Any detoxification treatment or addiction habituation treatment begins with the goal of enabling the patient to regain control of their life through complete reintegration. It is common for people to have had valuable assets (such as work, social or family relationships, better health, or money) before developing the addiction, which they lost due to the addiction. The aim is to recover these, in addition to building new things that motivate the addict.
Even if one does not possess many physical or sentimental assets, it is worthwhile to begin an addiction recovery process to gain a second chance at achieving goals that can improve quality of life.
One of the most difficult steps is accepting the addiction and starting treatment, which typically involves the phases of detoxification, habituation, rehabilitation, and reintegration until the patient returns to their environment. In this stage, ongoing periodic work with a professional ensures healthy monitoring, reinforces learned lessons, and prevents relapses. But… is it possible to reach this point and fully overcome an addiction to live a completely normal life?
Social Exclusion as a Problem
Unfortunately, addictions remain a taboo full of stigma and are rarely addressed by non-professionals as just another mental illness. Many people still associate them with “vice” and believe that consuming or developing an addictive behavior is the patient’s decision. This causes many people around the affected individual to change their attitude towards the addict, becoming more prejudiced, distrustful, or less respectful. For various reasons, before achieving recovery, a two-way isolation commonly occurs. The addict is weak, afraid, and feels shame or believes no one can help them, preferring solitude to avoid having to explain themselves, while their environment identifies them as a problematic and toxic person, a bad influence whose reactions are unpredictable and who has little to contribute.
These behaviors from both sides lead to a severe dissolution of social ties, which can result in greater difficulty in reintegration, as there is no stable environment to return to. Added to this are potential problems when trying to find employment, which can be more difficult if the company finds a criminal record or any public document indicating their addiction issues.
All these circumstances affect the patient’s motivation to recover and reintegrate, and can cause feelings of helplessness, anger, and guilt that may lead to potential relapses or generate new disorders such as anxiety or depression.
Therefore, it is very important that those around the addict try to shed their prejudices and show respect and support, conveying to the affected person the self-confidence they will need to fully recover and live a full life again.
Rehabilitation, a step prior to reintegration
To achieve reintegration, it is necessary to have successfully completed the detoxification and habituation processes, as well as rehabilitation.
In this phase of treatment, periodic evaluations of the patient are carried out, even after they have returned to their environment, and work is done on their attitude, as well as on any skills they may have lost due to addiction and its consequences.
Most effective treatments, which include the four phases mentioned, last between 2 and 5 years. In addition to these processes, outpatient therapy is also commonly practiced, which is usually the longest process (though also the least aggressive or controlling) and includes support groups, day units, or follow-up in therapeutic housing, among others.
According to various experts, it takes up to two years to achieve the internalized thought that addiction is not worth it, that it must be something external. This is because changing deeply rooted thoughts and attitudes that have led a person to consume and maintain their addiction is not easy, even for patients who are 100% focused on recovery, making it even more challenging for those with doubts and insecurities about the process.
What is the reintegration process like?
During reintegration, the patient gradually resumes the activities that, before starting treatment—and even before falling into addiction—constituted their organized daily and ordinary life. This phase takes place once the patient returns to their environment and integrates into the various outpatient treatments that CC Adicciones offers throughout the territory.
In this process, the center’s professionals accompany both the patient and their family to guide them in the process of returning to normalcy. At all times, the patient and their closest circle receive professional advice following the CC Adicciones recovery model.
Reintegration encompasses all aspects of the addict’s life; therefore, to achieve it, there are some key aspects that are decisive for the success of the treatment:
- Containment and acceptance from loved ones.
- Commitment and consistency and responsibility with therapeutic duties. Attendance at meetings, talks, and therapy sessions, etc.
- Avoiding isolation and dealing with the new reality, which may include some unpleasant aspects that should not cause the person to break down.
- Maintaining close contact with the professionals who have managed the recovery process and following their instructions.
- Adopting a positive and optimistic perspective. Viewing changes as a learning opportunity.
Every effort must be made to prevent relapses
Although recovery from addiction is not easy, there is always a way out. So, in answer to the question posed in the title of this article, YES, it is possible to achieve complete reintegration for an addict. 86% of CC Adicciones patients have achieved it.
With adequate help from their environment, professionals, and others who have already succeeded, recovering a life initially cut short by addiction is entirely feasible, as is improving and redirecting it.
To avoid intrusive thoughts and relapses, it is important to follow professional guidelines and for the patient to be transparent about their feelings. Similarly, it is crucial that the affected person does not begin any phase of treatment without having 100% overcome the previous one.
In any case, there are some tips that can be useful to minimize the risk of relapse, such as:
- Avoiding high-risk situations where there are incitements or temptations.
- Distancing oneself from people associated with the addiction.
- Seeking a socially stimulating life.
- Developing new hobbies.
- Working on regulating adverse emotional states through therapy.
- Staying aware of the benefits of remaining free from addiction.
If you need more information, do not hesitate to contact us. We know that recovery is not easy, but we guarantee it is worth it!
You can contact us whenever you wish through the channel most convenient for you: by calling 977 809 523 or our 24-hour phone 617 200 882. If you prefer, you can also send us an email to the following address: contactosweb@ccadicciones.es or contact us through any of our social media.
