at http://www.arctreatment.com/drug-rehab-los-angeles/