Drug abuse, including alcohol, has long-term and devastating effects on addicts. Despite this situation being horrific, there is some hope. Addiction treatment can help anyone overcome and lead an everyday life one more time.
Addiction recovery has five significant stages. Each phase outlines the problem and how the addiction treatment should be taken. They also describe how one should lead their life post-treatment. It is crucial for the addicts and their family members or close ones to understand these stages for a successful recovery treatment.
Precontemplation Stage
The precontemplation stage is the first stage in addiction recovery. Individuals involved aren’t yet ready to receive addiction treatment at this stage. They may adopt defensiveness characteristics and always look to justify their behaviors. Also, the individuals may overlook the negative influence of excessive drugs on their bodies and instead focus on the positive impacts the said drugs have.
In the absence or ignorance of information on addictive behaviors, an individual may remain in this stage for an extended period. In addition, many individuals opt not to try after a series of failed recovery treatment attempts, especially from highly addictive substances such as detox from meth, causing them to get stuck in this stage. Their disappointments bring hopelessness, and some may conclude that recovering is impossible.
Contemplation Stage
After the precontemplation stage, we proceed to the contemplation stage. The outstanding characteristic of this stage is contemplative readiness, where an addict is ready for a change, not immediately but rather in the future. The addicts are aware of their situations and are motivated to become drug-free.
While the addicts are motivated to bring change, they are also dragged behind by the benefits they get from abusing their respective drugs. Therefore, they will more often listen to reason. The critical nature of this stage calls upon the treatment facility and close family members to guide them to the next step. They should avoid accusations, blame, and judgment.
Preparation Stage
At this stage, the addict has more desire to become sober and may show signs of urgency. They become more willing to take action by themselves and may see a counselor or join a gym. If your close one is at this stage, ensure they do away with drugs for one or two days. Take care, as difficult emotions may take them back to contemplation or precontemplation stages.
Action Stage
The stage is characterized by the total commitment of the drug and substance addict to bring immediate change. At this stage, the person has already made significant changes. They may not use drugs for extended periods, and when faced with difficulties, they turn to professionals for help. While they control their lives properly, you must continuously counsel them to avoid reverting to the initial stages.
Maintenance Stage
In the last stage, the individual tries to prevent addiction recovery relapse. They engage in regular exercises, attend support groups, and stay sober. Also, their confidence grows, and they commit not to turn back to drugs.
The severity of the addiction will determine how long this stage lasts. However, for most people, it is between six to sixty months.
Individuals experience addiction in different ways. The same applies to addiction recovery. The recovery process varies from one individual to the other due to internal and external factors, including duration of addiction, age, prior drug use, and type of drug. Commit to addiction recovery treatment to achieve permanent sobriety.
