Stepworks Addiction Treatment info: Alcohol and drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing, potentially fatal brain disease that takes control of your mind, your body, your finances, and your life. Let's break that down:
CHRONICAddiction is a treatable, but non-curable disease. With appropriate therapy, continued support through a group like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and--when appropriate--medication, you can return to a fairly normal life. But it is important to recognize that "normal" does not mean "the same life you've been living." Recovery requires that you make important life changes. Otherwise, you risk relapse or even death.
RELAPSINGAddiction is a relapsing disease. Relapse means falling back into old patterns. Unfortunately, with addiction, relapse isn't the exception--it's the norm. At Stepworks, we'll encourage
you to be the exception, the person who achieves and maintains their sobriety and their hope. This will require education, endurance, support, and risk-awareness. There are signs that a relapse is about to happen. The Stepworks treatment team will help you prepare. With education and experience, you and your loved ones can learn to recognize the warning signs and take pre-emptive action. (If you do relapse, do not lose hope. A relapse can function as a wake-up call, urging you to return to your sobriety program.)
FATAL
Addiction can be a fatal illness. Statistically, people with untreated addictions will die sooner and have more medical problems than people without addictions. If you are abusing drugs or alcohol, you are at higher risk of dying. Some die from the substance itself--for example, a heroin or alcohol overdose. Others die from cirrhosis, hepatitis, or HIV. Some die from crime. Some die from a broken heart. Please, for the sake of yourself, your loved ones, and the precious gift of another day, choose life.
CONTROLAddiction can take absolute control of your life. Because of this, you will need help controlling your addiction. You cannot do it alone. That is a plain fact: you cannot do it alone. You need others to help you. This is often hard to accept, but it's true. Step One in our recovery curriculum begins with these words: starts "I realize that I am powerless."
CHOICEAt Stepworks, we believe that every person deserves dignity and respect. Having an addiction does not make you a bad person. Just like someone with diabetes or heart disease, you do want your addiction. Just as someone with diabetes can choose to eat too much or eat the wrong things, you have also made some bad choices. There are scientifically proven methods to treat diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and addiction. The choice to seek treatment is yours.
