When Is Drug Rehab Necessary?

There is no clear formula for determining when drug rehab is necessary. Because all addicts are unique, the urgency of the situation can vary significantly depending on the circumstances. The following are some points to consider when deciding if it’s time for you or someone you know to enter rehab.

• Addiction. In some cases, a person may abuse alcohol or another substance without actually becoming addicted to it. People who are addicted develop a psychological and/or physical dependence on the substance, which means that, when they stop using, they experience withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the substance and severity of the dependence, withdrawal symptoms can be severe and dangerous, and withdrawal should be monitored by medical professionals to ensure the addict’s safety and comfort during the process. Addicts also develop tolerance and need more of a substance to achieve the same high. Although substance abuse often precedes addiction, a diagnosis of addiction may require more urgent admission into a rehab facility.

• Negative Effects. The beginnings of addiction may appear harmless – as a way to socialize or to relax after a stressful day. But as addiction escalates, an addict may lose their job, have financial problems, or find their relationships with friends and family strained. These manifestations of an addict’s loss of control should be a red flag to everyone in the addict’s life that they are no longer able to help themselves.

• Failed Attempts to Quit. * Sometimes addicts have insight into the fact that they have a problem and genuinely try to free themselves from their addiction. However, they often fail because they don’t realize that their addiction may have just been masking a more complicated problem and may have just been an unhealthy coping mechanism.